Without a chief since Roman Bittman and the Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation board of directors parted ways last July, the nsfdc has named a new ceo.

After months of speculation, the provincial Ministry of Economic Renewal has named Anne-Marie Varner, a former director of communications for Halifax’s Atlantic Television/Atlantic Satellite Network to the post

The announcement is receiving a muted response from the production community, perhaps in part because Varner’s former position was not directly tied to independent producers. Some question how much tangible power the ceo position actually holds, reflecting Bittman’s revelation after his departure that he was asked to change his employment contract so that the executive board would hold no financial power or funding decision control.

For her part, Varner does not believe her job description differs from that of her predecessor, although she does say that final decisions rest with the board of directors: ‘I report to the board and decisions are made by the board at the end of the day.’