Claudette Godfrey, who has been with South by Southwest (SXSW) for nearly 20 years, is exiting the organization, SXSW announced Thursday. Taking over as the new Director of the SXSW Film & TV Festival is Peter Debruge, the former co-chief film critic at Variety. He begins his role on April 6.
The SXSW Film & TV Festival just wrapped earlier this month, and as its VP of Film & TV, Godfrey has helped support filmmakers like Janicza Bravo, the Safdie brothers, and the Daniels, where their film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” premiered at SXSW before going on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. The festival under her watch also expanded into TV in recent years.
“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, in an official statement. “She has built a program that is both globally relevant and deeply rooted in discovery, and we’re incredibly grateful for her contributions.”
Debruge had been with Variety as its chief film critic for 20 years and wrote 2,000 reviews for the Hollywood trade publication (IndieWire and Variety share a parent company, PMC). He left the publication in early 2026.
Debruge originally grew up in Waco, Texas and studied film at the University of Texas at Austin, even editing the entertainment section of The Daily Texan alongside former SXSW Film head Matt Dentler back when he was in school, so he has a local connection to the Austin-based festival.
Debruge has also been knighted in France in the Order of Arts and Letters for his work, and he’s served on festival juries such as Cannes, São Paulo, and Reykjavik, and is a co-founder of the Animation Is Film Festival.
“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, in a statement. “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.”