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Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute Announces New Board of Directors

    • Hot Springs, AR (February 2, 2026) – The Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute (HSDFI) announced the appointment of several distinguished individuals to the institute’s Board of Directors, as it gears up to celebrate the 35th edition of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (HSDFF) (October 9-17, 2026). The list includes: Justin Acri, Beau Durbin, Carolyn Kennedy, Gentry Kirby, André Robert Lee, and Jen Rainin. LaTricia (LT) Hill-Chandler, an HSDFI Board Director since 2024, is HSDFI’s new Board Chair. The longest-running documentary film festival in North America and the only Oscar®-qualifying festival in Arkansas, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, was included in MovieMaker Magazine’s 2025 “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee”.

    “We are excited to welcome our new Board members to the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute,” said HSDFI Board Chair LaTricia (LT) Hill-Chandler. “Their leadership, diverse perspectives, and commitment to storytelling will strengthen our mission and help guide HSDFI’s continued growth and impact within the Hot Springs community and beyond.”

    Joining the HSDFI Board of Directors are six new members, whose business acumen and community engagement will be instrumental in expanding the reach and impact of the festival. With a total of nineteen members, the board remains focused on fostering continued growth, diversity, outreach, and organizational strength, all while championing the art of nonfiction
    storytelling.

    HSDFI 2026 Board Chair:


    LaTricia (LT) Hill-Chandler is Founder and Principal Consultant of The Dadden Group, with nearly 30 years of leadership across corporate, nonprofit, higher education, and CDFI sectors. A former Chief DEI Officer, she helps mission-driven organizations align culture, talent, and strategy to drive inclusive, sustainable impact.

    HSDFI 2026 Incoming Board Members:


    Justin Acri is an award-winning broadcaster and media executive with over 20 years in Arkansas sports media. As Program Director and General Manager of 103.7 The Buzz, he hosts The Zone and serves as play-by-play announcer for University of Central Arkansas athletics, earning recognition for professionalism and community engagement.

    Beau Durbin


    Beau Durbin     is co-founder and principal broker of ESQ. Realty Group and a practicing real estate attorney and partner at Crow & Durbin in Hot Springs, Arkansas. With two decades of experience in real estate and law, he specializes in transactional work and strategic problem-solving. He also maintains a real estate investment portfolio of commercial properties and short-term rentals. Beau lives in Hot Springs with his wife, Sharay, and their two sons.

    Carolyn Kennedy


    Carolyn Kennedy    , CTP has over 25 years of banking experience and currently serves as Executive Director of Treasury Management & Payment Solutions at Arvest Bank, headquartered in Fayetteville, AR. Carolyn holds a B.A. in Economics and Finance from Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Virginia. She is also a Certified Treasury Professional.

    Gentry Kirby


    Gentry Kirby     is a Senior Director and Producer for ESPN Films where he has produced multiple documentaries for the “30 For 30” series including Be Water  and the ESPN Films
    series, The Last Dance. He has also directed three 30 for 30s – This Magic Moment, Tommy and The Great Heisman Race of 1997.

    André Robert Lee


    André Robert Lee     is founder of Many Things Productions and director of award-winning documentaries that sit at the intersection of storytelling, social impact, and community engagement. His films include the NAACP Image Awards nominated Freeman Vines, and the autobiographical documentary The Prep School Negro, which aired nationally on PBS. He’s
    directed for CNN and Sundance films, and serves as head of the Film Department at Sessions University.

    Jen Rainin


    Jen Rainin     is a filmmaker and co-founder of Frankly Speaking Films, telling bold stories about queer women. With Rivkah Beth Medow, she produced acclaimed feature  documentary Ahead of the Curve (Netflix) and the Oscar®-shortlisted short documentary Holding Moses (The New Yorker). She also co-founded The Curve Foundation to amplify LGBTQ+ women’s stories.

    The 2026 HSDFI Board Officers:
    Board Chair LaTricia Hill-Chandler, Co-Vice Chair Kerri Jackson, Co-Vice Chair Chris Ho, Treasurer John Horner, Secretary Matthew Rogers.

    The 2026 HSDFI Board of Directors:
    Justin Acri, Brad Burleson, Caryn Capotosto, Kai Coggin, Beau Durbin, Ra A. Hearne, Dr. Chris Jones, Carolyn Kennedy, CTP, Gentry Kirby, André Robert Lee, Margaret McLarty, Jen Rainin, Clint Schaff, Ben Walters, Angie Wilson.

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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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    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.