Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Selected to Receive $100,000 Investment from Durham Next

Funding and Support Provided through Durham Next’s Multi-year, Capacity-building Initiative

Full Frame Documentary Film Festival has been selected to participate in Durham Next’s new Community Investment Program initiative, Accelerate: A Durham Festival Collective (Accelerate). The first-ever Accelerate application period generated 30 total submissions, with five prospects ultimately selected to receive funding to support ambitious vision and strategic planning.

Through this partnership, Full Frame will receive financial support and access to wraparound services geared toward expanding the festival’s reach and economic impact. Accelerate is a multi-year investment, and Full Frame has been awarded $100,000 in year one to expand audience outreach and development efforts, increase accessibility initiatives, and enhance the festival experience for filmmakers and attendees. The year-over-year investments from Durham Next will nurture the festival’s growth to increase its local economic impact in the community.

Founded in 1998, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is an annual Academy Award®-qualifying event dedicated to the theatrical exhibition of nonfiction cinema. A program of Duke Center for Documentary Studies, Full Frame brings together filmmakers and audiences from around the world for four days of documentary screenings, conversations, and community in the heart of downtown Durham.

“Durham has been home to Full Frame for nearly three decades, and we are grateful for this investment in the festival’s future,” said Emily Foster, Festival Co-Director of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. “This partnership gives us the opportunity to be thoughtful about how the festival grows, welcoming more audiences, deepening our support for filmmakers, and ensuring that Full Frame continues to contribute to Durham as both a cultural destination and an economic driver.”

Durham Next is an economic development nonprofit focused on tourism, working toward the advancement of Durham over the next 20 years based on the vision outlined in Durham’s Destination Master Plan (DMP). The nonprofit leverages a portion of visitor dollars to collaboratively pursue transformative projects, programs, and other community-based opportunities that will attract visitors and build a thriving environment for residents.

Through Accelerate, Durham Next is investing in existing events led by local festival producers that attract visitors, drive economic opportunities for locals, and celebrate the culture and creativity that define Durham’s destination character.

“Festivals aren’t just fun gatherings for our community to enjoy,” said Tara Kenchen, executive director of Durham Next. “They bring millions of dollars into our community each year, helping to support small businesses, job opportunities, and revenue for local and state government. We’re investing in Durham as a visitor destination to create pathways to economic opportunity and community benefit for residents, and we’re excited for the opportunity to do that by uplifting the creative and entrepreneurial leaders already working to cultivate Durham’s festival ecosystem.”

The 29th annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival will take place April 1–4, 2027, in downtown Durham. More information about the festival, including upcoming announcements and opportunities to attend, can be found at fullframefest.org.

For more information on Durham Next’s Community Investment Program, visit https://durhamnext.org/community-investment-program/.

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About Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is an annual international Academy Award®-qualifying 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, North Carolina, for a four-day, morning-to-midnight array of more than 60 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 public. The 29th annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival takes place April 1–4, 2027.

The festival is a program of Duke Center for Documentary Studies and receives support from corporate sponsors, private foundations, and individual donors whose generosity provides the foundation that makes the event possible. The Presenting Sponsor of the festival is Duke University.

About Durham Next

Durham Next is a nonprofit community partnership building a prosperous Durham for everyone by actively pursuing transformative projects, programs and other community-based opportunities that will attract visitors and newcomers and build a thriving environment for our residents. The 501(c)(3) organization was launched after the community’s adoption of the Destination Master Plan and its 60+ proposed initiatives to make Durham the most welcoming, inclusive, innovative and vibrant destination in the United States, while thoughtfully honoring its history and people, over the next 20 years. Durham Next is operated by Discover Durham, the destination marketing organization for the county. For more information about Durham Next, visit www.durhamnext.org, or follow on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.