The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is celebrating its 20th lineup with a mix of films that deal with world events, musical moments and fears of the future. Along with premieres, titles include several documentaries that have gained buzz at earlier festivals. Full Frame will bring back a few of the films that played at the festival over the the last two decades.
The festival takes place April 6-9 in Durham, North Carolina. Individual tickets go on sale March 30 at fullframefest.org. The site also has the times when the films run. The films normally only run once unless they win a major award which means a second screening on Sunday.
There’s plenty of reasonably priced hotel rooms near the festival. You can even visit Raleigh or Chapel Hill during your stay in the Triangle. Not to sound too enticing, but April is the start of BBQ season.
InsidePulse will be covering the festival.
Here’s the press release from Full Frame that includes summaries of the films playing during the weekend and special events:
FULL FRAME ANNOUNCES NEW DOCS AND INVITED PROGRAM LINEUP FOR 20TH ANNUAL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
Durham, N.C. – March 14, 2017 – The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, one of the world’s premier showcases of nonfiction cinema, today announced its NEW DOCS lineup of features and short films in juried competition, along with its annual Invited Program.
“We are proud to present 71 new titles at the festival this year,” said Full Frame artistic director Sadie Tillery. “These selections represent a wide breadth of current work, and illuminate the many forms that documentary film can take. Festival attendees are in for an extraordinary experience that is fitting of our 20th anniversary.”
The NEW DOCS program includes 48 titles—27 features and 21 shorts—selected from over 1,750 submissions from around the globe. These films are eligible for the Full Frame Audience Award and are shortlisted for a variety of additional juried awards offering a combined value of over $50,000 in cash prizes. Award winners will be announced at the annual Awards Barbecue on Sunday, April 9.
The Invited Program features 23 films—22 features and 1 short— screening out of competition. Included in this program are the festival’s Center Frame screenings, which take place in Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre and include moderated discussions following the films.
The 20th Annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival will be held April 6–9, 2017, in Durham, N.C. The Thematic Program lineup will be announced on Wednesday, March 15. The Opening Night Film, Closing Night Film, Center Frame programs, and other special free screenings will be announced with the full schedule of events on Thursday, March 16. Individual tickets go on sale March 30 and can be purchased online at fullframefest.org.
NEW DOCS
116 Cameras (Director: Davina Pardo)
Surrounded by a twinkling constellation of cameras, Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss records her stories for an interactive hologram project, preserving her experience for future generations. World Premiere
All Skate, Everybody Skate (Director: Nicole Triche)
Tucked away in picturesque Topsail Island, N.C., Miss Doris’s roller skating rink pops with energy as she leads her customers in games and skates, as she’s done for over 50 years.
Anatomy of a Male Ballet Dancer (Directors: David Barba, James Pellerito)
Praised for the sublime way he partners ballerinas, Marcelo Gomes is the center of this intimate film that takes us inside his world to chart a luminous 20-year career with American Ballet Theater.
Asiyeh (Director: Leila Merat)
An intelligent, no-nonsense bonesetter in northern Iran has been healing the people in her community for as long as anyone can remember. US Premiere
Balloonfest (Director: Nathan Truesdell)
In 1986, the United Way of Cleveland sets out to break a world record, releasing over a million balloons in the air, but the event has unexpected consequences when the lift off doesn’t go as planned.
The Botanist (ботаник)
(Directors: Maude Plante-Husaruk, Maxime Lacoste-Lebuis)
This breathtaking short follows Raimberdi as he ingeniously constructs a hydroelectric generator to better survive in the mountains of Tajikstan.
City of Ghosts (Director: Matthew Heineman)
Captivating in its immediacy, City of Ghosts follows the journey of “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently,” a group of anonymous Syrian activists who band together to document the Islamic State’s crimes after the city is taken by ISIS.
Depth Two (Dubina Dva) (Director: Ognjen Glavonić)
This suspenseful illumination of long-buried war crimes, which began in 1999 with NATO bombings in Serbia, is told in a harrowing combination of narrated testimonies and present-day images of the sites in suburban Belgrade where the crimes took place.
