The 19th annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival takes place this Thursday, April 7 through Sunday, April 10, offering NC’s Research Triangle audiences the chance to sample nearly 60 new and recent feature docs, in addition to retrospective programming, shorts, and panels. As usual, the fest’s programming team has handpicked an impressive assortment of films that have previously debuted at IDFA, Sundance, and elsewhere on the circuit, in addition to selecting several brand new films to have their debuts at the event. The following turns the spotlight on the latter:
Two world premieres are included in this year’s higher profile Center Frame screenings: Margaret Byrne’s affecting longitudinal profile of three African-American teenagers in underserved Bertie Country NC, RAISING BERTIE (pictured); and Sam Pollard’s TWO TRAINS RUNNIN’, on the search for lost blues singers in the midst of the civil rights movement.
Also making their debut at the fest are James Demo’s portrait of a lifelong conflict mediator dealing with his own demons, THE PEACEMAKER; Adam Irving’s profile of a man obsessed with the NYC transit system, OFF THE RAILS; Charlotte Lagarde and Carrie Lozano’s look at an influential jazz pianist and his life as a person with AIDS, THE BALLAD OF FRED HERSCH; S Leo Chiang and Johnny Symons’ chronicle of Filipino LGBT candidates seeking political office, OUT RUN; Tyler J Kelley and Araby Williams’ tale of a seafaring family, FOLLOWING SEAS (pictured); and Roman Bondarchuk’s portrait of a Ukrainian youth brass band, DIXIELAND.
Other newer features appearing at Full Frame include: Virginija Vareikyte and Maxi Dejoie’s WHEN WE TALK ABOUT KGB, a consideration of Lithuania’s past under Soviet occupation; Ceyda Torun’s KEDI (pictured), a look at the stray cats of Istanbul; and Isabelle Tollenaere’s BATTLES, a meditation on the physical footprints of war.
what (not) to doc 