Durham –The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, April 2 - 5, is pleased to announce Center Frame program special guests, four panel conversations, the Garrett Scott Documentary Development Recipients and the Southern Documentary Fund In-the-Works program for the 2009 Festival. 

Special Guests:

Center Frame

Robert Kenner, FOOD, INC.

Joel Salatin, FOOD, INC.

R.J. Cutler, THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

Grace Coddington, THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

André Leon Talley, THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

Mike Bonanno, THE YES MEN

Special Programming

Louis Psihoyos, THE COVE

Fisher Stevens, THE COVE

William Gates, HOOP DREAMS

Peter Gilbert, HOOP DREAMS

Steve James, HOOP DREAMS

Courtney Bent, SHOOTING BEAUTY

Tony Knight, SHOOTING BEAUTY

Career Award

Judy Bourne

Sam Pollard

Bill Jersey, A TIME FOR BURNING

Kathe Sandler

This Sporting Life

Barbara Kopple, FALLEN CHAMP

George Butler, THE GOOD FIGHT

Arturo Cabanas, MAN UP

William Gates, HOOP DREAMS

Peter Gilbert, HOOP DREAMS

Steve James, THIS SPORTING LIFE / HOOP DREAMS

NEW DOCS

Wavy Gravy, SAINT MISBEHAVIN’: THE WAVY GRAVY MOVIE

Jahanara Romney, SAINT MISBEHAVIN’: THE WAVY GRAVY MOVIE

DA Pennebaker, SAINT MISBEHAVIN’: THE WAVY GRAVY MOVIE

Chris Hegedus, SAINT MISBEHAVIN’: THE WAVY GRAVY MOVIE

Denise Robinson, THE VISITORS

Panel Conversations:

State of the Doc

Documentaries have had a fragile hold on mass audiences and profits in the best of times. What now that the economy is imploding? Is the closing of specialty production and distribution houses truly a bellwether, or are doc filmmakers, ever resilient and relentless, finding new ways to make and market their films? This conversation will focus on the diverse distribution options available to documentary filmmakers, a realistic projection of their revenue, and what it takes to bring their films to various audiences. Moderated by Nancy Buirski (Full Frame Founder, Independent Producer).

This Sporting Life

Sports films have always been a thriving attraction for filmgoers. The natural dramatic arc of a season or a game has provided the structure for a wide body of entertaining and engaging films, both documentary and fiction. Why have the stories become so captivating? How much of their enduring allure depends on the characters or subjects as opposed to the overall game? In an extension of this year’s curated program, filmmakers and subjects from the series come together to discuss the ways in which documentary film continues to push the sports genre in new directions. Moderated by Jason Stallman (Assistant to the Sports Editor, The New York Times).

Wanted for Review

In November, programmer Thom Powers wrote “Wanted: Documentary Critics,” a critique of the current state of documentary criticism. It began, “Auteurism had Andrew Sarris. Abstract expressionism had Clement Greenberg. Punk rock had Lester Bangs. Where is the equivalent voice for today’s documentary scene?” Powers will address the ever-increasing discrepancy between the number of documentary films and the number of documentary critics in a discussion with reviewers and filmmakers about the need for trenchant documentary film criticism. Moderated by Thom Powers (Documentary Programmer, Toronto International Film Festival, Stranger Than Fiction). 

Working in Conflict

A practical guide to working in conflict zones and with repressive governments, including the U.S., this panel will focus on the steps documentary filmmakers take to protect themselves, their subjects, and the translators, guides, and other people they work with. Unlike print or broadcast journalists, who often work for organizations that provide support, independent filmmakers often venture into dangerous places with no institutional backup. Andrew Berends, James Longley, and Ian Olds, U.S. filmmakers who have made films in Iraq and are now working in other difficult environments, will share the strategies that they have developed through on-the-ground experience. Moderated by Laura Poitras (“My Country, My Country”; “Flag Wars”).

Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant Recipients Works-in-Progress:

For the third year, Full Frame will join Ian Olds, Rachael Rakes and Thom Powers in honoring two first time filmmakers with the Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant. Only thirty-seven at the time of his death, filmmaker Garrett Scott made a distinctive mark in the documentary genre during his brief career. In his honor, the 2009 Garrett Scott Development Grant was awarded to Elinyisia Mosha for her untitled Tanzania documentary and Cameron Yates for “The Canal Street Madam”. Grant recipients will present ten-minute excerpts from their works-in-progress at the festival

Untitled Tanzania Documentary Elinyisia Mosha

On a recent trip to her family home near Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Elinyisia Mosha stumbled upon a unique microcosm through which to tell an intriguing story of globalization. Her film follows several compelling characters as it explores the impact of foreign direct investment on Tanzania in the ten years since massive privatization measures were enacted.

The Canal Street Madam                                                                                 Cameron Yates

A feature-length documentary portrait of Jeanette Maier, the Canal Street Madam of New Orleans, who was arrested in a high-profile FBI bust for running a brothel in collaboration with her mother and daughter. This vérité film chronicles Jeanette and her family after her release from prison in pre-Katrina New Orleans in 2004, when she has nothing to show for herself but a bad reputation and an empty bank account, up until her fiftieth birthday in 2008. Abandoned by the men who supported her but inspired by the sex worker rights movement, Jeanette fights for her rights, seeks employment, and reunites her family.

The Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) will present three works-in-progress by North Carolina filmmakers:

The Appropriate Genius                                                                   Rob Hill

Five hundred million people depend on the peanut as their primary source of protein. In his efforts to fight hunger and extreme poverty, Jock Brandis introduces a simple global solution: the universal sheller.

Bunny Estelle Sanders: The Mayor Who Stood Up   Erick Yates Green

Bunny Estelle Sanders, a Washington, D.C., civil rights activist returns to her small North Carolina hometown of Roper and is elected to the position of Mayor, whereupon she fights political battles and the US Navy in order to preserve her unique and vulnerable corner of the world.

Passing It On                                                                                                       Wil Weldon

An intimate documentary chronicling the fifty-year teaching career of North Carolina author and Duke University Professor Reynolds Price. The film follows Price from the first day of class and reflects on what distinguishes him as a teacher. 

The 2009 Full Frame Documentary Festival will be held April 2 – 5, in Durham, N.C., with Duke University as the presenting sponsor. Full Frame’s film schedule was announced March 19, and advanced tickets are on sale now through April 1.  

About Full Frame

The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is an annual international event dedicated to the theatrical exhibition of non-fiction cinema. Each spring Full Frame welcomes filmmakers and film lovers from around the world to historic downtown Durham, N.C., for a four-day, morning to midnight array of over 100 films as well as discussions, panels, and southern hospitality. Set within a single city block, the intimate festival landscape fosters community and conversation between filmmakers, film professionals and the general public.

The festival is produced by Doc Arts, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and receives support from corporate sponsors, private foundations and individual donors whose generosity provides the foundation that makes the event possible. To learn more on the mission of Full Frame or for information on membership or sponsorship opportunities, scheduled films or festival passes visit www.fullframefest.org.