Donkeyote (Director: Chico Pereira)
The grandest adventure of all is afoot for a Spanish septuagenarian and his mischievous dog and stalwart donkey, if only they can survive chronic arthritis, impertinent travel agents, and just one more bridge.
Dysphoria: Inside the Mind of a Holocaust Survivor (Director: Joseph Edward)
This poetic and visually arresting exploration of one man’s memories takes an inventive and sensory approach, immersing the viewer in his experiences. World Premiere
The Earth Did Not Speak (La Tierra No Habló) (Director: Javier Briones)
Survivors of the 1982 government-sponsored massacre in Rio Negro, Guatemala, share their stories as the camera quietly pans across seemingly tranquil places that once were home.
Far Western (Director: James Payne)
Fueled by music and personal charisma, Charlie Nagatani embodies Japan’s obsession with American country and western music. North American Premiere
The Force (Director: Peter Nicks)
A riveting, on-the-ground look at the Oakland Police Department during a period of intense scrutiny and reform, as a new sergeant aims to correct protocol in the wake of charges of misconduct and abuse.
Funne – Sea Dreaming Girls (Le ragazze che sognavano il mare)
(Director: Katia Bernardi)
A whimsical tale of a group of elderly women in a small Italian village who get creative while trying to raise funds for a trip to the sea, which many of them have never seen. North American Premiere
The Great Theater (Wielki Teatr) (Director: Sławomir Batyra)
A meandering camera takes a graceful, evocative journey through the spaces and operations of Warsaw’s Grand Theatre as it presents the opera Madama Butterfly.
Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405 (Director: Frank Stiefel)
Animated drawings and extraordinary shots of Mindy Alper’s sculptures create a lovely portrait of the artist as she unabashedly examines her experiences with a mental disorder (that prevented her from speaking) while discussing art, love, and life.
I’M OKAY (Director: Pia Lenz)
Adult themes unfold through the perspective of young protagonists in this beautifully photographed feature that captures the experiences of two refugee families struggling to rebuild their lives in Germany. North American Premiere
Island Soldier (Director: Nathan Fitch)
Through the intimate stories of two soldiers, this film explores the high cost of opportunity. In the Federated States of Micronesia—an “associated state” of the U.S.—a high proportion of residents serve in the American military, with few resources to support their lives after duty ends. World Premiere
The Kodachrome Elegies (Director: Jay Rosenblatt)
A short and lyrical ode to Kodachrome film stock that reflects on family, loss, and the end of an era.
Last Men in Aleppo (Director: Feras Fayyad)
Urgent and harrowing, this film follows the White Helmets’ unrelenting efforts to save fellow Syrians. When air strikes devastate homes, they descend on the wreckage to rescue buried men, women, and children, refusing to leave their people or their city behind.
The Last Pig (Director: Allison Argo)
This lyrical film follows an introspective farmer as his beliefs undergo a dramatic shift, from believing that there are more humane ways to slaughter animals to questioning the premise of his life’s work. US Premiere
Life in Riva (Tra ponente e levante) (Director: Lorenzo Giordano)
An aging resident imparts the history of his seaside Italian town. His recollections, and a trove of impeccably photographed artifacts, reveal the evolutions of one place over time. North American Premiere
Luis & I (Directors: Roger Gómez, Dani Resines)
The wife of a human cannonball describes their life in the circus and the ways their love has endured decades of this itinerant lifestyle.
Mommy’s Land (Director: Garret Atlakson)
As the Cambodian government demolishes homes, and arrest counts and brutal police violence increase, elder resident “Mommy” and other neighborhood women prove to be peaceful, and vivacious, resisters. World Premiere
My Father’s Film (Director: Priscilla Gonzalez Sainz)
A daughter crafts a portrait of her father through the spaces he occupied, a meditation shaped by the tools he left behind. World Premiere
One October (Director: Rachel Shuman)
Filmed in the final weeks of the 2008 presidential campaigns, this city symphony follows a radio reporter as he takes to the streets to invite fellow New Yorkers to share their thoughts and opinions in a time of great uncertainty. World Premiere
The Original Richard McMahan (Director: Olympia Stone)
A visionary artist painstakingly recreates the masterpieces of others, producing thousands of intricate miniature replicas of works made across centuries, from Van Gogh’s The Starry Night to King Tutankhamun’s tomb.
