The UK’s Documentary Film Council (DFC) has announced Mandy Chang as its first Chief Executive Officer.

Mandy Chang most recently served as Global Head of Documentaries at Fremantle, and previously as Commissioning Editor of the BBC’s Storyville strand from 2017 to 2021. Chang has directed, produced and executive produced over one hundred 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.

The Documentary Film Council was founded in 2023 to represent the UK documentary sector and represents nearly 1,000 filmmakers and industry professionals working across UK documentary.

Chang said: “I am thrilled to be joining the Documentary Film Council at a critical juncture for our industry. 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. And 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 have 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.”

Alongside Chang’s appointment, the Documentary Film Council is also strengthening its board with the co-option of two new Trustees: Zara Meerza and Julian Carrington. Meerza is an Emmy Award-winning writer, filmmaker and programmer whose work spans television, journalism and film culture. Carrington is Executive Director of the Documentary Organization of Canada and a leading advocate for documentary filmmakers internationally.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, DFC Chair Fiona Fletcher, said: “With Mandy now at the helm as our first CEO, we are also delighted to welcome Zara and Julian to the board. Both bring a wealth of experience from across the documentary ecosystem alongside strong international perspectives. Together with Mandy’s leadership, their insight and expertise will be invaluable as the DFC continues to grow and deepen its work on behalf of the UK documentary community.”