NYT withdraws Full Frame support at 11th hour

Only weeks before the 11th annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is set to begin, The New York Times, one of the Festival's two biggest sponsors, has pulled its support.

The announcement came in a press release sent March 13. The Times has been a presenting sponsor since 2001. The newspaper's withdrawal of sponsorship leaves Duke as the only presenting sponsor for the four-day festival, scheduled for April 2 through 5.

"The New York Times is a really valuable sponsor," said Peg Palmer, executive director of Full Frame. "They give us a national presence like no one else can, but we understand the dilemma everyone is in right now because of the economy."

Presenting sponsorship at the festival is the highest level of sponsorship and typically entails $150,000 in financial support. But the arrangement between Full Frame and the Gray Lady was not limited to money. The newspaper provided free full-page advertisements for the festival and sent film insiders to appear on panels and dispatched reporters to cover the events.

Although losing this sponsor so close to the event is unfortunate, Palmer said the festival will not be affected severely.

"It was a blow to us but one that does not affect our financial stability," she said. "It could have had an effect, but it didn't this year. There was unwavering support. For us, we're more concerned for The Times."

The New York Times did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

All of Full Frame's other sponsors have stayed with the festival, including the University. Duke's sponsorship dates to the festival's beginnings. The Center for Documentary Studies was one of the festival's sponsors in its early days when it was called the Double Take Film Festival. Although CDS is still a sponsor of Full Frame, it is no longer a presenting-level sponsor. Duke became a presenting sponsor, alongside The Times, in 2005 with Richard Brodhead's arrival as the University's president.