Documentary lovers are in downtown Durham today through Sunday for the 18th annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.
This year features three Center Frame documentaries, selected by a special committee. One of this year’s featured films is “3 1/2 Minutes," by Director Marc Silver.
The timely film examines the life and death of an African American teenager, Jordan Davis, in Jacksonville, Florida. His death stirred much emotion across the country because Davis was shot, sitting in a car, by a white man upset over the rap music that was being played, according to a clip from the film.
“Forty-five-year-old Michael Dunn, he’s being charged with shooting and killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis. The confrontation began over loud music.”
Davis’ father, Ron Davis, is scheduled to join a panel discussion after Friday night’s film at Durham's Carolina Theatre.
Saturday night's Center Frame film begins with "Harry & Snowman," a world premiere. Full Frame spokesperson, Lindsay Gordon-Faranda, says there are a lot of horse-lovers coming out for this film.
“Harry & Snowman is about really an underdog story," said Gordon-Faranda. "In the 50s, a gentleman saved a horse from a kill cart, he bought this horse for $80 and it was a plow horse, really a nothing horse and he turned this horse into a champion jumper.”
“Harry & Snowman” sold out so fast for Friday's premiere, a second showing has been added for Sunday.
The third Center Frame film is "The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution," by director Stanley Nelson. The documentary will include rare archival footage from the Party's early years. Panel discussions with directors and special guests from "Harry & Snowman" and "The Black Panthers" will follow these films.
Close to 90 documentaries will be shown at the Full Frame Festival this weekend, about half of them will be premieres. The films range from a global look at bicycles in "Bikes vs Cars," to "The Wolfpack," about six teenage brothers who grew up locked inside a Manhattan apartment.
Gordon-Faranda says they expect another record crowd of more than 12,000 people. She says fans love the festival's laid back atmosphere.
“We’re not a big flashy film festival, we don’t have a red carpet. We don’t really have like VIPs or anything like that. We really foreground the films and foreground the filmmakers and the subjects in those films. It’s all about their story.”
Full Frame's sold out Awards BBQ is Sunday. Top audience awards and others will be handed out. One award is already being celebrated. Josh Braun, co-president of Submarine Entertainment, will be honored with the festival's 2015 Advocate Award.