Plastic China (Director: Jiu-liang Wang)
At a recycling center in the Chinese countryside, two families survive between seas of plastic bottles and wrappers shipped from the U.S. and other countries; processing this waste has become their burden, and yet for their children, they dream of a better life.
QUEST (Director: Jonathan Olshefski)
This thoughtful and incisive observation of the Rainey family over the course of ten years seamlessly captures pivotal life experiences as well as issues of poverty, politics, and gun violence in a North Philadelphia neighborhood.
The Rain Will Follow (Director: Eugene Richards)
From his chair in a retirement home, 90-year-old Melvin Wisdahl shares poignant recollections of wartime and strife in this deeply personal account set aglow by beautiful images of North Dakotan farmland.
Samuel in the Clouds (Director: Pieter Van Eecke)
Samuel Mendoza continues the family tradition of operating the ski lift in a Bolivian Andes resort, while a melting glacier below threatens everyone’s way of life.
Shivani (Director: Jamie Dobie)
In this unique tale of grief and healing, three-year-old Dolly Shivani, believed by her parents to be the reincarnation of their dead son, trains as an Olympic archer. World Premiere
Slowerblack (Director: Jessica Edwards)
A hand-poke tattoo artist in Brooklyn reflects on her unique style and approach
to inking. World Premiere
Socotra, the Island of Djinns (Socotra, la Isla de lod Genios)
(Director: Jordi Esteva)
In this extraordinary black-and-white account, a group of camel herders travel inland on the island of Socotra to avoid the rainy season while sharing nighttime tales of supernatural djinns. US Premiere
Still Tomorrow (摇摇晃晃的人间) (Director: Jian Fan)
In rural China, a determined, courageous woman balances her fame as an eloquent and frank poet with societal expectations around disability, independence, and family obligation.
Storyboard P, a stranger in Sweden (Director: Matthew D’Arcy)
In this mesmerizing vignette, a dynamic Brooklyn street dancer travels to Sweden to teach and perform—a journey that tests his devotion to the art form.
Strong Island (Director: Yance Ford)
Director Yance Ford rigorously unpacks the events surrounding the death of his brother, who was shot in 1992. Profoundly cinematic and deeply personal, their family story is a powerful examination of race in America.
The Submarine (Director: Wenceslao Scyzoryk)
A 95-year-old cinematographer returns to his lab each day to perfect his invention—a machine that repairs celluloid damage.
The Swirl (El Remolino) (Director: Laura Herrero Garvin)
As the largely abandoned town of El Remolino in Chiapas, Mexico, struggles to yield viable crops and keep its school open, two siblings remain to battle the rainy season and their painful childhood.
They Took Them Alive (Director: Emily K. Pederson)
In 2014, 43 students disappeared from a bus traveling in Iguala, Mexico. Their families seek answers as the official investigation comes to a troubling and suspicious halt. World Premiere
Through the Repellent Fence (Director: Sam Wainwright Douglas)
The artist collective Postcommodity examines lines, origins, and the people to whom land really belongs with a two-mile-long installation of inflatable spheres high above the U.S.–Mexico border.
Timberline (Director: Elaine McMillion Sheldon)
This short documents a West Virginia town caught between transitional pressures: an abandoned naval base is up for auction, and the NSA occupies a station just down the road. What will become of the locals for whom this place is home? World Premiere
Tribal Justice (Director: Anne Makepeace)
Two dynamic Native American women—chief judges for the state’s largest tribes—draw on tradition and village wisdom to help defendants rebuild their lives, encouraging healing over jail time and punishment.
Two Worlds (Dwa Swiaty) (Director: Maciej Adamek)
In this expressive study of family relationships, a daughter helps her two deaf parents navigate the world—as she has since she was three—and balances life between school, home, and self.
Waiting for Hassana (Director: Ifunanya Maduka)
Jessica, an escapee, recollects a friendship shattered by the 2014 kidnapping of 276 Nigerian girls by the Boko Haram.
