Press Release - April 1st, 2010
Full Frame Announces 2010 Special Guests, Panels, and Works-in-Progress Films
Advance tickets for all screenings on sale now
Durham, N.C., - April 1, 2010 - The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is pleased to announce its Center Frame program special guests, four panel conversations, the Garrett Scott Documentary Development recipients and the Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) In-the-Works program for the 2010 Festival. Advance tickets for screenings and panels are on sale April 1 through April 7.
On Opening Night, Julia Moskin, reporter for the Dining section of “The New York Times” will moderate a conversation with filmmakers Chris Hegedus and DA Pennebaker and subject Jacquy Pfeiffer of “Kings of Pastry.” The Center Frame screening of “Do It Again” will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers Robert Patton-Spruill and Geoff Edgers and a musical performance by The Kinksmen with special guests Mitch Easter, Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey. Filmmaker Ted Bogosian will moderate a discussion with producer Kathleen Russo and editor Susan Littenberg after the Center Frame screening of Steven Soderbergh’s newest documentary “And Everything Is Going Fine”.
Other extended conversations following screenings include: “Racing Dreams” with director Marshall Curry and subjects Annabeth Barnes, Josh Hobson and Brandon Warren. “No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson” with director Steve James and subjects Joyce Hobson and Jim Spencer, moderated by Mike Wiley, 2010 Lehman Brady Visiting Joint Chair Professor in Documentary Studies and American Studies, Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill. “How to Fold a Flag” with director Michael Tucker and subjects Javorn Drummond and Jon Powers, moderated by D.G. Martin , columnist and host, UNC TV and WCHL Radio.
For the fourth year, Full Frame honors two first time filmmakers with the Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant. Only 37 at the time of his death, filmmaker Garrett Scott made a distinctive mark in the documentary genre during his brief career. In his honor, the 2010 grant was awarded to Mike Brown for “25 to Life” and April Hayes and Katia Maguire for “Jessica Gonzales vs. The United States of America”. Thom Powers and Rachael Rakes will join grant recipients as they present 10 minute excerpts from their works-in-progress at the festival.
The Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) will present an excerpt from “Private Violence”, a work-in-progress by North Carolina filmmakers Rebecca Cerese, Kit Gruelle, and Cynthia Hill.
Panel conversations and work-in-progress programs are listed below, along with a list of special guests by program category.
Special Guests:
Opening Night
Chris Hegedus, “Kings of Pastry”
DA Pennebaker, “Kings of Pastry”
Jacquy Pfeiffer, “Kings of Pastry”
Julia Moskin, “Kings of Pastry”
Center Frame
Robert Patton-Spruill, “Do It Again”
Geoff Edgers, “Do It Again”
Chris Stamey, “Do It Again”
Peter Holsapple, “Do It Again”
Mitch Easter, “Do It Again”
The Kinksmen, “Do It Again”
Kathleen Russo, “And Everything Is Going Fine”
Susan Littenberg, “And Everything Is Going Fine”
Ted Bogosian, “And Everything Is Going Fine”
Invited Program
Marshall Curry, “Racing Dreams”
Annabeth Barnes, “Racing Dreams”
Josh Hobson, “Racing Dreams”
Brandon Warren, “Racing Dreams”
Steve James, “No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson”
Joyce Hobson, “No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson”
Jim Spencer, “No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson”
Mike Wiley, “No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson”
Michael Tucker, “How to Fold a Flag”
Javorn Drummond, “How to Fold a Flag”
Jon Powers, “How to Fold a Flag”
DG Martin, “How to Fold a Flag”
Gary Hawkins, “In My Mind”
Jason Moran, “In My Mind”
Career Award
Liz Garbus
Rory Kennedy
Martin Garbus, “Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech”
Nancy Abraham, Senior VP, HBO Documentary Films
Thematic Program
Steven Bognar, Curator, “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant”
Julia Reichert, Curator, “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant”
Stewart Bird, “The Wobblies”
Heather Courtney, “Los Trabajadores”
Gordon Quinn, “Taylor Chain”
Vicky Funari, “Live Nude Girls UNITE!”
Micha X Peled, “China Blue”
Stephanie Black, “H-2 Worker”
Judith Helfand , “The Uprising of ‘34”
George Stoney, “The Uprising of ‘34”
Anne Lewis, “Morristown: In the Air and Sun”, “Justice in the Coalfields”
Caroline Rubens, Appalshop Films, “Chairmaker”, “Coal Miner: Frank Jackson”, “Morristown: In the Air and Sun”, “Justice in the Coalfields”
Panel Conversations:
Funding Workshop
Attendees will have the opportunity to meet representatives from leading funders who will offer an inside look at the grant process and advice on effectively securing support for projects. Representing various organizations, including the National Endowment for the Humanities and Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media, panelists will provide an overview of their missions, internal review processes, and previously supported media projects. In addition, there will be a forum during which they will answer questions about specific projects and give filmmakers tips for successful applications.
Moderated by Nancy Buirski, Founder, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Panelists include: Alyce Myatt, Executive Director, GFEM, Sonia Feigenbaum, Deputy Director
Division of Public Programs, National Endowment for the Humanities, Yance Ford, Series Producer, POV.
