press release

Sicilian filmmaker Vittorio De Seta began documenting Sicilian and Sardinian life in the 1950s in a distinctive visual and poetic style. He made nine such short documentaries over the decade and, in 1961, made his feature film directorial debut with the acclaimed Bandits of Orgosolo. Now in his eighties, he has been working on a film, shooting it digitally, about African immigrants to Italy. Scorsese, who has generously championed the work of Italian filmmakers, will bring his own perspective and deep appreciation for these films and De Seta's singular artistry. Full Frame will also host An Evening with Martin Scorsese, an on-stage interview presentation which has brought Jonathan Demme, Michael Moore, and Harry Shearer to festival-goers in previous years.

The Festival has also gotten an early start in announcing that this year's 2005 Career Award will go to two filmmakers: Ken Burns and Ric Burns. Nancy Buirski, the Festival's founder, said giving this honor to these two filmmakers was a priority for the festival, "We wanted to recognize the distinct ways in which their individual careers have developed the medium in which they work. This is an unusual step we've taken this year to take on two filmmakers to honor, but we feel that, for our audience, this exploration of what makes a film a Ken Burns or a Ric Burns documentary will allow for a richer and more nuanced appreciation of the role each of these filmmakers has played in expanding our notion of history and culture."

Based in Durham, North Carolina, the eight-year old festival has spent the year developing new programming, educational initiatives, and venues that will help them meet the growing interest in the festival. The brand-new American Tobacco Campus boasts a brand new theater and joins the three venues in downtown Durham the festival has been using (the historic Carolina Theatre with its three screens; The Durham Arts Council; and the Armory). From the opening night's party under the stars to the closing awards barbecue, Full Frame draws both filmmakers and film enthusiasts to its venues. Over 200 filmmakers from around the world join audiences drawn from across the country to watch over 100 films at the festival.

Other special highlights of the festival this year include the thematic program, Why War? which will look at the origins of warfare through a variety of films and panel discussions. Curated by Cara Mertes, the Executive Director of PBS's series POV, the thematic program grew out of an award inaugurated last year sponsored by writer Walter Mosley, and is supported by the Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and by The North Carolina Arts Council.

This year, a new award will be sponsored by Spike TV, the network aimed at men. The award will be called the Full Frame Spectrum Award, and a $5000 cash award will be given to directors of color whose film demonstrates filmmaking excellence and achievement in the genre. The festival each year gives out more than $33,000 in cash and services in an assortment of awards, both juried and audience-driven.

Six filmmakers from Turkey will be joining Full Frame this year as part of a one-of-a-kind outreach program, a Muslim exchange program, funded by the State Department. They will be joined by six Americans at the festival and then, over the course of this year, these twelve filmmakers will create shorts that will become part of an anthology documentary dealing with abstract ideas, which they will explore through both cultures. The film that will come out of this cross-cultural exchange will be premiered at next year's festival.

Film students will once again be welcomed in the Full Frame Fellows program which, in its two years of existence, has grown to include 115 students from schools including: Duke University, Elon University, Florida State University, Hollins University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Wilmington, and Messiah College. Participants will be given an itinerary of films to see during the festival and will enjoy special sessions with major filmmakers and professionals in the film industry.

The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is produced by Doc Arts Inc. a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The presenting sponsors are The New York Times and Duke University.