John Brown's big band is featured in "One Night in Kernersville"

Durham, NC - For four days this week, Durham becomes the documentary film capital of the world as the Full Frame Film Festival showcases dozens of documentaries in sites around the city.

Thousands of film lovers will be able to watch non-fiction films on seven movie screens at four different locations, and listen to discussions of works by both established and emerging filmmakers. The films will run from the morning to midnight, Thursday through Sunday.  Duke University is the presenting sponsor of the festival.

A special Office Hours webcast will take place Friday, April 15, in conjunction with the festival.  Tom Rankin, director of Duke's Center for Documentary Studies, will talk about the festival and documentary filmmaking in a live, online conversation at noon.

"Perhaps the greatest thing about Full Frame is the gathering of people, the community of film viewers and documentary artists that come together to talk about the medium and the range of content that documentary film engages with," Rankin said.  "We know all year long that Durham and Duke are at the center of the documentary world, but nothing demonstrates that fact more vividly that the liveliness of Full Frame.

Among the festival highlights:

* A tribute to 2011 Career Award winners Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg. Five titles have been selected for the tribute, including early and more recent work from the duo. The lineup also includes the U.S. Premiere of "Burma Soldier" on Saturday, April 16.

* Sixty-six selections for the "New Docs" program. The program consists of 43 feature films and 23 shorts from all over the world. The lineup features nine world premieres, nine North American premieres and seven U.S. Premieres. Nearly all of the films are screening in North Carolina for the first time.

* World Premieres of "The Loving Story" and "A Good Man," along with 16 other titles as part of the 2011 Invited Program. Most of these 18 films will feature panel discussions with filmmakers, subjects and special guests, or other live events immediately following the screening. "A Loving Story" chronicles the groundbreaking civil rights battle of Richard and Mildred Loving, who were arrested for their interracial marriage in Virginia in 1958 and whose case eventually went to the Supreme Court.  "A Good Man" follows modern dance choreographer Bill T. Jones as he creates an ambitious work about Abraham Lincoln's legacy.

The festival also provides significant opportunities for Duke students.  Rankin and Duke Professor Stanley Abe teach a documentary film class which will attend several of the movies.  An additional 25 students serve as Full Frame Fellows and spend the weekend behind the scenes at the festival.

"But perhaps most importantly, Full Frame provides for our students many diverse ways to enter, through the art of film, the politics of a particular story, the place and people that a film reveals, or the quiet poetry of the well-made film," Rankin said. "In the end, that's the great gift of Full Frame for our students."

What advice does Rankin have for the festival goers?

"Find a group of films that sound good, reserve your tickets (there will be a good number of sell outs this year, so don't wait to buy tickets), and settle in.  Spend some time at the festival site just talking to other people.  The best way to see the festival, of course, is to purchase a pass and stay take it all in."

Ticket sales have been brisk, but many are still available. Information about tickets and venues is available online at the festival's website.