Documentary Film Council appoints Mandy Chang as CEO

Founded in 2023, the Documentary Film Council (DFC) has grown into a national membership body representing nearly 1,000 filmmakers and industry professionals working across the UK’s documentary ecosystem.

A member-owned co-operative, it is intended to represent the voice of the documentary community to industry and government, build connections across the field, and work to create a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future for nonfiction storytelling.

Chang was most recently Global Head of Documentaries at Fremantle and previously worked as Commissioning Editor of the BBC’s prestigious Storyville strand from 2017 to 2021.

She has directed, produced, and executive-produced over 100 films and series across television, radio, and film, with recent feature projects including Two Strangers: Trying Not to Kill Each Other, It’s Never Over: Jeff Buckley, The Mole Agent, Writing with Fire, and Welcome to Chechnya.

Chang said: “Documentary filmmaking is a vital part of our culture, and yet our community faces unprecedented challenges. We need an organisation like the DFC to advocate for our industry, and I’m honoured to be working with the board, our members, and sister organisations across the field in this next stage of the DFC’s growth. While I will continue to work on independent documentaries, I am fully committed to and excited about building an organisation that will benefit our entire documentary community.”

Chang takes the reins from Steve Presence and Emily Copley, who served as Joint Acting CEOs since the organisation’s launch. In a joint statement, they said: “We are incredibly proud of the foundation that has been built over the past two years and deeply grateful to the hundreds of filmmakers, organisations, and supporters who believed in the need for the DFC and helped bring it into existence. With Mandy’s leadership, we are excited to see the organisation move into its next chapter and continue working towards a stronger, more resilient, and more unified documentary ecosystem in the UK.”

Fremantle recently appointed Ben Crompton as its new Global Head of Entertainment. Discover more here.