In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Peña was involved in the controversy over Abbas Kiarostami, who was refused a US immigration visa to attend the festival because of his Iranian roots.[3] Peña had invited Kiarostami to the festival. In the event Peña stated: "It's a terrible sign of what's happening in my country today that no one seems to realize or care about the kind of negative signal this sends out to the entire Muslim world."
From 2001 to 2002, Peña was the host of Sundance Channel's Conversations in World Cinema, on which he interviewed Harmony Korine among other filmmakers. Since 1996, he has organized together with Unifrance Film the annual "Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Today" program. He is also responsible for creating the annual New York Jewish Film Festival.[6]
Peña is a Professor of Professional Practice in the Film Department at Columbia University, where he specializes in film theory and international cinema and founded the Columbia University MA program in Film Studies: History, Theory and Criticism (HTC). He resigned from his posts as the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Program Director (after 25 years)[6] and as the head of the NYFF Selection Committee[1] and as of 2012 was to be organizing a new educational initiative for the film society.[7]
Honors
He was honored at the 2013 Jerusalem Film Festival and held a discussion with Mohsen Makhmalbaf after the screening of The Gardener about the power of cinema.[8]
Personal life
He resides in his hometown, New York City, with his wife. He has three children.[3]