By Terry Greenberg
There I was, in Durham, North Carolina, visiting my husband’s relatives for the weekend. While strolling through town Friday afternoon, we stopped into the Durham Hotel for a moment to check out the lobby. Lo and behold, I saw a camera crew, a small crowd, and a sign that said, “Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.” Although I was familiar with the festival, I had no idea it was taking place that weekend. I was very excited! I thought to myself, “Surely, I must know someone in this NYC-looking group,” and a moment later, I spotted the documentary filmmaker Doug Block. I went up to him and introduced myself and we had a lovely chat about the festival.
(Photos by Terry Greenberg)
As we were only there for the weekend and our flight home was at 2:47PM Sunday afternoon, my husband and I quickly perused the film schedule to see what we could possibly squeeze in between relative visits and the beautiful Duke Gardens, which were in full spring splendor. There was a great sounding film from the 1960’s on Sunday morning at 10:00AM (SYMBIOPSYCHOTAXIPLASM: TAKE ONE), which we managed to snag tickets for, and off we went!
Left: Terry Greenberg in the Duke Gardens; Right: The “last minute line” was key to getting into last minutes screenings!
Before the screening started, there was a mention onscreen of a tribute honoring the late documentary filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning photo editor of The New York Times, Nancy Buirski, who had founded the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 26 years ago. Nancy was also a NYWIFT member, and I was very lucky to have met her during the New York Film Festival several years ago. This was especially moving to me as we had just included her in the “In Memoriam” presentation at the Muse Awards in March.
To sum up my serendipitous film weekend experience, Durham is a lovely town, and Full Frame was a lot of fun. Next year, I plan to get my tickets in advance!
Terry Greenberg
Following a distinguished and rewarding career in film publicity and marketing, Terry is currently the owner of Short and Sweet Productions (www.shortandsweet.nyc). She served on the NYWIFT Board for six years, and is now happily ensconced on the Advisory Board.
Related Posts
NYWIFT Member Spotlight: Kelcey Edwards
NYWIFT Member Kelcey Edwards found her way into documentary filmmaking through Iron Gate Studios, a nonprofit gallery and artist workspace she cofounded in her early twenties in Austin, Texas. At the time, she was making small narrative films alongside many other Austin-based filmmakers involved in the “mumblecore” scene; her first film, Letter, screened at SXSW in 2006. Since cameras and equipment were always present in the gallery, she began interviewing many of the artists who visited the space. Over time, the habit of recording conversations and documenting artists’ lives became a steady part of her practice. That interest eventually led her to pursue an MFA in Documentary Film at Stanford and later to move to New York, where she continued developing their work. About a decade later, she directed The Art of Making It, a feature documentary about the art world, which won the Audience Award at SXSW in 2022. It’s currently available on most streaming platforms. Kelcey’s films have received support from the MacArthur Foundation, Sundance, and Tribeca Film Institute, among others, have been broadcast internationally, and have screened at top-tier festivals including SXSW, Berlinale, and Hamptons International. In our interview, Kelcey discussed her teaching philosophy, approach to filmmaking, and upcoming projects.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Tenzin Sedon
Welcome to NYWIFT, Tenzin Sedon! Tenzin Sedon is a Tibetan filmmaker from Tibet, and an MFA candidate in the Graduate Film Program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Her work spans narrative, documentary, and experimental forms. She has received numerous awards, including the Hot Docs Best Canadian Short Documentary and the Golden Mountain Award, and has been nominated for the Hot Docs CrossCurrents Doc Fund (CCDF) and Docs Port Incheon. She is a recipient of the 2025 Ang Lee Scholarship. Her films have screened internationally and been exhibited at major institutions.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Farah Otero-Amad
Welcome to NYWIFT, Farah Otero-Amad! Farah Otero-Amad is a trilingual video producer and host for The Wall Street Journal, where she writes, shoots, and edits short-form vertical videos that reach millions across platforms. She recently directed and produced her first award-winning short documentary, Breaking the Cycle, which follows a hip-hop school in Medellin, Colombia, where students compete for the title of the city’s top breakdancer. Previously, Farah worked for The New York Times, Apple TV’s The Problem with Jon Stewart, and NBC News. She is a graduate of Columbia’s Journalism School, a Fulbright Scholar, and a former Division I athlete.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Isabel Cama
Welcome to NYWIFT, Isabel Cama! Isabel Cama is a Brazilian screenwriter, filmmaker, and editor based in New York City. A recent Bard College graduate with a BA in Film Production, her thesis film, Tiny Dancer, screened at the Albany, Coney Island, and East Village Film Festivals. Isabel’s professional experience spans production roles with Disney Brazil and Ventre Studio, post-production research with Academy Award-nominee Petra Costa, and Operations work at the Woodstock Film Festival. Currently working as the first Social Video Fellow at BuzzFeed, she is passionate about stories that explore layered female characters and bridging cultures through film and media.
READ MORE
Comments are closed