Home

Two Free Screenings for America’s 250th

    • I’ll admit it. I’ve seen about a zillion t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, bumper stickers, etc. sporting the distinctive red Arkansas Razorback (he? she?) of our flagship University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. But up till now, I have never actually been to Fayetteville. That all ends this week with our screening of one of my favorite docs of recent memory, the wittily titled “Rebel With a Clause” directed by Brandt Johnson and starting Ellen Jovin. On Saturday, June 27th at 1:00 PM, we will be screening the film at the Fayetteville Public Library — by all accounts, one of the most spectacular libraries in the country. Come early and stop by the Grammar Table, where Ellen will be holding court, from 11:30 AM till the movie starts.

    We screened the film last May as the featured event at our annual Tulsa Hot Doks and Brandt and Ellen were the hit of Tulsa. As fond as we are of Tulsa, we couldn’t let our own Natural State feel left out, so we made the pitch to Brandt and Ellen to bring the show to Fayetteville as part of our America250 screening series across the state of Arkansas… and, to our delight, they agreed!

    We love this fit with America250 because the film is a joyful, bumpy road trip across all 50 states that bridges gaps through a shared love of grammar and languageAnd, also, because it finds a lot of humor along the way. So, whaddya say? Pack up family, stock up on snacks and make your own road trip to Fayetteville. Nothing is more American than that. Go Hogs!

    And before the dust settles from Fayetteville, we’ve got another great free event happening right here in Hot Springs! On Tues. June 30 th at 7:00 PM for our fourth and final America250 event, at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences & the Arts, we will be hosting a special 35 years of HSDFF short film retrospective celebrating all things America.

    We’ve combed through four decades of program guides to find some real gems for you. It’s another great trip across the U.S. with cinematic stops in Seattle, California, Texas, Arkansas, North Carolina, and New York City. It’s a diverse range of stories and people, all striving for that elusive dream: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Lucky for you that pursuit is easy, as ASMSA offers plenty of parking…and free popcorn and sweet tea!

    Both of these events are free! Don’t forget to register, though.

    REBEL WITH A CLAUSE Registration
    DOC SHORTS FILM PROGRAM Registration

    See you in Fayetteville / See you in Hot Springs!

    With affection,
    Ken

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Scroll to top

    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.

    Stay in Touch

    Join our email list to stay informed about HSDFF!

    Newsletter

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

    "*" indicates required fields

    This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    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.