Reality TV vs. Documentary
What's the difference, does it matter, and how has the explosion of reality television programming affected documentary filmmaking? What does the fact that documentary films continue to have difficulty at the box office while reality television consumption is at an all-time high say about our profession, our culture? New technology seems more than ever to give documentaries some of the gloss we associate with television. How does the money and competitive structure of TV affect character performance (doc subjects rarely get kickbacks). Where do the lines blur between authenticity and staging? And what about the line between being aware of the camera and playing for the camera? What’s the difference between reenactment and constructing scenarios? The idea of “real” may lure people in, but just how real is what they see?
Panelists include: Bob DeBitetto, President, A&E Network and Bio Channel; Bill Hayes, Founder and President, Figure 8 Films; Lynne Kirby, Independent Television Programmer and Former SVP Original Programming, Sundance Channel; Ivy Meeropol, filmmaker, “Heir to An Execution”, “The Hill”; among others.
State of the Doc
This pair of conversations will focus on the diverse distribution options available to documentary filmmakers, a realistic projection of their revenue, and what it takes to bring their films to various audiences. Television, theatrical distributions, online platforms, video on demand, do-it-yourself models—the options are varied and many. Is theatrical distribution still the gold standard? What’s the best way to have work seen? And does anyone stand to make any money?
Moderated by Michelle Byrd, Run It By Byrd, Inc. and Former Executive Director, Independent Filmmaker Project. Panelists include: Rick Allen, CEO, SnagFilms; Dori Begley, Vice President of Acquisitions, Magnolia Films /Magnet Releasing; Dan Berger, Oscilloscope Laboratories; Christopher Horton, Head of Acquisitions, Cinetic Rights Management/FilmBuff; Gary Hustwit, filmmaker “Objectified,” “Helvetica”; Dylan Marchetti, Founder and President, Variance Films; Gita Pullapilly, filmmaker “The Way We Get By”; Molly Thompson, Vice President, A&E Indie Films; among others.
Thematic Program Panel
The curators and filmmakers from the thematic program discuss the collision of themes in their films on work and labor: immigration, outsourcing, and workers’ rights. Especially in the current economic climate, jobs and work are at the forefront of our psyche. How does the work we do shape our identity? What does it mean to be a part of an increasingly globalized economy? Can reviewing our past help frame our present? The panel conversation will follow a screening of curators Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s most recent film, “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant”.
Moderated by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, Thematic Program Curators and filmmakers “The Last Truck: Closing of a Gm Plant”. Panelists include attending filmmakers from the series.
Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant Recipients Works-in-Progress:
25 to Life
(Director: Mike Brown)
In 1980, a blood transfusion saved the life of 18-month old William Brawner. Three years later, his mother told him that he had a disease called HIV, and it was a secret that he had to keep to himself. And he did, for over 20 years. Now, William can bear his secret no more. He seeks redemption from the women of his promiscuous past and embarks on a new phase of life with his pregnant wife, who is HIV-negative. “25 to Life” is a unique and intimate feature documentary that tackles the tough social issues of sex, race, and manhood, while providing unprecedented access into a life and a family living with the AIDS virus. Above all, this story illuminates the ability of the human spirit to rise above devastating circumstances and discover why life is always worth fighting for.
Jessica Gonzales vs. The United States of America
(Directors: April Hayes, Katia Maguire)
In 1999, Jessica Gonzales’s three daughters were abducted by her estranged husband and killed after the Colorado police refused to enforce a domestic violence restraining order against him and ignored Jessica’s repeated calls for help. Jessica sued the police and her town in Colorado and pursued her case all the way to the United States Supreme Court and then to an international human rights tribunal, seeking answers and justice for her daughters’ deaths and hoping to prevent this tragedy from befalling other women and children. “Jessica Gonzales vs. The United States of America” is the story of one woman who, in the wake of unspeakable tragedy and hardship, reclaims her voice and discovers her power to heal herself and others.
Southern Documentary Fund In-the-Works:
Private Violence
(Directors: Rebecca Cerese, Kit Gruelle, Cynthia Hill)
Behind the closed curtains of homes across America, countless individuals live under the terrifying threat of domestic violence. The very term belies the far-reaching effects that reverberate throughout our society as a consequence of this “private violence.” To help draw back the curtain on this national plague, three North Carolina-based production companies have joined forces to produce a multi-media documentary and educational project entitled “Private Violence” that explores the complex issue of domestic violence in America and examines the social movement that has pushed back against this crime for decades.
The 2010 Full Frame Documentary Festival will be held April 8 – 11, in Durham, N.C., with Duke University as the presenting sponsor. Full Frame’s film schedule was announced March 18, and advance tickets are on sale now through April 7.
About Full Frame
The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is an annual international event dedicated to the theatrical exhibition of non-fiction 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 over 100 films as well as discussions, panels, and southern hospitality. Set within a single city block, the intimate festival landscape fosters community and conversation between filmmakers, film professionals and the general public.
The festival is produced by Doc Arts, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and receives support from corporate sponsors, private foundations and individual donors whose generosity provides the foundation that makes the event possible. To learn more on the mission of Full Frame or for information on membership or sponsorship opportunities, scheduled films or festival passes visit www.fullframefest.org.
