Frank Moreno Dies: Noted Independent Film Executive Was 82

Frank Moreno, who was known for screening films at Cannes for Roger Corman’s New World Pictures to purchase and distribute in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s, died Wednesday in Florida. He was 82 and died after a brief battle with cancer, according to his daughter.

Moreno was a promoter for such Art films as Ingmar Bergman’s Cries and Whispers and Federico Fellini’s Amarcord, both the biggest US grossing pictures of the directors’ careers up to that point.

He also touted Volker Scholondorff’s The Tin Drum, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1980; Bruce Beresford’s Breaker Morant; Fantastic Planet, the winner of numerous animated awards; and Bergman’s The Magic Flute.

In addition, Moreno acquired and distributed many mainstream commercial pictures, including The Private Eyes, starring Tim Conway and Don Knotts; managed theater circuits, including one out of Florida; and was a consultant to movie producers, including Andrew Vajna.

Moreno grew up in New York’s Spanish Harlem and lived in Los Angeles for many years until retiring to Florida several years ago.

Survivors include two children. His wife, Susie, predeceased him.