Pena to step down at N.Y. fest

The 49th annual NY Film Festival wrapped Sunday night with the announcement that Richard Pena, the longtime program director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the head of the fest's selection committee, will step down at the end of 2012.Next year's NYFF will be the event's 50th year, and Pena's 25th at the Film Society.Pena's tenure has included the opening of the Film Society's Walter Reade Theater as well as the brand new Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, which added two more screens to this year's festival programming. Pena's years in the post also have encompassed influential NYFF spotlights on filmmakers including Pedro Almodovar, Mike Leigh and Lars Von Trier, among others. Pena announced his departure at the screening of "The Descendants," the closing night film of this year's fest. He ankles to pursue other opportunities, and said the fest's 50th anniversary seemed a good time to transition.Pena will remain affiliated with the Film Society, designing and organizing a new educational initiative. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com