Can I check out films from the archive?
The films located in Rubenstein Library are not circulating copies and can only be viewed through special use copies while in the Reading Room. However, Lilly Library often purchases films released through a distributor and they are available for check out to Duke students, faculty, and staff with a Duke ID.
You can find circulating copies by searching in the Library’s general catalog online. Select Books & Media, or use the drop-down menu to search for a title of a film, or a director’s name. Try using quotation marks, such as "The Film", around the title to limit your returns to the exact phrase.
The Library also has subscriptions to several streaming video platforms. More information on accessing those can be found here. Check back often, as we are always adding new titles.
The Archive of Documentary Arts collects masters of the award winning films from the Full Frame Festival for preservation and research as part of the Rubenstein Library’s Special Collections. This is an opt-in process by each filmmaker, so we may not have every award winner over the years. The bulk of the collection is between 1998-2011, with acquisitions ongoing. Be sure to check back for new titles!
Researchers, students, and the public are invited to use the Full Frame Archive. Educators may arrange on-campus screenings for classes and other groups. Click here to view the full collection guide and finding aid. The collection is organized chronologically, and includes festival programs and ephemera.
About the Full Frame Festival
The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival (formerly known as DoubleTake) 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, North Carolina, 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 public.
The festival is a program of the Center for Documentary Studies, 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. The Presenting Sponsor of the festival is Duke University.
About the Full Frame Archive
Created in 2007 as a partnership between Duke University and the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, the Full Frame Archive is one of the only festival collections in the nation dedicated to preserving documentary films. The collection is limited to Full Frame Festival award winners. Initial support for the creation of the archives was provided by Duke University Libraries, Duke Unversity Office of the President, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Eastman Kodak, and Alpha Cine Labs, Seattle.
Interdisciplinary and international in scope, the films in the Full Frame Archive address the social, cultural and political issues of our time and give annual snapshots of our world. With a strong emphasis on human rights, topics range broadly from criminal justice to genocide to sex education to culinary arts. The Full Frame Archive promotes groundbreaking works created by today’s documentary filmmakers and guarantees a lasting legacy for both the festival and the artists. The Archive serves as a catalyst for individual transformation, interdisciplinary scholarship, critical discussion and social change.
Finally, we are deeply grateful to the documentary filmmakers and their trust in our stewardship of their work.
