Indie Memphis names longtime Memphian as new director ahead of annual film festival

Indie Memphis has its new executive director, officials with the film organization announced Monday.

"I'm really excited to lead this organization," said Kimel Fryer, a corporate finance officer and film producer who is currently a senior financial analyst with FedEx Supply Chain. "With my financial management and legal skills and my passion for filmmaking, it seemed like a perfect combination."

Fryer arrives at Indie Memphis with little time to spare before the organization's signature annual event: The 25th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival — the largest and most significant film-related gathering in the region — is set for Oct. 19-24.

Fryer — who turns 35 on Wednesday — was slated to make her first appearance as Indie Memphis executive director-elect during a free public "preview party" to announce the full slate of films at this year's festival at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Black Lodge, 405 N. Cleveland.

As previously announced, the festival's opening night film is "The Picture Taker," a documentary about Ernest Withers Jr., the longtime photographer of Black Memphis news and culture who after his death was revealed to have been an informant for the FBI.

Festival screenings will be at such venues as the Halloran Centre, the Crosstown Theater, Playhouse on the Square, Circuit Playhouse and the Malco Studio on the Square. Some films also will be available online, for those who can't make the screenings or remain wary of public venues due to COVID-19.

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Fryer — who was born in Jackson, Tennessee, but grew up in and has lived most of her life in Memphis — will be the fourth executive director in Indie Memphis history. Her predecessor, Knox Shelton, a veteran of Memphis nonprofits, resigned in March "to pursue other interests" (according to an Indie Memphis news release) after only a year in the job.

Shelton had been hired to replace Ryan Watt, who had served five years as Indie Memphis executive director. Watt left to be a partner in Zio Matto Gelato, a Memphis-based artisanal gelato company.

Watt was preceded by Erik Jambor, Indie Memphis executive director for seven years. Prior to Jambor, the organization had been run by volunteers.

Indie Memphis is primarily known for its annual Indie Memphis Film Festival, a multi-day celebration of independent cinema that typically brings filmmakers from all over the world to Memphis.

Indie Memphis also organizes numerous other activities and opportunities intended to "create community through independent film and support the development of filmmakers," according to its mission statement. Some of these include the Youth Film Fest, the Black Creators Forum, the "Shoot & Splice" public talk series, various film screenings and numerous grants and residencies for filmmakers.

The executive director is chosen by the Indie Memphis board, a group of 12 volunteers that oversees the art nonprofit. The organization's eight additional staffers also are board hires. Fryer will leave FedEx and take over the Indie Memphis job Oct. 3.

A mother of two sons (Michael is 5, while Kameron is 3), Fryer is a 2005 graduate of Cordova High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and finance from the University of Memphis and a law degree and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Fryer has worked in corporate finance for most of her life. She also has made her own short films and been a producer on other films, including the feature "Life Ain't Like the Movies," a coming-of-age comedy-drama shot in Detroit and Los Angeles that currently is available on the Tubi and Amazon Prime networks.

A self-described "creative," she said she always has been interested in writing, theater and film. She said her film fascination increased during the past decade, when she moved to Detroit for a couple of years. "When I moved back to Memphis in 2016, that's when I found Indie Memphis. I was looking for like-minded filmmakers and an independent filmmaking environment, and I found it."

As Indie Memphis executive director, however, much of her focus will be on the practical side of arts support, including fundraising, development and a long-term strategic business plan.

Another goal is more short-term: Getting people to say her first name correctly. "Kimel" is pronounced "kih-MEL," with an accent on the second syllable — like "Mel Gibson," Fryer said. It's not pronounced "Kimmel," like the name of television host Jimmy Kimmel.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Indie Memphis names longtime Memphian as new director