American democracy is in freefall, credible journalism is under attack and Americans have lost shared understandings of truth. This is the urgent landscape behind Documentary Southeast, a new nonprofit with a mission to present documentary film and photography.

Based at Mars Landing Galleries in Mars Hill, NC, the center will be the first of its kind in the American Southeast and one of the few anywhere with a core mission of presenting documentary work.

Through exhibitions, screenings, a festival and other programming, Documentary Southeast will show work from emerging and established artists primarily with connections to this region of the U.S. When possible, we will host filmmakers and photographers for special receptions and interviews in front of our audience. We will also partner with the Appalachian Studies program at Mars Hill University to hold student workshops with our visiting filmmakers.

Documentary Southeast premieres in October-November 2025 with Real to Reel—six consecutive weekends of film programming (details to come). Ongoing film and photography programming will begin in early 2026.

The founding director is Matt Peiken, who comes to Documentary Southeast after a long career in print, broadcast and independent journalism. The home for Documentary Southeast is Mars Landing Galleries, in Mars Hill, NC.

Email matt (at) docsoutheast.org