Programmer Spotlight: Tyler St. Pierre (Documentary Features)
September 22, 2026
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By Tyler St. Pierre · Documentary Features Programmer
I was very grateful for the opportunity to help program this year’s slate of Documentary Features and to continue growing my relationship with the Charlotte Film Festival. It was only two years ago that I was a filmmaker with a short documentary in the lineup, and look where we are now. I love Charlotte, and I loved helping shape what audiences will be seeing this year at The Independent Picture House.
As I was watching films through the spring and into the early days of summer, I kept noticing a trend with the stories I was seeing; they all seemed to be, in some part, about their own creation. GROUNDED is just as much about what sustainable farming can do for us as it is about high schoolers learning about story structure and how to make a documentary. THEYDREAM quite literally shows us the entire process from start to finish and brings the viewers inside of it in a way I have so rarely seen before.
KIDS LIKE ME stands out as something especially meaningful. I was lucky to catch this when it premiered at Tribeca Festival back in June and was incredibly moved by its portrayal of being a kid growing up with a disability. As a man who has dealt with lifelong disabilities, I was immediately taken back to my own childhood and the difficulties that came with it. The film allows Oliver the space to be angry about it in a way that really resonated with me and that I believe will give audience members something unique to walk away with.
Our lives all contain powerful stories that impact the communities we’re a part of. This collection of films highlights how important connecting with the world around you can be and how we really need each other more now than ever. I can’t wait for y’all to see these films, and I look forward to discussing them afterwards over an ice cold beer in the lobby.
