After a year-long hiatus, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival has announced the lineup for its 25th edition, scheduled to take place in Durham, N.C., from April 4-7. The festival will open with the screening of 'Girls State,' an Apple Original documentary that premiered at Sundance earlier this year. This marks the first in-person event for Full Frame in five years, as the festival was held entirely online for the 2020-22 editions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2023 festival was postponed due to financial challenges and leadership changes at Duke's Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), the nonprofit organization behind the festival.
Full Frame 2024 will be produced in collaboration with Duke venue and production management, the events and operations branch of the university. The festival's program includes 20 feature films competing in the new docs category and 14 short films. Notable entries in the competition lineup are 'Daughter' by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, 'Hollywoodgate' by Ibrahim Nash'at, and 'Sugarcane' by Emily Kassie and Julian Brave NoiseCat.
The festival will offer a total of $50,000 in cash prizes for juried awards, and it is a qualifying event for the Academy Award documentary film short subject category. Additionally, 16 feature films and two shorts will be screened out of competition in the Invited category, featuring works such as 'Eno' by Gary Hustwit and 'Luther' by Dawn Porter.
Full Frame will also pay tribute to filmmakers Nancy Buirski and D.A. Pennebaker, with retrospectives of their work. The festival will showcase a diverse selection of 60 films chosen from over 1,000 submissions, including documentaries like '1489' from Armenia, 'Agent of Happiness' from Bhutan and Hungary, and 'All We Carry' from the United States.
Panel discussions covering various craft and industry topics will be held at the Durham Hotel, with director Amir Bar Lev curating the sessions. The festival will also feature a special thematic program titled 'In Process: Documenting Creativity,' curated by the filmmakers of 'Eno,' Jessica Edwards, and Gary Hustwit.
Full Frame's commitment to showcasing a wide range of films, from traditional to experimental, and addressing important global and local issues, reflects its dedication to the cinematic experience and community engagement. The festival's emphasis on great storytelling and inclusivity, rather than glamour, sets it apart as a filmmaker's festival with a focus on authenticity and hospitality.
