SXSW Film & TV Festival Makes Change At Top, Names Peter Debruge Director

Debruge is a 20-year veteran of Variety, having cut his teeth at the trade as a special editor and then doing double duty as a film critic. He ultimately rose to be their third Chief Film Critic in the brand’s 100-year plus history, penning 2,000-plus reviews and covering major international film festivals for the last decade. Debruge was knighted by France in the Order of Arts and Letters for his work.

The new role will bring Debruge back to his homeland of Texas. He grew up in Waco and studied film at the University of Texas at Austin. Early in his career, he co-edited the entertainment section of The Daily Texan alongside former SXSW Film head Matt Dentler and contributed to The Austin Chronicle, where he covered SXSW in the late 1990s. He has served on juries at festivals including Cannes, São Paulo, and Reykjavik, and as a co-founder of the Animation Is Film Festival.

During Godfrey’s run at SXSW, she championed boundary-pushing burgeoning filmmakers such as Janicza Bravo, the Safdie brothers, and the Daniels, whose film Everything Everywhere All at Once world-premiered at SXSW and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

“Claudette has been an integral part of SXSW for many years, and her leadership has helped shape what the Film & TV Festival is today,” said Greg Rosenbaum, SVP of Programming at SXSW. “She has built a program that is both globally relevant and deeply rooted in discovery, and we’re incredibly grateful for her contributions.”

“Peter brings a unique perspective and a deep passion for storytelling that aligns closely with SXSW’s mission,” said Jenny Connelly, Director in Charge at SXSW. “We’re excited for him to build on the strong foundation that Claudette established and lead the festival into its next chapter.”

“There’s a certain poetry to this appointment, which brings me back to the festival that is nearest and dearest to my heart, in the place I spent my formative years,” said Debruge. “I’ve been attending SXSW for nearly three decades during which time, I’ve seen SXSW grow and evolve into a world-class film festival. I’m in awe and admiration of the groundbreaking creative work done by Matt Dentler, Janet Pierson and Claudette Godfrey, and am honored to be joining the team to carry forward SXSW’s legacy of championing visionary voices. I will be eternally grateful to Variety for 20 incredible years, which taught me so much about the film industry and allowed me to travel the world, from Tokyo to Cannes, discovering all the great filmmakers (and festivals) the world has to offer.”