The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival wrapped up its seventh year with record attendance resulting in sixteen sold-out screenings and events. The number of passes issued this year was 1520 compared to last year's 1000. Tickets also exceeded last year's totals. By Saturday evening, 12,495 tickets had been issued; at that point last year the festival had issued 11,670. As of Sunday's Award Barbecue, tickets issued climbed to 13,278 and, with the balance of Sunday's afternoon and evening screenings, the final number is expected to reach approximately 15,000.
Nancy Buirski, the Executive Director of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, thanked all the festival attendees and volunteers: "This year has been an extraordinary year of growth for us. The goodwill and enthusiasm of our audiences, the filmmaking community and our sponsors have remained one of our strongest assets-and we thank everyone-artists and audiences--for returning to us each year and helping us keep this dialogue about the world alive. As an international festival, we are proud of the films we were able to screen here in Durham and the engaged, passionate reaction of our audiences. "
The evening events, beginning with the electrifying HBO premiere of Elaine Stritch at Liberty and Elaine's appearance following the screening, moving on to Harry Shearer's interview with MTV's Kurt Loder, and finishing with the incomparable evening with Michael Moore, broke all previous records of attendance. The sixteen sold out screenings and events included: A Room Nearby and In the Realms of the Unreal (screened together); Journeys and Alone Across Australia (screened together); Foxhole and The Opposite Sex-Rene's Story (screened together); No Name Game Farm and Dirty Work (screened together); An Evening with Harry Shearer; The Revolution will Not be Televised; The Control Room; The Boy Who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan; A Thousand Words, Home of the Brave-Land of the Free and Battle Hospital (screened together); The Talent Collector and Huutajat (screened together); The Great Cheeseteak Debate and Super Size Me (screened together); Documentary as the Swing Vote panel; Wet Dreams and False Images and Year of the Bull; A Procession of Them and Born into Brothels (screened together); An Evening with Michael Moore; and Edge Codes.
This year was also the first full year of a new program: the Full Frame Fellows. The brainchild of the Festival's Associate Director of Programming, Connie Di Cicco, received high marks from attendees. Their master classes and mentoring sessions provided a special experience for the 70 students that took part-many of them reporting that they learned more at the festival than they had in film school. Coming back for the sixth year, the festival's other student group (Channel 42), hailing from Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, New York, continued their presence at the festival as well, interviewing filmmakers and others as part of their hands-on communications experience.
AWARDS:
Grand Jury Award:
The Grand Jury Award is chosen by a prestigious jury made up of members chosen from the film industry and academic communities nationwide.
The Control Room, Director: Jehane Noujaim; Produced by Rosadel Varela and Hani Salama
Audience Award:
The Audience Award is chosen by tallying audience ballots filled out during the festival
Tie:
Born into Brothels; Directed and Produced by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski; An HBO/Cinemax Documentary Film
Word Wars; Directed by Julian Petrillo and Eric Chaikin. Produced by Eric Chaikin
CameraPlanet/Full Frame Jury Award for Best Short
The Jury Award for Best Short is awarded to a film 40 minutes or less in length. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ® has selected Full Frame as one of the nine worldwide qualifying festivals for the Academy Awards® Short Documentary Category. While shorts in any format are eligible for this award, the winning film must also meet the Academy Awards® guidelines.
A Thousand Words; Directed and Produced by Melba L. Williams
Charles E. Guggenheim Emerging Artist Award:
This award was instituted last year for the first time. It will now be an annual award presented by the Festival as a way to foster the work of new filmmakers, young and old. Given in honor of Charles E. Guggenheim and his extraordinary efforts to mentor and counsel filmmakers throughout the process.
A Certain Kind of Death; Directed and Produced by Blue Hadaegh and Grover Babcock
Honorable Mention:
The Boy Who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan; Directed by Phil Grabsky. Produced by Amanda Wilkie
Seeds of War:
A new award for Full Frame, the decision to create this award by the critically acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Walter Mosley, this award will be given annually to honor the filmmakers each year that lay bare the seeds and mechanisms that create war. There will be a first and second place winner, who will win $ 3000 and $ 2000 respectively.
First Prize: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised; Directed by Kim Bartley and Donnacha O'Briain. Produced by David Power
Second Prize: The Control Room; Directed by Jehane Noujaim. Produced by Rosadel Varela and Hani Salama.
The Full Frame/Emerging Pictures Audience Award:
A special audience award will be presented to the filmmakers whose work is selected by the members of the digital extension of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival being set up by Emerging Pictures and Full Frame in various locations around the country.
This award will be announced at a later date pending the results from the Full Frame/Emerging Pictures screenings across the country. The winner will be posted on the Full Frame website: www.fullframefest.org.
Center for Documentary Studies Filmmaker Award:
The CDS Filmmaker Award recognizes documentary films that combine originality and creativity with firsthand experience in examining central issues of contemporary life and culture. In keeping with the Center's mission, the award was created to honor and support documentary artists whose works are potential catalysts for education and change.
The Control Room; Directed by Jehane Noujaim. Produced by Rosadel Varela and Hani Salama.
MTV>News:Docs:Prize:
This prize honors a documentary that captures the essence of what it is to be a young adult. It is awarded to a filmmaker of any age. The film and video should tell a story from a young person's (or young peoples') perspective and should convey an inspiring or thought-provoking message. The only style requirements are that the storytelling suit the story and the craftsmanship is as inspiring as the subject matter.
Super Size Me; Directed and Produced by Morgan Spurlock
Chatelin Bruno 
