Full Frame Stories

Long time festival fan Diana Newton shares one of her most memorable Full Frame moments: “I’ve been attending Full Frame since it was the Double Take Film Festival and have programs and T-shirts from every single year to prove it! In 2009, my now-husband had snuck a ring sizer into our festival backpack as part of preparing to propose to me. I went rummaging through the pack looking for my program while he panicked and…

“Three Songs for Benazir” Nominated for an Academy Award

Join us in celebrating Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei’s short film Three Songs for Benazir (Full Frame 2021) on being nominated for an Academy Award in the Documentary Short Subject category! The held its world premiere at the 2021 festival last June, where it received Oscar-qualifying status after winning the Jury Award for Documentary Short.  Full Frame is one of a handful of Academy Award-qualifying festivals in the world. Elizabeth and Gulistan Mirzaei’s moving short…

Press Accreditation Now Open

Members of the media interested in covering the 25th annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival may now apply for press accreditation.  Complete details and application can be found here. Applications close on February 25 at 5 PM (ET). Members of the press must be working on assignment to cover the virtual 2022 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and may apply for accreditation to receive access to press screeners, public films, filmmaker interviews, events, and more. Full…

3 Films For Those Also Obsessed With Wordle

Following in the footsteps of past word puzzle games, such as Scrabble and crosswords, Wordle is the newest internet craze that gives players six chances to guess a new five letter daily.  Can’t wait for tomorrow’s newest Wordle puzzle? Then Full Frame has you covered with these three films that celebrate words, their form, and the passionate players of classic word games. Wordplay (dir. Patrick Creadon) Full Frame 2006 What do Bill Clinton, Ken Burns,…

Full Frame Receives $20,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Full Frame has been approved for a $20,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)! The funds will go toward compensation for participating artists and programming committee members, screening fees, and efforts to make the festival more accessible to all attendees. “Now more than ever, we believe in the immense power of documentary film and its ability to impact communities. We are grateful to the National Endowment for the…

8 Films for the Middle of Winter

With striking landscapes, muted pastels, and the juxtaposition of a season filled with both hardship and hibernation, winter often integrates itself uniquely into visual stories. Whether becoming a silent character, enhancing a film’s themes or the  thoughts of the protagonists, or providing a silent, snowy moment of reflection for the audience, filmmakers have used the icy months to create compelling, layered, and memorable work over the years. As we lean into the wintry season, Full…

Five Festival Alums Make Oscars Shortlists

Five Full Frame Documentary Film Festival alums are recognized on the Oscars shortlists! Two features and three short films from the 2021 event have been recognized, including Full Frame’s Grand Jury award-winner Faya Dayi (dir. Jessica Beshir). As an Academy Award-qualifying event, the recipient of Full Frame’s Jury Award for Best Short becomes eligible for Oscar-qualification. This year, Three Songs for Benazir (dirs. Elizabeth Mirzaei, Gulistan Mirzaei) became eligible after receiving the jury award and is included…

December Staff Pick | Shirkers

“In true indie spirit, Sandi Tan manages to take pieces of her lost work and transform them in to something new and imaginative. With an editing and visual style that can only be classified as a kaleidoscope of color, and a story that emanates DIY-punk rock energy, Shirkers is an imaginative exploration into how dreams from our youth shape us into the people we become. If only the unfinished original film survived!” says Emily Foster,…

Full Frame Goes Virtual in 2022!

The 25th annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, a program of the Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) at Duke University, will be presented entirely online April 7–10, 2022. There are no plans for in-person screenings or events during the event in April. Organizers of the Academy Award®-qualifying event cite the ongoing and unpredictable realities of the coronavirus pandemic as the primary factor for holding a virtual festival. “Nothing can replace the magic of screening films together…

November Staff Pick | Alive Inside

This month, Full Frame’s Development Assistant Angie Potiny shines a spotlight on the 2014 festival film Alive Inside (dir. Michael Rossato-Bennett) for the November Staff Pick. Angie says about the film, “Alive Inside is a film that stays with you, long after the credits roll. The wonderful people featured in this film and the undeniable power of music is incredible to watch. I walked away from Alive Inside inspired and hopeful, despite the huge rollercoaster…