About us

The Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) is an arts nonprofit that cultivates documentary media made in or about the South. It’s our mission to empower Southern makers to tell stories through Southern eyes. We prioritize underrepresented voices, especially those with long connections to the South. Inspired by our belief that media has the power to change lives, we provide makers with diverse resources, including grants, fiscal sponsorship, mentorship, community awareness, education and training – all to champion Southern documentary and lower barriers to entry for new and emerging makers.

SDF-sponsored projects often aim to bring injustice to light, and to reveal truths, large and small, about the world around us. In just the past couple of years alone SDF has sponsored award-winning films with important messages of hope and change—films like Private Violence, about domestic abuse, The Case Against 8, about the battle for marriage equality, and Los Jets, about discrimination against immigrants. That said, SDF is not curatorial, or didactic. The work of our artists covers a broad spectrum of topics told from multiple points of view. Every project is editorially independent; SDF does not support works-for-hire or branded content. SDF also believes deeply in the power of film to enlighten and inspire through its craft and artistry. While many of our films address obvious social issues, many are simply good stories, or good art. We have sponsored dozens of films about athletics, music, artmaking, family dynamics, or unique cultures and lifestyles. The demand for documentary programming has grown exponentially, in no small part thanks to the more cinematic nature of the works themselves. SDF supports our makers in creating more artful projects.
SDF was founded in 2002 by two independent filmmakers, Steve Channing and Cynthia Hill. They were producing and directing feature-length documentaries, and found themselves reaching out to organizations in New York or on the West Coast to sponsor their films. Eventually Cynthia and Steve felt compelled to create a home for southern storytellers closer to home. Based in Durham, North Carolina, SDF became the first and only arts nonprofit dedicated to supporting documentary artists in the American South, filling a substantial gap in services locally and within the region. Over the past decade, SDF has become a trusted partner for veteran, emerging, and first-time documentary producers across our region, helping them direct their lenses and microphones at powerful southern stories and critical issues. The work of SDF artists covers a diverse spectrum of topics—civil rights, the environment, history, and the arts—and their films are being used as effective tools for social change, education, and community development. SDF is passionate about providing our artists with opportunities for professional growth, offering support and programming that connects them to the resources necessary to hone their skills, complete their projects, and exhibit them widely. And as a leading advocate for documentary culture in the Southeast, SDF forges relationships between our regional makers and industry professionals around the country. Since our founding, SDF has sponsored over 100 independent documentaries. Currently we have approximately 77 active documentaries on the roster, a record number for our small organization.
Our Staff

Clint Jukkala

Executive Director

Chris Everett

Artistic Director

Judy Melvin

Operations Manager

Our Board

Mei-Yen Ireland

Mei-Yen is Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson is the SVP of Sound + Engagement at Trailblazer Studios, a production, post, and sound facility based in Raleigh, NC. Projects include production and/or post-production for Discovery Channel, OWN, HBO, National Geographic, PBS, Paramount Pictures, Disney Channel, Columbia Pictures and NBC Universal.

Irene Oakley Johnson

TREASURER

Irene Oakley Johnson is Former First Lady of Clark Atlanta University where she was an integral part of the life of the University and the ambassador for “Lifting Every Voice.” She is a retired procurement professional in the Mission Operations Support Office at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas.  

William "Bill" Link

SECRETARY 

William A. Link served as the Richard J. Milbauer Chair in Southern History at the University of Florida and the former President of the Southern Historical Association.

Firas Quran

Firas Quran is a Talent Specialist with All American Entertainment and in the past has worked for the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and NBC Universal.

Ellen Stolzman

PRESIDENT

Ellen Stolzman has a long history in the marketing of entertainment products. She began her career at CBS, where she spent nearly 10 years engaged in the worldwide marketing of American music legends. She joined Simon & Schuster to launch their Books on Cassette and Home Video businesses, and then moved to senior management at HBO Video, where she built their non feature film business with the targeted marketing of documentaries, music, sports, comedy and educational programs.

Nicole Triche

Nicole Triche is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, who serves as Associate Professor at Elon University’s School of Communications where she is also the Director of the elondocs production program.

Past Board Members

  • Herb Amey
  • Sharon Anderson
  • John Biewen
  • Laurie Bley
  • Eric Boggs
  • Kathy Carter
  • Rebecca Cerese
  • Cynthia Collins
  • Vandana Dake
  • Kenny Dalsheimer
  • Kathy Dole
  • Dawn Dreyer
  • Vivian Bowman Edwards
  • Mimi Fountain
  • Greg Garneau
  • Peter Gilbert
  • Micah Gilmer
  • Bonnie Gordon
  • Dionne Greenlee
  • Kim Lan Grout
  • Jim Haverkamp
  • Titus Brooks Heagins
  • Rick Igou
  • Allison Inman
  • Alan Jacobs
  • Dante James
  • Elisabeth Haviland James
  • Allegra Jordan
  • Shambhavi Kaul
  • Carl Kenny
  • Rishi Kotiya
  • Cicero Leak
  • Malinda Lowery
  • Sandy Marshall
  • Louise Maynor
  • Beverly Meeks
  • Scott Misner
  • Alyson Newby
  • Diana Newton
  • Kemi Nonez
  • Rhesa C. Rubin
  • Chloe Seymore
  • Alan Teasley
  • Peter Tompkins
  • Tom Whiteside
  • Judy Van Wyk
  • Kirsten Mueller
  • Mark Sloan
Co-Founders

Dr. Steven Channing

Dr. Steven Channing brings a wide range of experiences as an historian, author, and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker. Over the past two decades his documentaries have explored many American stories, from The Lost Colony to the nationally broadcast February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four. His Durham: A Self-Portrait was broadcast on Fox50, while Change Comes Knocking: The Story of the North Carolina Fund, Down Home: Jewish Life in North Carolina, and Generation of Change: Bill Friday, Terry Sanford and North Carolina have regularly been screened on UNC Television. He is currently completing Remarkable Journey: The Voices of Asian Indians in North Carolina.

Cynthia Hill

Cynthia Hill (President Emeritus) is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker whose credits as a producer/director include the feature-length documentaries Tobacco Money Feeds My Family, The Guestworker, February One, and Private Violence, as well as the PBS series A Chef’s Life. Her projects are often accompanied by community outreach campaigns that provide a forum for viewers to initiate dialogue and become actively involved; the 18-part multi-media project Survivor to Survivor offers resources and educational tools for victims and others. A native of Pink Hill, NC, Hill began her production career as an editor at GLC Productions in New York City, but telling stories that are grounded in a sense of place led her back South, and she now makes her home in Durham, NC.