Winter’s Watch (Director: Brian Bolster)
The longtime winter caretaker of the Oceanic Hotel off the coast of New England welcomes months of solitude, relishing the opportunity for introspection and productivity.
Zaatari Djinn (Director: Catherine van Campen)
This incandescent portrait documents four children in a refugee camp who are transformed by the light of imagination and possibility despite numerous hardships. North American Premiere
Zuzana: Music Is Life (Directors: Peter Getzels, Harriet Getzels)
The life story of eminent Czech harpsichordist Zuzana Ruzickowva transcends the personal in a deeply affecting look at the redemptive power of art throughout the Czech Republic’s turbulent 20th century. World Premiere
INVITED PROGRAM
500 Years (Director: Pamela Yates)
A sweeping examination of resistance movements in Guatemala, including the recent uprising, and a chronicle of the country’s first trial for war crimes committed against the Mayan people.
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (Director: Steve James)
In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the only U.S. bank accused of mortgage fraud was the family-owned Abacus Federal Savings in Manhattan’s Chinatown. This stunning film chronicles the Sungs’ legal battle as they fight to defend their business and their family name.
Austerlitz (Director: Sergei Loznitsa)
In vivid black and white, tourists and guides visit concentration camps. In observing their interactions, Austerlitz provides a powerful meditation on the (often imperfect) ways human beings connect, remember, and reflect.
Bronx Gothic (Director: Andrew Rossi)
With a blend of performance footage and penetrating discussions about her purpose and process, this film follows Okwui Okpokwasili as she tours her powerful one-woman play around the country. World Premiere
Buzz One Four (Director: Matt McCormick)
In 1964, a B-52 long-range bomber crashed on a Maryland mountainside with two thermonuclear bombs on board. This suspenseful account, crafted by the pilot’s grandson, skillfully weaves archival footage with personal recollections.
The Challenge (Director: Yuri Ancarani)
Miles of barren desert provide the backdrop for this surreal compilation of images: private jets, race cars, exquisite birds, and even a pet cheetah descend on the Qatar dunes to take part in a remote falconry tournament.
Dina (Directors: Dan Sickles, Antonio Santini)
At once tender and triumphant, humorous and hard, Dina introduces a woman in love as she navigates complex expectations in the days leading up to her
impending nuptials.
EXPRMNTL (Director: Brecht Debackere)
This lively overview of the legendary EXPRMNTL film festivals held in Belgium from 1949 to 1974 interweaves archival footage with the recollections of the makers who defined experimental cinema. US Premiere
The Good Postman (Director: Tonislav Hristov)
An inspired citizen decides to run for mayor on a daring platform: that embracing the arrival of refugees may be the key to revitalizing his Bulgarian village.
The Grown Ups (Director: Maite Alberdi)
Adult students with Down Syndrome question their unknown futures. After attending the same school for decades, is there anything left to be discovered in this place, and what opportunities exist in the outside world?
In Loco Parentis (Directors: Neasa Ní Chianáin, David Rane)
For more than 40 years, John and Amanda Leyden have taught elementary-age children at a remote Irish boarding school. Filmed over the course of a year, the teachers bring wonder to their classrooms and roll with the joys and challenges that the changing seasons bring their young pupils.
An Insignificant Man (Directors: Khushboo Ranka, Vinay Shukla)
With unimaginable access, this film follows the turbulent campaign of Arvind Kejriwal, a businessman turned politician who formed India’s Aam Aadmi Party (Common Man’s Party) in 2012, as he runs for his country’s top office.
Life – Instruction Manual (Leben – Gebrauchsanelitung)
(Directors: Joerg Adolph, Ralf Buecheler)
Featuring short excerpts from a wide range of classes, from childbirth to end-of-life care, this film reflects on the myriad ways that we depend on learning, particularly from others. North American Premiere
Long Strange Trip (Director: Amir Bar-Lev)
Personal interviews, performances, and never-before-seen footage create a multifaceted portrait of the Grateful Dead. They were more than a band. They were a movement.
