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The Mountain Valley ® Spring Water to be Premiere Sponsor of HSDFF

    • With roots dating back to 1871 in the town of Hot Springs, brand to be featured prominently at one of America’s most important celebrations of documentary storytelling

    Hot Springs, AR (July 9, 2026) –  The Mountain Valley® Spring Water announced today that it is the Premiere Sponsor of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, one of the most important art festivals in the region. As the prestigious documentary film festival prepares to celebrate its 35th edition from October 9 – 17, the premium American water brand is proud to support a platform that offers the best in documentary film, inspiring educational programs, and exposure to internationally acclaimed filmmakers and special guests.

    The Mountain Valley® Spring Water will be served at all Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival functions, including at the hospitality suite and all of the Festival’s year-round events.

    Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival executive director Ken Jacobson said, “We have always been huge fans of The Mountain Valley Spring Water here at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. The distinctive bright green bottle is near-and-dear to our hearts for many reasons, the most important one being that the water inside those bottles comes from right here in the Ouachita Mountains. Second, because of its taste, which is second to none. Having The Mountain Valley join us as our Premiere Sponsor will bring new prestige to the festival and further advances our mission to create a supportive, holistic haven for filmmakers and audiences to regenerate and celebrate their love of documentaries.”

    “For more than 150 years, The Mountain Valley Spring Water has been proudly connected to the town of Hot Springs, where our story began and where our water continues to be sourced today,” said Kheri Tillman, Chief Marketing Officer, the Mountain Valley Spring Water and Primo Brands. “As a brand rooted in originality and craftsmanship, we’re honored to support the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, an event that celebrates storytelling and the creative voices that bring important stories to life. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to the community that has shaped our brand for generations.”

    Announcements regarding the festival’s lineup, honorees, and guests for the 35th edition of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, presented by Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, will follow in the coming weeks.       


    ABOUT HOT SPRINGS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL 

    Each year, with the help of a small staff and over 100 dedicated volunteers, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival presented by Oaklawn, attracts thousands of visitors to this extraordinary 9-day event in scenic Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. Now in its 35th year as the longest-running documentary film festival in North America, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival remains a prominent champion of documentary film. The 2026 edition of the festival takes place on October 9 – 17. For more information on HSDFF, visit: hsdfi.org.

    ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN VALLEY SPRING WATER

    The Mountain Valley®, Spring Water, sourced in Hot Springs, Arkansas, has been free-flowing in America’s heartland for thousands of years. Its sacred source is tucked deep in the wilderness of the Ouachita Mountains, where we’ve bottled the water in glass –  to preserve its award-winning taste – since 1871. Learn more at www.mountainvalleyspring.com, and follow us on Instagram, @mountainvalleywater. 

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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.