Durham, N.C. – June 15, 2021 – Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Kristy Garcia Breneman in the role of Executive Director. She will be responsible for all aspects of SDF’s management and growth. Garcia Breneman joined SDF as Artist Development Director in 2020, managing the organization through Covid-19 with development grants, mentorship programs, new artist services, a new website, and expanded partnerships.

Garcia Breneman previously served as the Creative Director for the Atlanta Film Festival in the midst of a rapidly changing city, with the mission of crafting a community-minded identity, and helping the festival launch New Mavericks (a year-round program that aids women in the Atlanta film community by elevating the female lens and strong female narratives). During her time in Atlanta, she started a movie night for local filmmakers, tapping into the city’s filmmaking community and providing them with a platform to screen their work. She has served on the board of directors for organizations such as the Plaza Theater Foundation, Association Internationale du Film d’Animation (ASIFA-Atlanta), and Visual Art Exchange Raleigh. She has been in the field of artist services for over 15 years, with a wealth of knowledge and extensive background working closely with filmmakers, distributors, and film festivals across the South, including Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and Austin Film Festival.

“It has been a joy to have worked for the last 18 months with the wonderful board and staff of SDF,” says Peter Gilbert, Southern Documentary Fund Board President, exiting as Interim Executive Director. “I have worked with Kristy Garcia Brenemen for the last year. Kristy taking over as Executive Director with her incredibly talented colleagues will continue the expansion of maker mentorship, new programming, and building a robust regional documentary community. With Kristy on board, our future to serve Southern makers is brighter than it has ever been before. I know the mission of our organization, ‘Seeing Southern stories through its makers’ eyes and the pursuit of ethical filmmaking in today’s landscape’ will be furthered through Kristy’s leadership.”