Focus Features has elevated Kiska Higgs to president of production and acquisitions.
In her new role, she will oversee the studio’s films and team across development, production and acquisition for domestic and international titles. Higgs will continue to work from the Focus Features headquarters in Los Angeles.
Higgs, who previously served as executive VP of production and acquisitions at Focus, has worked at Universal for 15 years. She began as a production executive in Los Angeles at Universal Pictures and at the studio’s London office before joining Focus in 2016.
“I’ve had the good fortune of working with Kiska for 10 years, during which time her great taste, strong relationships, and insights into the marketplace and the culture have been a not-so-secret weapon for Universal and then Focus,” Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski said. “We are extremely fortunate to now have her leading our creative team where she will grow our slate in scope, breadth, and ambition in ways that all of us at Focus are excited to be a part of.”
While at Focus, Higgs was key in acquiring Emerald Fennel’s “Promising Young Woman” and Robin Wright’s directorial debut “Land,” which premiered at Sundance Film Festival. She’s also had a hand in the movie adaptation of “Downton Abbey,” Edgar Wright’s upcoming “Last Night in Soho,” Morgan Neville’s Mister Rogers documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and Dawn Porter’s doc “The Way I See It.”
“Over the past five years, it’s been a privilege to continue building Focus into a home for filmmakers at NBCUniversal, a company I’ve called my own home for more than fifteen years,” Higgs said. “I’m thrilled to lead our creative team at a studio so uniquely dedicated to the global impact and power of storytelling through specialty film.”
