Mimi Plauché is Artistic Director of the Chicago International Film Festival, the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. She has been at the Festival for 18 years and oversees the artistic direction and programming of the annual Festival as well as the organization’s year-round film series. Before joining the Chicago International Film Festival, Plauché was working on a doctorate in Japanese literature and film in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan. She is the recipient of Fulbright-Hays, Japan Foundation, and Social Science Research Council fellowships, among others. Plauché has been named to the rank of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture.

Plauché previously worked in documentary and short film programming for Cinema/Chicago and, while living in Japan for 8+ years, she worked for the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. She has worked as a programming advisor and has served on juries and as jury president for numerous international film festivals.