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About The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival

October 9-17, 2026

The Longest Running Documentary Film Festival in North America

Every October, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (HSDFF), an extraordinary 9-day celebration of the art of documentary film, attracts thousands of film enthusiasts, filmmakers and industry guests from throughout the region and across the U.S. to the beautiful enclave of Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas.

We hand-pick the best in documentary film and curate unforgettable in-person experiences, from a world class filmmaker conference to live non-fiction storytelling events and fun-filled parties every night.

We are especially passionate about spotlighting stories and filmmakers from the South and Mid-South regions. Designated an Oscar® qualifying festival for ‘Documentary Short Subject’ by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival has been added to MovieMaker Magazine’s annual list of “Top 50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” from a field of close to 7,000 festivals.

Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival offers an exceptional array of the best in documentary features and short films from around the world, as well as Opening Night, Centerpiece and Closing Night Galas, the HSDFF Career Achievement Award, and special events like the Filmmaker Forum, and True Stories: A Live Storytelling Event. Our intimate setting gives our audiences up-close access to high profile filmmakers and celebrity guests and the opportunity to participate in post-screening Q&As.

HSDFF is one of a limited number of exclusive festivals worldwide that has been designated as Oscar®-qualifying in the category of Documentary Short Subject by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Testimonials

“The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival is getting bigger and more potent with every year, and I’m honored to be here.”
- Mary Steenburgen

“The audience was incredibly engaged and enthusiastic, HSDFF does a great job of creating a warm welcome to the community of filmmakers with social events. We met great people and are able to get the word out about our film!”
- Carolyn Jones, filmmaker (American Delivery)

“Without exaggeration, I was literally reborn at HSDFF... As a co-founder of SXSW and a producer who has had films premiere at Sundance, Toronto, and SXSW, this might seem sheer hyperbole. But after two years battling ill health… the films and people at Hot Springs reminded me why I fell so in love with film in the first place. It was intimate yet professional, passionate but still reasoned. The attendees were great, the special guests exciting and accessible, and the films excellently programmed. It is a remarkable festival.”
- Louis Black, Editor of The Austin Chronicle & Co-Founder of SXSW

Our Mission

The Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute champions nonfiction storytelling by providing a platform for storytellers to entertain, educate, and broaden perspectives.

Our Vision

The Institute engages audience members with impactful cinematic experiences through an annual festival and year-round programming. Located in scenic Hot Springs National Park, the nation’s first resort town, HSDFI aims to create a supportive, holistic haven for filmmakers and audiences to regenerate and celebrate their love of documentaries.

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Annalee Drain

FESTIVAL PRODUCER

Annalee Drain is the Festival Producer of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, stepping into the role this year after three years with the festival in other departments.

She holds a BFA in Digital Filmmaking from the University of Central Arkansas. Annalee also serves as Programming Manager for the Persistence of Vision Film Festival, a role she has held for three years.

Based in Northwest Arkansas, she works full time as a freelance Camera Assistant on feature films and television, and recently made her debut as Director of Photography on the documentary feature Dirty Girl (Post-Production).

Deb Fuller

OFFICE MANAGER / MARKETING ASSISTANT / FILMMAKER FORUM CO-PRODUCER

Deb Fuller is a native Houstonian who has called Arkansas home for more than seven years. She has immersed herself in the Inception to Projection filmmaking program in Hot Springs over the past five years.

She has written and directed two short narratives, two documentary shorts, and participated in the production of numerous other projects. Her filmmaking centers on meaningful storytelling, often highlighting people, histories, and issues that deserve greater visibility.

This creative work deepens her connection to the community and amplifies voices that might otherwise go unheard.

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Join our email list to stay informed about HSDFF!

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Join our email lsit to stay informed about the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival!

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Erin Williams-Weir

SENIOR PROGRAMMER

Erin Williams-Weir is a festival programmer, producer, and award-winning filmmaker from Canada. She programs documentary features for the Chilliwack Independent Film Festival and has worked across international sales, acquisitions, and documentary production.

Her debut documentary, NEVER GET BUSTED!, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to receive multiple awards on the festival circuit, including the PBS Human Spirit Award.

Sean Volk

SENIOR PROGRAMMER

Sean Volk is a film programmer and arts advocate based in Fargo, ND. He is a Senior Programmer at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.

Additionally, Sean serves as a Lead Programmer at Mountainfilm and he is the Narrative Feature Programmer at the Woods Hole Film Festival. He has previously programmed for the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and the Nashville Film Festival.

Sean received his MA in Film Studies from Western University in London, Ontario in 2015; his scholarship explored representations of monstrosity in the films of Guillermo del Toro.

Colleen Thurston

SENIOR PROGRAMMER

Colleen Thurston is a documentary filmmaker and curator from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

With two decades experience in the festival world, Colleen has worked for festivals nationwide and specializes in non-fiction and Indigenous storytelling.

In addition to her work with HSDFF, she is the Project Producer for Native Lens, and a programmer for MountainFilm and the Tacoma Film Festival. Her first feature documentary Drowned Land screened at Hot Springs 2025, and is broadcasting on PBS in 2026.

Kyle Therral Wilson

COMMUNICATIONS, MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Kyle Therral Wilson is an Arkansas-native, Los Angeles-based consultant specializing in copywriting, digital marketing, publicity, and creative writing.

He has extensive experience in the publishing industry, most notably at Disney Publishing Worldwide, where he built email marketing campaigns and wrote interactive scripts for classic Disney characters.

Kyle also writes and produces for stage and screen; his short film SFH was an official selection at the 2024 Cinema Diverse Film Festival in Palm Springs, California.

Annie Gerber

PROGRAMMING MANAGER

Oversees daily operations and logistics including venue management, sponsor communications, transportation and housing.

Annie Gerber is a native Arkansan who has a Bachelor of Fine arts in music from Ouachita Baptist University but later switched her main focus to film and photography. Annie spent several years working as a Teaching Assistant at the prestigious photography program at the School of Cinematic and Performing Arts in both New York and Los Angeles. For the past 5 years she has maintained her position as the Director of Operations for the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.

Ken Jacobson

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Ken oversees all aspects of the festival including fundraising and sponsor relations, program development, management of staff and volunteers, budgeting, and producing the festival each fall.

Ken Jacobson was most recently Senior Programmer, Documentary Films at the Sonoma International Film Festival. He has served as Documentary Film Programmer at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (since 2017) and at the DocLands Documentary Film Festival (since 2019). He is also co-creator/co-host (with Michael Merrill) of the podcast “Top-Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers” with presenting sponsor Netflix.

Previously, Jacobson was a senior member of the programming team at the American Film Institute (2018-2021) and Director of Educational Programs and Strategic Partnerships at the International Documentary Association (2013 – 2016). From 2008- 2013, he was Documentary Programmer and Programming/Education Outreach Coordinator at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. He has served on numerous festival juries and as a grant reviewer for the NEA, NEH, Sundance Institute, and IDA Enterprise Fund.