A Message from CDS on the 2023 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

The Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) will pause its annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival for ​the 2023 season as the organization continues a strategic planning process around the Center’s next chapter led by Executive Director Opeyemi Olukemi with unanimous support from the CDS Board of Directors. Full Frame was held entirely online for the 2020–22 festivals due to COVID-19. Plans are to return to an in-person event in 2024.

“We recognize that this may be disappointing news to our fans and community, but this strategic planning phase presents a natural time and opportunity for us to pause programs, including Full Frame, while we create a new vision for the organization that expands our leadership and role in amplifying the power of documentary art,” said CDS Executive Director Opeyemi Olukemi.

“We are building on a rich legacy as we reimagine and elevate CDS and its programs to operate with the greatest impact. This time will allow us to strengthen the business operations of the organization to ensure longevity and sustainability in the long-term.” 

The Center was founded in 1989 as a nonprofit affiliate of Duke University dedicated to the evolving practice of the documentary arts across all forms and mediums and to supporting documentary artists with an emphasis on their roles in contributing to society. The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is a program of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.