May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers
(Directors: Judd Apatow, Michael Bonfiglio)
Personal, rich, and from the soul, this film follows the equally soulful Avett Brothers as they record a new album, reflect on the creative process, and navigate strong ties while managing lives spent on the road.
Project X (Directors: Laura Poitras, Henrik Moltke)
Rami Malek and Michelle Williams understatedly narrate guidelines from a top-secret NSA handbook, as the viewer travels from stark and isolated spots in the National Business Park to a windowless skyscraper in downtown Manhattan.
Purple Dreams (Director: Joanne Hock)
This film follows six students at the Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte, N.C., who thrive as performers in the first-ever high school musical production of The Color Purple while grappling with difficult and stressful issues in their own lives. World Premiere
STEP (Director: Amanda Lipitz)
This inspiring film follows three members of the Lethal Ladies step-dance team at the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. With the support of their intrepid coach and an uncompromising counselor, they are determined to attend college.
TAKE EVERY WAVE: The Life of Laird Hamilton (Director: Rory Kennedy)
In sparkling cinematography and intimate interviews, this epic look at the surfing legend’s life in and out of the waves is also a no-holds-barred illustration of one man’s dedication to continually reigniting his passion.
Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities
(Director: Stanley Nelson)
A monumental, essential, and compelling survey of the history and cultural significance of HBCUs in America.
This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous (Director: Barbara Kopple)
Gregory Lazzarato to Gregory Gorgeous to Gigi Gorgeous—family members and millions of followers support the makeup and beauty YouTube star before, during, and after her transition.
Trophy (Director: Shaul Schwarz, Co-Director: Christina Clusiau)
This revelatory and exquisitely photographed investigation into conservation practices and big game hunting invites nuanced scrutiny and debate.
Whose Streets? (Director: Sabaah Folayan, Co-Director: Damon Davis)
This unflinching story of the Ferguson uprising is told by the activists who were there, chronicling the birth of a new generation of resisters in America.
FULL FRAME ANNOUNCES SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY RETROSPECTIVE, “DOUBLETAKE,” FOR 20TH ANNUAL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
Durham, N.C. – March 15, 2017 – The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, celebrating its 20th anniversary April 6–9 in Durham, N.C., has announced the titles included in this year’s Thematic Program, DoubleTake. The special program was curated by Full Frame artistic director Sadie Tillery as a retrospective celebrating the films and filmmakers who helped establish the festival as one of world’s premier showcases of nonfiction cinema.
“It was a remarkable journey to take, looking back over the milestones and moments highlighting two decades of Full Frame,” said Tillery. “Above all else, this retrospective is a celebration of the the artistry, courage, and power of storytelling we see every year from documentary filmmakers around the world. We’re proud to continue to provide a stage where their work can be experienced and appreciated.”
Over two decades, Full Frame has showcased nearly 2,000 documentaries, featuring titles in wide circulation alongside films that are harder to see. While it would be impossible for a single series to encompass all that Full Frame represents to the filmmakers, film lovers, and community members it serves, DoubleTake reflects on a spectrum of films that embody the Full Frame canon.
In addition to the 19 films included in the DoubleTake program—one from each year in Full Frame’s history—the festival’s NEW DOCS slate and Invited Program include 71 additional titles (49 features and 22 shorts), some of which will make their World or North American premieres. Specific screening times and venues will be announced with the release of the full schedule on Thursday, March 16 at fullframefest.org. Individual tickets go on sale March 30.
