Film Independent President Dies From Colon Cancer

Josh Welsh, longtime Film Independent president, has died.

The organization announced Wednesday that Welsh died on December 31 after a five-year battle with colon cancer. He died peacefully at home with his wife and daughter at his side. His age was not immediately available.

“We are devastated by the loss of Josh Welsh,” Film Independent’s Board Chair Brenda Robinson said in a statement. “Josh was a tireless champion of independent voices, a trusted arts leader and a cherished colleague and friend. The work we do at Film Independent has never been more necessary and we will honor his legacy by continuing to build on the foundation he established. Our hearts go out to his family.”

Welsh served as lead singer in the alt-country band Meatyard who shared a tribute post to Welsh writing, “Dear friends, Josh put down his guitar and left to sing with the angels on the last day of 2024. With broken hearts, we celebrate his tremendous life force; his generosity and his love of connection. We will carry him in our hearts forever.”

Welsh earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in Philosophy from Kenyon College. While working as an actor in Los Angeles, Welsh began volunteering annually at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in 1996 before officially joining the staff over 20 years ago. In his rise to leadership, Welsh first served as a co-president with Sean McManus in 2012 after Dawn Hudson resigned.

Prior to becoming President, Welsh was responsible for the overall design, strategic planning and implementation of Film Independent’s Artist Development programs for over a decade including the Filmmaker Labs for Directors, Screenwriters, Producers and Documentarians, Fast Track, and the Grants Program. He spent four years administering Film Independent’s diversity program, Project Involve, as well as managed the the Grants Program. Prior to working on the Filmmaker Labs, he was in Film Independent’s programming department.

After McManus stepped down in 2013, Welsh became the President of Film Independent where, according to the organization, he directly oversaw all programs and operations and grew the organization across all metrics including staff, budget, programming slate, membership.

Under his leadership, Welsh helped the organization deepen strategic partnerships with studios, NGOs and governments, and increased international reach by partnering with the State Department on the Global Media Makers Program. According to the organization, Welsh expanded their “commitment to promoting diversity in the film industry and amplified Film Independent’s role as an advocate for filmmakers.”

Welsh is survived by his wife Bonnie Gavel and daughter Isla Welsh.