The company was founded in 1976 by Andi Engel (11 November 1942 – 26 December 2006), a German-born film enthusiast, and his then wife, Pamela Balfry, who had a background working with Richard Roud at the London Film Festival.
Roud graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1950, and after spending a year in Paris on a Fulbright scholarship, undertook post-graduate study at the University of Birmingham.
Richard Nixon | Richard Wagner | Richard Strauss | Richard Branson | Cliff Richard | Richard Gere | Richard Burton | Richard Hammond | Richard | Richard Dawkins | Little Richard | Richard Feynman | Richard Attenborough | Richard M. Daley | Richard I of England | Richard Thompson | Richard Francis Burton | Richard Thompson (musician) | Richard Pryor | Richard Linklater | Richard III of England | Richard Petty | Richard II | Richard II of England | Richard E. Byrd | Maurice Richard Arena | Muhal Richard Abrams | Richard Herring | Richard Wright | Richard Stallman |
The non-competitive festival, sometimes abbreviated as NYFF, was established by Amos Vogel and Richard Roud.