2017 Thematic Program: DoubleTake
12 Notes Down (12 Toner ned) (Director: Andreas Koefoed)
This touching portrayal of transition follows a talented adolescent as he is forced to abandon his longstanding role in the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir when his voice begins to change. Festival Year: 2009
Benjamin Smoke (Directors: Jem Cohen, Peter Sillen)
A portrait of the band Smoke’s lead singer unfolds through a patchwork of still images, rehearsal and performance footage, black-and-white collages, and interviews with Benjamin himself. Festival Year: 2001
Black Out (Director: Eva Weber)
With no power at home, Guinean children walk miles to study for exams beneath the humming glow of airport, gas station, and parking lot lights. Festival Year: 2013
The Chances of the World Changing (Director: Eric Daniel Metzgar)
What begins as a desire to help save endangered turtles becomes an all-consuming passion for New Yorker Richard Ogust, who eventually shares his apartment with 1,200 tortoises from around the globe. Festival Year: 2006
Father’s Day (Director: Mark Lipman)
With its deceptively restrained tone, this film investigates a father’s passing through edited home movies and a contemporary soundtrack in which family members talk about the father’s life. Festival Year: 2004
Flag Wars (Directors: Linda Goode Bryant, Laura Poitras)
This stark journey into the heart of a divided community documents the gentrification of an African American working-class neighborhood in Ohio, where the white newcomers are mostly gay. Festival Year: 2003
Helvetica (Director: Gary Hustwit)
An insightful examination of typography, graphic design, and global visual culture through the lens of the iconic typeface. Festival Year: 2007
Il Capo (Director: Yuri Ancarani)
This stunning cinematic short follows an Italian machinery conductor as he deftly directs his crew to carve marble out of a mountain. Festival Year: 2011
In Harm’s Way (Director: Jan Krawitz)
An affecting portrait of the filmmaker’s own life story, told through striking contemporary images and excerpts from the “safety first” films shown in school classrooms during the 1950s and 60s. Festival Year: 1998
La Laguna (Director: Aaron Schock)
In the rainforests of southern Mexico, a Mayan boy faces the impending loss of his childhood freedoms as family pressures and economic realities close in. Festival Year: 2016
Last Day of Freedom (Directors: Dee Hibbert-Jones, Nomi Talisman)
Beautiful animation accompanies poignant testimony in this haunting short about a man who discovers his brother has committed a serious crime. Festival Year: 2015
Paradise – Three Journeys in This World (Director: Elina Hirvonen)
A lyrical exploration of the fragile hopes and harsh realities of African immigrant journeys to Spain. Festival Year: 2008
Phantom Limb (Director: Jay Rosenblatt)
This experimental fusion of found footage and home movies takes us through the grieving process the filmmaker, who lost his brother when he was just nine years old, was denied as a child. Festival Year: 2005
Santa Cruz del Islote (Director: Luke Lorentzen)
On this remote island, the most densely populated on the planet, a community struggles to maintain their way of life as resources and opportunities dwindle. Festival Year: 2014
Strong at the Broken Places: Turning Trauma into Recovery (Directors: Margaret Lazarus, Renner Wunderlich)
Four individuals who survived unspeakable trauma in their youth tell their stories, and in doing so, make profound statements about inner strength and empowerment. Festival Year: 1999
Sun Come Up (Director: Jennifer Redfearn)
When climate change causes the ocean to slowly consume their idyllic South Pacific island, residents of the Carteret Atoll must make a painful choice—evacuate or cling to the land they love—and time is running out. Festival Year: 2010
Two Towns of Jasper (Directors: Whitney Dow, Marco Williams)
After the murder of a black man makes national headlines, the filmmakers dispatch two crews to Jasper, Texas—one black, one white—to get at the truth of what life in the town is really about. Festival Year: 2002
The Waiting Room (Director: Peter Nicks)
This gripping vérité film is a symphony of patients, caregivers, loved ones, bureaucracy, and hard choices in an Oakland ER’s waiting room. Festival Year: 2012
The Way I Look at You: 5 Stories of Driving School (La bonne conduite: 5 histoires d’auto-école) (Director: Jean-Stéphane Bron)
This uniquely insightful film explores the relationships that develop between five pairs of Swiss driving school instructors and their students; in their obligatory interactions, complex personal stories are revealed. Festival Year: 2000
About Full Frame
EVENT SCHEDULE & DESCRIPTIONS
OPENING NIGHT FILM Thursday, April 6 – 7:30 pm at Fletcher Hall, Carolina Theatre
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (Director: Steve James)
In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the only U.S. bank accused of mortgage fraud was the family-owned Abacus Federal Savings in Manhattan’s Chinatown. This stunning film chronicles the Sungs’ legal battle as they fight to defend their business and their family name.
LATE NIGHT BIRTHDAY BASH Thursday, April 6 – 10:00 pm at 21c Museum Hotel
Free event featuring entertainment by local DJs is open to the public.
