South Arts is pleased to announce the 14 independent filmmakers and 12 screening partners comprising the 2026-27 Southern Circuit Tour, the longest-running independent film circuit among the region. Tours will kick off in September with public screenings across the South through April 2027.
As one of the regional arts organization’s earliest initiatives, Southern Circuit has been supporting documentary filmmakers by bringing them and their work directly to local venues and audiences across the nine-state region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina. Through this program, presenting partners—including independent theaters, community cinema houses, universities, museums, libraries, and other nonprofit organizations—host public screenings of feature-length documentaries paired with filmmaker-led conversations with their communities.
Since its founding, Southern Circuit has reached more than 100 communities, giving filmmakers the opportunity to travel to new regions, connect with fresh audiences, and spark cultural conversations that extend well beyond the screen.
"For fifty years, South Arts has believed in the power of storytelling to connect communities across the South. Southern Circuit, one of our longest running initiatives, has embodied that commitment by bringing documentary filmmakers directly to the audiences who host and welcome them. These filmmaker–community conversations deepen understanding, strengthen local ties, and affirm that cultural exchange is at its strongest when it is rooted deeply in gathering together," shares Doug Shipman, President & CEO.
The 2026-27 season explores themes ranging from community, belonging, and immigration to music culture and Southern identity, reflecting South Arts’ 50-year mission to strengthen and drive artistic excellence across the region’s cultural dialogue.
The 2026-27 Southern Circuit Filmmakers and Films are:
David Rae Morris | New Orleans, LA
My Mind To Me A Kingdom Is: The Legacy of Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister
Raúl O. Paz-Pastrana | Denver, CO
Backside
Clayton Brown and Kimberly Sullivan | Chicago, IL
Who’s the We
Dustin Cravins and Milton Arceneaux | Grand Coteau, LA
Built on Zydeco: A Louisiana Music Documentary
Yael Bridge | Providence, RI
Who Moves America
John Rash | Oxford, MS
Our Movement Starts Here
Dawn Porter | New York, NY
When A Witness Recants
David Alvarado | New York, NY
American Pachuco: The Legend of Louis Valdez
Karla Murthy | Brooklyn, NY
The Gas Station Attendant
Tabari Sturdivant | Atlanta, GA
The A Stands for Art
Linda Royal | Winston-Salem, NC
Minne Evans: Draw or Die
Kenny Dalsheimer and Rafael Samanez | Durham, NC
Moonchild: The Life and Music of Yusuf Salim
William D. Caballero | Los Angeles, CA
THEYDREAM
Thandi Cai | Chicago, IL
Bluff City Chinese
David Rae Morris | New Orleans, LA
My Mind To Me A Kingdom Is: The Legacy of Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister
The 2026-27 Southern Circuit Screening Partners are:
Arts Council of Central Louisiana
Alexandria, LA
City of Dothan - Performing Arts Department
Dothan, AL
Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema
Birmingham, AL
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY
Global Education Center
Nashville, TN
City of Hapeville
Hapeville, GA
Atlanta Beltline
Atlanta, GA
Lancaster County Council of the Arts
Lancaster, SC
Asheville Art Museum
Asheville, NC
The Nickelodeon Theatre (Columbia Film Society)
Columbia, SC
UNC Wilmington
Wilmington, NC
CineOdyssey Film Festival
Charlotte, NC
Southern Circuit is made possible through a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information on individual film tours, dates and featured filmmakers, please visit southarts.org.
About South Arts
South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1976 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value, and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.
Press Inquiries
Hilena Haileselassie
Marketing & Communications Manager, South Arts
HHaileselassie@southarts.org
Rachel Roberts
Senior Account Executive, Cultural Counsel
rachel@culturalcounsel.com
Colleen Rodgers
Account Coordinator, Cultural Counsel
colleen@culturalcounsel.com