Meet the team

Alece Oxendine

Executive Director

Durham native Alece Oxendine is a celebrated speaker, strategist, and writer in the film and media industry. She has made an impact on hundreds of emerging filmmakers in the areas of marketing and distribution at Film at Lincoln Center, BAMcinema, Rooftop Films, Athena Film Festival, Fandor, Good Deed Entertainment, and most recently at Columbia University's graduate film program and Color Congress.

Alece is an alumna of Columbia University where she serves on their alumni board, and is a proud HBCU graduate from Winston-Salem State University. She enjoys telling stories in her free time and is currently trying to learn French.

Penelope Bartlett

Artistic Director

Penelope has worked across streaming platforms, festivals, and art-house theaters, for organizations including the Criterion Collection, Metrograph, Vimeo, Tribeca Film Festival, Full Frame Film Festival, Palm Springs Film Festival and more. Since relocating to Durham in 2022, Penelope’s extensive background in film curation and distribution has ignited a desire to cultivate the city's vibrant film scene. Durham's welcoming, creative spirit, and love for the arts resonates deeply with her.

Advisory Board

Miriam Bale, Film Programmer
Natalie Bullock Brown, Documentary Film Producer
Pola Changon, Chief Content Officer at Atlanta History Center
Rebecca Fons, Director of Programming at Gene Siskel Film Center
Nick McCarthy, Director of Programming at NewFest
Ina Pira, Head of Curation at Vimeo
Saleem Reshamwala, Mediamaker and Creative Director
Sana Soni, Director of Sales and Distribution at Giant Pictures
Neil Creque Williams, Head of Filmmaker Relations and Concierge Services at Gathr