CENTER FRAME Friday, April 7 – 7:40 pm at Fletcher Hall, Carolina Theatre
Purple Dreams (Director: Joanne Hock)
This film follows six students at the Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte, N.C., who thrive as performers in the first-ever high school musical production of The Color Purple while grappling with difficult and stressful issues in their own lives. World Premiere
FREE OUTDOOR SCREENING Friday, April 7 – 8:30 pm at Durham Central Park
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble
(Director: Morgan Neville)
Traversing continents and cultures, the cellist and his international music group demonstrate the power of artistic collaboration through performances and personal stories.
Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant Saturday, April 8 – 1:00 pm at Fletcher Hall, Carolina Theatre
Minding the Gap (Director: Bing Liu)
A group of skateboarders grapple with family violence as they come of age over the course of three years.
Stalin, Lenin, and Other Tales from South India (working title) (Director: Kavita Pillay)
Unbeknown to most people, Stalin and Lenin currently live in the most tropical corner of the world’s largest democracy.
CENTER FRAME Saturday, April 8 – 7:30 pm at Fletcher Hall, Carolina Theatre
May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers
(Directors: Judd Apatow, Michael Bonfiglio)
Personal, rich, and from the soul, this film follows the equally soulful Avett Brothers as they record a new album, reflect on the creative process, and navigate strong ties while managing lives spent on the road.
FREE OUTDOOR SCREENING Saturday, April 8 – 8:30 pm at Durham Central Park
Presenting Princess Shaw (Director: Ido Haar)
Video blogger and aspiring singer Samantha Montgomery is unaware she has a follower and fan in the form of an enigmatic Israeli composer, whose unforgettable YouTube mashups might just help Samantha achieve her dreams.
FREE CLOSING NIGHT FILM Sunday, April 9 – 7:30 pm at Fletcher Hall, Carolina Theatre (ticket required)
STEP (Director: Amanda Lipitz)
This inspiring film follows three members of the Lethal Ladies step-dance team at the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. With the support of their intrepid coach and an uncompromising counselor, they are determined to attend college.
FREE CLOSING NIGHT PARTY Sunday, April 9 – 6:00 pm at 21c Museum Hotel
Free event featuring entertainment by local DJs is open to the public.
The 2017 Full Frame film slate, including NEW DOCS, Invited Program and Thematic Program lineups, were previously announced. The complete schedule of films is now available online. Individual tickets go on sale March 30, and can be purchased online at fullframefest.org.
The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is an annual international event dedicated to the theatrical exhibition of nonfiction cinema. Each spring, Full Frame welcomes filmmakers and film lovers from around the world to historic downtown Durham, N.C., for a four-day, morning-to-midnight array of nearly 100 films, as well as discussions, panels, and Southern hospitality. Set within a few city blocks, the intimate festival landscape fosters community and conversation among filmmakers, film professionals, and the general public. The 2016 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival yielded $2,788,650 for Durham’s local economy, and had a local tax impact of $81,890.
The festival is a qualifying event for nominations for the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject and The Producers Guild of America Awards. The milestone 20th annual festival will showcase nearly 100 documentary features and short films from around the world, some of which will make their World or North American premieres. Festival screenings will be held at multiple locations in downtown Durham, including venues within the iconic Carolina Theatre and the Durham Convention Center.
Serving the local Durham area as well as the documentary film community throughout the year, Full Frame also promotes the festival’s mission by presenting documentary work in the Full Frame Theater and other venues both locally and nationally. Full Frame encompasses education and training opportunities such as the Full Frame Fellows Program, the School of Doc summer program for teenagers, the documentary literacy program Teach the Teachers for local educators, and the annual Youth Screening, drawing hundreds of students and teachers to the Carolina Theatre for an immersive, instructive experience.
The Festival is a program of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, a nonprofit 501(c)3, and receives support from corporate sponsors, private foundations, and individual donors whose generosity provides the foundation that makes the event possible. To learn more about the mission of Full Frame, scheduled films, festival tickets, or how to support Full Frame, visit fullframefest.org.
