Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Announces 2017 Award Winners

Encore screening times and venues are available at fullframefest.org

Durham, N.C. – April 9, 2017 – The 2017 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Award Winners were announced this afternoon at the festival’s annual Awards Barbecue.

The Reva and David Logan Grand Jury Award
Sponsored by The Reva and David Logan Foundation

The Reva and David Logan Grand Jury Award was presented to QUEST, directed by Jonathan Olshefski.

QUEST will screen as Encore 4 at 4:40 pm in Fletcher Hall.

The jury gives an honorable mention to Last Men in Aleppo, directed by Feras Fayyad.

Last Men in Aleppo will screen as Encore 7 at 7:20 pm in Cinema 1.

The jurors, Chris Clements, Penelope Falk, and Yoruba Richen, stated, “We would like to recognize a film that documents the commitment of a heroic group of men who refuse to abandon their humanity even while living in dire circumstances. We are proud to award an Honorable Mention to Last Men in Aleppo.

For the Grand Jury Prize, we chose a film that is a poignant character study that gives insight into the society we live in and the one we would like to work toward – the Grand Jury Prize goes to the beautifully edited, emotionally complex film, QUEST.”

Full Frame Jury Award for Best Short
Provided by Drs. Andrew and Barbra Rothschild

The Full Frame Jury Award for Best Short was given to Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405, directed by Frank Stiefel.

The Full Frame jury gives an honorable mention to The Great Theater by Sławomir Batyra.

Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405 and The Great Theater will screen as Encore 6 at 5:00 pm in Cinema 3.

Full Frame is a qualifying event for nominations for the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject and The Producers Guild of America Awards. The jurors, Claire Aguilar, Whitney Dow, and Aaron Schock, stated, “We awarded Honorable Mention to a beautifully rendered visual journey into the inner workings of the Grand Theatre. This film reminded us that sometimes the most effective, and affecting, storytelling requires no words at all.

We are presenting the Jury Award for Best Short to Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405, a film for its incredibly intimate access to a remarkable subject and its ability to allow the viewer to profoundly enter into her world. The jury came to not only love the subject but the film’s ability to creatively marry her story to her art.”

Full Frame Audience Award – Feature
Sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina

The Full Frame Audience Award – Feature was presented to Anatomy of a Male Ballet Dancer, directed by David Barba and James Pellerito.

Anatomy of a Male Ballet Dancer will screen as Encore 2 at 2:20 pm in Cinema 3.

Full Frame Audience Award – Short

The Full Frame Audience Award – Short was presented to Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405, directed by Frank Stiefel.

Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405 will screen as part of Encore 6 at 5:00 pm in Cinema 3.

Center for Documentary Studies Filmmaker Award
Provided by the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University

The Center for Documentary Studies Filmmaker Award was presented to Strong Island, directed by Yance Ford.

Representatives from the Center for Documentary Studies juried the prize: Randolph Benson, Wesley Hogan, Katie Hyde, Caitlin Johnson, Lynn McKnight, Dan Partridge, Rahima Rahi, Elena Rue, April Walton.

Strong Island will screen as Encore 1 at 2:00 pm in Fletcher Hall.

Charles E. Guggenheim Emerging Artist Award
Provided by the Charles E. Guggenheim Family

The Charles E. Guggenheim Emerging Artist Award was presented to Strong Island, directed by Yance Ford.

Provided by the Charles E. Guggenheim family, this prize honors a first-time documentary feature director. Patricia Benabe, Lyric R. Cabral, and Cynthia Hill participated on the jury.

Strong Island will screen as Encore 1 at 2:00 pm in Fletcher Hall.

Full Frame Environmental Award
Sponsored by Discovery Communications

The Full Frame Environmental Award was presented to Samuel in the Clouds, directed by Pieter Van Eecke.

The jury gives an honorable mention to Plastic China, directed by Jiu-liang Wang.

Samuel in the Clouds will screen as part of Encore 5 at 4:50 pm in Cinema 4.

Plastic China will screen as Encore 3 at 4:30 pm in the DAC / PSI Theater.

Full Frame Inspiration Award
Sponsored by the Hartley Film Foundation

The Full Frame Inspiration Award was presented to Last Men in Aleppo, directed by Feras Fayyad.

This award is presented to the film that best exemplifies the value and relevance of world religions and spirituality. Brad Barber, Jan Krawitz, and Sarah Masters participated on the jury.

Last Men in Aleppo will screen as Encore 7 at 7:20 pm in Cinema 1.

Full Frame President’s Award
Sponsored by Duke University

The Full Frame President’s Award was presented to The Earth Did Not Speak, directed by Javier Briones.

Representatives on behalf of the President’s Office of Duke University juried the prize, awarded to the best student film.

The Earth Did Not Speak will screen as part of Encore 5 at 4:50 pm in Cinema 4.

Kathleen Bryan Edwards Award for Human Rights
Sponsored by the Julian Price Family Foundation in memory of Melanie Taylor

The Kathleen Bryan Edwards Award for Human Rights was presented to QUEST, directed by Jonathan Olshefski.

QUEST will screen as Encore 4 at 4:40 pm in Fletcher Hall.

Provided by the Julian Price Family Foundation, this award is presented to a film that addresses a significant human rights issue in the United States. Representatives from the Kathleen Bryan Edwards family juried the prize: Anne Arwood, Laura Edwards, Clay Farland, Margaret Griffin, Pricey Harrison.

About Full Frame

The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is an annual international event dedicated to the theatrical exhibition of nonfiction cinema. Each spring, Full Frame welcomes filmmakers and film lovers from around the world to historic downtown Durham, N.C., for a four-day, morning-to-midnight array of nearly 100 films, as well as discussions, panels, and Southern hospitality. Set within a few city blocks, the intimate festival landscape fosters community and conversation among filmmakers, film professionals, and the general public. The 2016 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival yielded $2,788,650 for Durham’s local economy, and had a local tax impact of $81,890.

The festival is a qualifying event for nominations for the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject and The Producers Guild of America Awards. The milestone 20th annual festival will showcase nearly 100 documentary features and short films from around the world, some of which will make their World or North American premieres. Festival screenings will be held at multiple locations in downtown Durham, including venues within the iconic Carolina Theatre and the Durham Convention Center.

Serving the local Durham area as well as the documentary film community throughout the year, Full Frame also promotes the festival’s mission by presenting documentary work in the Full Frame Theater and other venues both locally and nationally. Full Frame encompasses education and training opportunities such as the Full Frame Fellows Program, the School of Doc summer program for teenagers, the documentary literacy program Teach the Teachers for local educators, and the annual Youth Screening, drawing hundreds of students and teachers to the Carolina Theatre for an immersive, instructive experience.

The Festival is a program of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, a nonprofit 501(c)3, and receives support from corporate sponsors, private foundations, and individual donors whose generosity provides the foundation that makes the event possible. To learn more about the mission of Full Frame, scheduled films, festival tickets, or how to support Full Frame, visit fullframefest.org.