Downtown Durham bustled with activity all weekend long as film fanatics swarmed the Bull City for the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.
In its eleventh year, the festival drew record numbers with early receipts estimating over 29,000 tickets sold, up over 2,000 from the previous year.
"Full Frame 2008 was a huge success," said Peg Palmer, executive director of Full Frame, in a press release. "The Festival hosted an eclectic audience of filmmakers and film lovers from all over the world who were completely engaged with our program. I am especially proud of the continuous effort of our staff, the dedication of our volunteers and the commitment of our audience."
David Paletz, co-chair of the selection committee and chair of Duke's Film/Video/Digital program, said he attributes this rise in attendance to the addition of Weaver Auditorium at the Durham School of the Arts as a venue.
This year's festival had over 100 screenings and Paletz estimated over 1,300 submissions. Additionally, major documentaries like Boogie Man, the story of Lee Atwater, architect of George H. W. Bush's presidential campaign and a significant influencer on modern politics, made their world premiere in Durham.
The two big winners at this year's festival were Man on Wire and Trouble the Water. Man on Wire, winner of the Special Jury and Full Frame Audience awards, tells the story of Frenchman Philippe Petit who staged elaborate high-wire acts in major cities. Trouble on the Water presents a different tone, following two Katrina survivors in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
Unlike past years in which major themes such as the war in Iraq have dominated the festival, this year saw no emergent themes. Paletz did, however, noted certain trends among most documentaries that were true among Full Frame's films, Trouble the Water being a prime example.
"Documentarians most all have social consciences, so there's a lot of films like that," he said.
Full Frame Fellow Ashley Anwar added that this social consciousness evinces the significance of these films, which is unique to a documentary festival.
"They're all really interesting and they create an important dialogue," Anwar said.
In addition to the films, Duke and Durham get good press. Duke, a leading presenter along with The New York Times, sponsors many of the awards and a fellowship program for undergraduates. Many Duke faculty members also serve on the Full Frame board in varying capacities. Students in some film classes are also granted passes to some of the screenings. Paletz said that the end result of all of Duke's involvement in the festival is beneficial to the whole university.
Perhaps the biggest benefit, however, goes to the filmmakers.
"I think what happens is that people come, and they see other documentaries and they see there are other things they can do," Paletz said. "People who come to full frame see that there are a variety of ways of making documentaries, so their documentary vocabulary grows."
In the end, Paletz said he feels the best part is the films themselves.
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