2025 Speakeasy Conversations

Join us Friday and Saturday at The Durham Hotel during the 27th annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, taking place April 3–6, 2025, for off-the-record panel conversations where filmmakers and guests dive into timely industry topics. 

SCORES AND SOUNDSCAPES                                                                                
Friday, April 4 — 12:30 pm

When thinking about theatrical films, images immediately come to mind. But how does listening influence the viewing experience? This discussion considers the importance of what we hear, and the powerful ways that composers and filmmakers craft original music and sound design.

Panelists: Isabel Castro (Director, SELENA Y LOS DINOS), Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (Composer, SEEDS)

Moderator: Eric Hynes (Director of Film Curation and Programming, Jacob Burns Film Center)

NAVIGATING THE ARCHIVE                                                          
Friday, April 4 — 3:30 pm

Hear from documentary producers with experience steering films that incorporate significant amounts of archival footage. This panel explores the creative considerations and particular demands involved in navigating the archive, including access, research, and permissions.

Panelists: Julie Goldman (Producer, SELENA Y LOS DINOS), Gentry Kirby (Senior Director and Producer, ESPN Films/30 for 30), Leah Smith (Producer, Trilogy Films)

Moderator: Rebekah Fergusson (Producer, HELEN AND THE BEAR)

DOCUMENTARIES FOR DEMOCRACY: PRACTICING OUR VALUES TODAY         
Saturday, April 5 — 12:30 pm

Back in 1966, Kartemquin Films was founded by 20-somethings inspired by John Dewey’s work on grassroots democracy and the cinematic breakthroughs of cinéma vérité. Six decades later, Kartemquin filmmakers are still creating work that holds fast to that vision. This discussion focuses on the urgent challenge of documentaries to serve democracy.

Panelists: Gordon Quinn (Filmmaker and Founder, Kartemquin Films), Patricia Aufderheide (Author, Kartemquin Films: Documentaries on the Frontlines of Democracy), and Resita Cox (Filmmaker and Hulu/Kartemquin Accelerator Fellow)

Moderator: Natalie Bullock Brown (Filmmaker and Director, Documentary Accountability Working Group)

THE WEIGHT OF A QUESTION: DOCUMENTARY AND THE ART OF INQUIRY     
Saturday, April 5 — 3:30 pm

This conversation with Yance Ford, curator of the 2025 Thematic Program, expands on the ideas behind his selections and the ways that documentary films invite viewers to contend with complex—and at times, uncomfortable—questions about the world around them and their place within it.

Panelist: Yance Ford (Filmmaker and Curator, Full Frame 2025 Thematic Program)

Moderator: Eric Hynes (Director of Film Curation and Programming, Jacob Burns Film Center)

Speakeasy Conversations take place at The Durham Hotel, 315 E Chapel Hill Street, Durham NC 27701.

This series of panel discussions are free and open to the public; no ticket required.