Bill Pence, a former vice president at Janus Films who was one of the co-founders of the important Telluride Film Festival in 1974, has passed away. He was 82.
The Telluride Daily Planet reported that Pence passed away on December 6, 2022.
Pence, who was born in Minneapolis, co-founded the Telluride festival with his wife, Stella, and their mutual friend and cinema historian, James Card, who went on to serve as the event’s co-director. The very first festival to be held in the Sheridan Opera House in Colorado town.
Pence began his career in the film industry as an usher in one of the city’s movie theaters. From that point on, he became increasingly interested in the film industry.
It was during his tenure as president of the student film organization in college that he first witnessed Harold Lloyd’s The Freshman (1925), which sparked his interest in film. He began his work as a promoter, during which time he would give students what he referred to as “festivals” of film programming on a regular basis.
Bill Pence cause of death: How did Bill Pence die?
Pence passed away after battling a protracted illness. Besides his wife, survivors include their daughters, Zazie and Lara, as well as four of their grandchildren.
