Archive of Documentary Arts (Duke University)

The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is the largest film festival in the United States entirely devoted to documentary film. An international event dedicated to the theatrical exhibition of non-fiction cinema, the Festival is held annually for four days in the spring in downtown Durham, North Carolina. Typically, more than 100 films are screened, along with discussions, panels, and workshops fostering conversation between filmmakers, film professionals and the public.

Full Frame's mission, as stated in 2010, is to support the documentary form and community by showcasing the contemporary work of established and emerging filmmakers and by preserving film heritage through archival efforts and continued exhibition of classic documentaries. The organization is also committed to building wider national and international audiences for documentary film and enhancing public understanding and appreciation of the art form and its significance.

Originally named the DoubleTake Documentary Film Festival, it was launched in 1998 under the leadership of Nancy Buirski, in association with the Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) at Duke University and DoubleTake Magazine, an acclaimed journal published by CDS from 1995-1998. Buirski expressed the Festival's mission that year as "to see documentary films take their rightful place in the pantheon of film festivals and in the hearts of film lovers" (Festival Program 1998). She described its uniqueness as lying "in its focus on film content, its emphasis on issues that matter, and its ability to reach out to the community and act as a bridge to its concerns" ( ibid. )

DoubleTake Magazine ceased to be associated with the festival after 1999, and from 2000 on, the Festival was presented by Documentary Arts, Inc. (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Nancy Buirski and later renamed Doc Arts, Inc.), in association with the CDS. The festival was renamed "Full Frame Documentary Film Festival" for the 2002 festival. Duke University withdrew as a presenting sponsor from 2003 through 2005. The New York Times joined as a presenting sponsor from 2003 through 2008 festival. From 2006 to 2010, Duke University returned as presenting sponsor. In the fall of 2010, Full Frame became once again a program of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. The festival also receives support from a large number of corporate sponsors, private foundations and individual donors.

Each year, a series or thematic program is foregrounded, curated by established filmmakers. In addition, there has usually been one or two "sidebar" series presented, one of which focuses on the American South. The bulk of the programming, however, has always been devoted to new documentaries in competition; a selection committee consisting of local volunteer professionals chooses a few dozen films for screening, considering original content and technical proficiency primarily, from a pool of 100 to 1000 submissions from filmmakers from around the world. Several awards are then given at the conclusion of the Festival; the Grand Jury and Audience Awards have been awarded every year, and additional awards have been added from year to year. These award-winning films comprise the Full Frame Archive's collection.

In 2007, Duke University Libraries and Full Frame announced the creation of the Full Frame Archive, to be housed in Duke's David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, to acquire, archive and preserve copies of all of the Festival's award-winning films, with support from Eastman Kodak and Alpha Cine Labs, Seattle.