Peter Debruge, the longtime chief film critic at Variety, has been named the director of the SXSW Film and TV festival.
Claudette Godfrey, the VP of film and TV at SXSW and a 20-year veteran of the organization, is stepping down from her role leading the Austin-based festival.
Debruge, who will assume his new role on April 6, spent two decades as Variety’s chief film critic, writing over 2,000 film reviews. A University of Texas at Austin alumnus, Debruge has been attending the festival since the 1990s.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
The news of Debruge’s appointment comes as SXSW recently wrapped its 2026 festival, which included the world premieres of films like Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters and horror comedy Ready or Not 2, in addition to the series premiere for Margo’s Got Money Troubles and a keynote conversation from Steven Spielberg, among other notable events.
