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After a year-long hiatus the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival has unveiled the lineup for its 26th edition, which will take place in Durham, N.C., from April 4-7. The festival will kick things off with “Girls State,” the Apple Original docu that premiered at Sundance earlier this year.

It’s been five years since Full Frame, often referred to as “a filmmaker’s festival,” was held as an in-person event. Full Frame was held entirely online for the 2020–22 festivals due to Covid-19. Then in 2023 the festival was put on hold last year due to financial struggles and leadership turnover at Duke’s Center for Documentary Studies (Cds), a nonprofit affiliate of the university that puts on the fest. Notably, Cds executive director Opeyemi Olukemi resigned last year. As reported by The Assembly, Olukemi, who took the role in 2021, was criticized as the Cds staff shrank and a bulk of...

Back in April 2022, Greenwich Entertainment announced the acquisition of North American distribution rights to Stay Prayed Up. Now, Greenwich has released an official trailer for the film.

This is the feature directorial debut of co-director Matt Durning and second feature from co-director D.L. Anderson (Farmer/Veteran). The Vittles Films and Interlocking Pictures documentary premiered to rave reviews at its World Premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and at Doc NYC. Greenwich will release the film in theaters on June 17 and will appear on Amazon and Apple+ TV July 5, 2022.

The only thing mightier than Lena Mae Perry’s electrifying voice is her faith. She’s spent the last 50 years sharing and sharpening both as the steadfast bandleader of The Branchettes, a legendary North Carolina gospel group that has packed churches throughout the South and lifted hearts as far away as Ireland. Stay Prayed Up is a spirited celebration, inviting audiences into...

Exclusive: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the gospel documentary Stay Prayed Up, which premiered to critical acclaim at the Telluride Film Festival and Doc NYC, for release in theaters on June 17.

The film from directors D.L. Anderson and Matt Durning tells the story of Lena Mae Perry, who has spent the last 50 years sharing and sharpening her voice as the steadfast bandleader of The Branchettes, a legendary North Carolina gospel group that has packed churches throughout the South and lifted hearts as far away as Ireland. Pic invites audiences into “Mother” Perry’s close-knit community as the 83-year-old strives to extend The Branchettes’ sacred song ministry ever forward, following the ensemble as they record their first live album—a hallmark in the canon of Black gospel groups. Mikel Barton, Phil Cook, Lena C. Williams and Leslie Raymond served as the feature’s producers.

“We believe Stay Prayed Up offers a well-timed,...

An impressive number of musicians have hailed from North Carolina: the blues guitarist Etta Baker, the funk empress Betty Davis, the High Priestess of Soul Nina Simone and the electrifying wordsmith Rapsody are just a few of them. With Stay Prayed Up, an enthusiastic documentary directed by D.L. Anderson and Matt Durning, the 82-year-old gospel singer Lena Mae Perry will assume her place among these greats.

Stay Prayed Up, which premiered at Telluride and has continued its fest travels with screenings at Doc NYC, chronicles the journey Perry and her band, The Branchettes, undertook to record their first live album. It’s a ...

An impressive number of musicians have hailed from North Carolina: the blues guitarist Etta Baker, the funk empress Betty Davis, the High Priestess of Soul Nina Simone and the electrifying wordsmith Rapsody are just a few of them. With Stay Prayed Up, an enthusiastic documentary directed by D.L. Anderson and Matt Durning, the 82-year-old gospel singer Lena Mae Perry will assume her place among these greats.

Stay Prayed Up, which premiered at Telluride and has continued its fest travels with screenings at Doc NYC, chronicles the journey Perry and her band, The Branchettes, undertook to record their first live album. It’s a ...

Hiss Golden Messenger, the musical project from singer-songwriter Mc Taylor, will release a new album, Terms of Surrender, September 20th via Merge. The group has shared the first track off the release, a politically-inspired folk song called “I Need a Teacher.” The track is accompanied by a music video from director D.L. Anderson, which showcases the real-life teachers who demonstrated in North Carolina against cuts to public education last year. Taylor wrote on Twitter, “I wanted to create a portrait of the people that put their lives on the line for our kids every day.

The 5th annual Strange Beauty Film Festival will feature three nights — and one afternoon — of gorgeous short films by local filmmakers and from filmmakers around the world on June 12-14 at the Manbites Dog Theater in Durham, North Carolina.

The Opening Night selection on June 12 will feature local films such as Shambhavi Kaul’s Mount Song, Alina Taalman’s The Descening Package and D.L. Anderson’s Bili Rubin; aswell as films from Rochester, NY; Chicago, Il; and as far away as London and Watford, England.

Some films to look out for throughout the rest of the festival include Fall 1+2 by Canadian filmmaker Aaron Zeghers; Lori Felker‘s award-winning Scattered in the Wind; and Frontier Journals 03: Aztec Baldwin Collage by acclaimed documentarian Georg Koszulinski that features the legendary Craig Baldwin.

Also, the Closing Night program on June 14 will feature Strange Beauty’s Aural Fixation, a program of experimental soundscapes curated by Jenny Morgan.

The 3rd annual Strange Beauty Film Festival unspools on Feb. 16-18 with three nights, and one afternoon, of great underground short films from all over the world. The fest screens at the Man Bites Dog Theater in Durham, Nc.

First, Strange Beauty’s home state of North Carolina is properly represented with several short films, such as Jim Kellough’s Red Rocks, Josh Gibson’s Kudzu Vine, Heather D. Freeman’s Pennipotens, Charlotte Taylor’s The Edge of Summer and several more.

Plus, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada is heavily represented by Leslie Supnet‘s Spectroscopy, Kevin Kelly’s 367 Years in Montreal, Aaron Zegher has two films in the fest: I See a Light and The Story of Thomas Edison; and Winnipeg expat Clint Enns will screen Connecting With Nature. However, most exciting on the Winnipeg front is a screening of Jaimz Asmundson‘s thoroughly amazing The Magus, which was the 2nd...