About Us
Our Mission
The Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) encourages documentary media projects made within or about the American South. We are an organization that passionately believes that the stories of the American South have national and international significance, and that the documentary artists living in the region deserve support and recognition.
Our Past
In 2002, a collective of North Carolina-based media artists and their supporters came together to create The Southern Documentary Fund. In the past four years, more than 30 documentary projects have received fiscal sponsorship through SDF. The work of SDF artists has been broadcast nationally and internationally, screened at hundreds of festivals around the world, and is being used as effective tools for education and community development. SDF documentaries have received numerous awards as well as funding from state and national corporations and foundations.
Our Future
SDF is committed to helping independent documentary artists produce work in sound, writing, film, video, photography and interactive media. There are many talented documentary producers in our region who are committed to preserving important stories of culture and heritage, and communicating these stories to a wider audience. The SDF promotes dialogue, advocates for the public exhibition and discussion of documentary work, provides fiscal sponsorship to media makers, and serves as a consultant and technical resource to emerging and established documentary artists.
SDF is dedicated to expanding audiences for documentary work and to mentoring artists from rural areas and underrepresented groups.
SDF seeks to link regional resources in order to increase visibility and expand audiences for documentary projects and to connect media artists, academics and nonprofit organizations for collaboration, inspiration and support.
Inclusiveness is a founding principle of SDF. Deliberate steps in this direction include the recruitment of a diverse leadership, the transparency and accessibility of the project selection process, and current projects that reflect the diversity of North Carolina. The SDF is committed to a collaborative approach to documentary work and to documenting the lives and stories of underrepresented groups.