Another Longtime SXSW Staffer Exits the Fest

Another massive shakeup at South by Southwest. With the flyers barely off the walls, festival PR has announced the surprise exit of vice-president of Film & TV, Claudette Godfrey, and her replacement, effective April 6, by former Variety chief critic, Peter Debruge.

Godfrey joined SXSW two decades ago as a volunteer, until finally rising to be festival head Janet Pierson’s right hand. She then took over the Film & TV side of the event when Pierson retired after 15 years in 2022. Indeed, she was hand picked by Pierson for the role, just as Pierson was recruited by her predecessor, future Apple Original Features head of film Matt Dentler. At the time of her appointment, Godfrey said, “I’m a hype woman at heart, and it’s a great joy in my life to discover and elevate new talent by curating and evolving an event that celebrates film.”

However, her tenure as Film & TV lead turned out to be brief, and no explanation has been given for her exit.

In some way, it’s a further stage in the Penskefication of SXSW, with the media empire having removed much of the festival old guard since Penske Media Corporation became SXSW’s majority shareholder in 2023. (Variety, where Debruge worked for 20 years, is a Penske property.)

However, the situation is a little more nuanced than the replacement of a South By familiar face by a Penske mainstay implies. Debruge was raised in Texas and was, as a student at UT Austin, co-editor of the Daily Texan’s entertainment section alongside none other than Dentler; early in his career, he reported on the local film scene – including SXSW coverage – for the Chronicle. In addition to his decades at Variety, Debruge also served as a juror for multiple film festivals including Cannes, São Paulo, and Reykjavik, and is a co-founder of the L.A.-based Animation Is Film Festival. 

In a statement, Debruge wrote, “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. 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.”

Debruge assumes the new role of Director of the SXSW Film & TV Festival  beginning April 6.

The post Another Longtime SXSW Staffer Exits the Fest appeared first on The Austin Chronicle.