Deadline: Apply by February 27, 2026. The Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) announces a new Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Duke Faculty Program, taking place during the 2026 Full Frame Festival, April 16–19, in downtown Durham, with additional gatherings in the spring and fall.Full Frame, a program of CDS, is an annual… read more about Call for Applications: 2026 Full Frame Duke Faculty Program »
Ryan White, a 2007 graduate of Duke’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and an alum of the Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), has received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Documentary Feature for his 2025 film Come See Me in the Good Light. The recognition marks a major milestone for the CDS alum and is being celebrated across Duke’s arts and documentary communities. Come See Me in the Good Light is “a poignant and unexpectedly funny love story about poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley… read more about CDS Alum Ryan White Earns Oscar Nomination for “Come See Me in the Good Light” »
Ryan White, a 2007 graduate of Duke’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and an alum of the Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), has received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Documentary Feature(link opens in a new window/tab) for his 2025 film Come See Me in the Good Light. The recognition marks a major milestone for the CDS alum and is being celebrated across Duke’s arts and documentary communities. Come See Me in the Good Light is “a poignant and unexpectedly funny love story about poets Andrea Gibson and… read more about CDS Alum Ryan White Earns Oscar Nomination for “Come See Me in the Good Light” »
Photo: Dhruv Rungta On opening night of Disobedient Subjects: Bombay 1930–31 at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) visitors leaned in close, tracing faces in black-and-white photographs captured nearly a century ago. Presented by CDS in partnership with The Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, the exhibition has welcomed hundreds into the streets of Bombay — today’s Mumbai — and India’s Civil Disobedience Movement, where ordinary citizens transformed the city into a… read more about Doc : Doc — Sumathi Ramaswamy and Avrati Bhatnagar on Collaboration and Curating the Photography of Civil Disobedience »
On opening night of Disobedient Subjects: Bombay 1930–31 at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) visitors leaned in close, tracing faces in black-and-white photographs captured nearly a century ago. Presented by CDS in partnership with The Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, the exhibition has welcomed hundreds into the streets of Bombay — today’s Mumbai — and India’s Civil Disobedience Movement, where ordinary citizens transformed the city into a center of anticolonial resistance. read more about Sumathi Ramaswamy and Avrati Bhatnagar on Collaboration and Curating the Photography of Civil Disobedience »
When Jasmin Riley opens an email from her younger sister with another college essay draft, she smiles. Editing those sentences feels like déjà vu — back to childhood afternoons playing “school.”“When I was as young as seven, I used to make my sister play school with me,” Riley recalls, laughing. “I would handwrite assignments, grade them and try to make her the genius in the class.” read more about Rediscovering a Love of Teaching Through Interdisciplinary Learning »
Durham, NC — The Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) announces twelve new Spring 2026 Continuing Education courses for learners in Durham and beyond to explore photography, film, writing, audio and community-based storytelling. Holiday promo: Register by December 31 and receive 15% off using the code Gift26 at checkout. “Whether you’re returning to CDS or joining us for the first time, we hope these courses spark new ideas and help you develop the skills to tell the stories that matter most… read more about CDS Announces 12 Spring Continuing Education Courses »
At Duke, Jasmin Riley’s path to teaching began with FOCUS, a camera and documentary studiesWhen Jasmin Riley opens an email from her younger sister with another college essay draft, she smiles. Editing those sentences feels like déjà vu — back to childhood afternoons playing “school.”“When I was as young as seven, I used to make my sister play school with me,” Riley recalls, laughing. “I would handwrite assignments, grade them and try to make her the genius in the class.” Always… read more about Weaving a Dream Through Interdisciplinary Learning »
Deadline: March 6, 2026. Duke University undergraduates: become a fellow at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, a program of Duke Center for Documentary Studies, and immerse yourself in one of the world’s premier documentary festivals! This opportunity is open to all Duke undergraduates and takes place April 16 – 19, 2026, right here in Durham.The Full Frame Fellows Program is designed to educate, motivate and nurture students … read more about Full Frame Fellows 2026 (Duke University): Apply Now »
An exhibit of a Duke undergraduate student’s photography in the Keohane-Kenan Gallery in the West Duke Building depicts the fraught relationship between Thai pineapple farmers and the elephants who devour their crops. As a Chelsea Decaminada Memorial Fellow — a program that offers DukeEngage alumni the opportunity to pursue an independent project abroad — Dhruv Rungta embarked on this photojournalism project in 2024 with the help of his mentors at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies, Susie Post-Rust and Chris Sims… read more about Photography Exhibit Explores “Coexistence” between Humans and Elephants in Thailand »
Brittany Shyne holds the Full Frame Grand Jury Award. She tells us about her first time at the festival and the nine-year journey behind Seeds.Doc : Doc is an interview series from the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), where we talk shop with documentary artists and explore the evolving field of nonfiction storytelling. Through candid conversations, we illuminate the creative process, celebrate the power of documentary and highlight the programs that… read more about Doc : Doc — Brittany Shyne on the Documentary Film Circuit and Sharing Her Award-Winning Film “Seeds” »
Marie T. Cochran reflects on the power of documentary art to reclaim erased histories and cultivate cross-cultural connection.This fall Marie T. Cochran presented her exhibition Those We Thought We Knew: Reimagined at CDS and launched a CDS Continuing Education course, Southern Sites and Contested Meaning. A leader in the Affrilachian movement, Cochran brings a powerful lens to place, memory and meaning — whether in the classroom or the gallery.… read more about Doc : Doc — Marie T. Cochran on Teaching, Exhibiting and the Resonance of Documentary Art »
Photography exhibition explores civil disobedience, anticolonial resistance and the power of visual documentation. Durham, NC – Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), in collaboration with the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts in New Delhi, presents Disobedient Subjects: Bombay 1930–31, an exhibition of 55 photographs that transport viewers to the heart of India’s Civil Disobedience Movement against British colonial rule. … read more about “Disobedient Subjects: Bombay 1930–31” Opens at CDS on October 30 »
Trevor Darr (far right), didn’t expect to find his calling in a summer documentary program. He had something else in mind.“I joined thinking I was going to be doing filmmaking,” said Darr, a Duke senior majoring in political science and physics. “Spoiler alert: I held a camera for about five minutes.” Darr was one of 14 undergraduates who took part in Doc+, a new Duke “plus” program led by CDS. Over six weeks, students collaborated with professional artists or community organizers on… read more about How a Summer of Documentary Storytelling Helped Students Find Their Future — and How You Can Help Shape the Next One »
“Creation and expression has always been a big part of my life,” says Evan Nicole Bell, an award-winning artist and musician. As an undergraduate at Duke, Bell found a home for her passions at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), where she ultimately designed her own major through Program II: Documenting Justice: The Role of Photographic Narratives in Activism. One particular documentary photography course she took during her first year — American Communities… read more about From Lens to Lyrics: How One Documentary Studies Class Sparked a Life of Storytelling »
UCLA historian Kelly Lytle Hernández joins Duke and UNC as the 2025–26 Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professor. On February 10, she will speak at Duke’s Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center on race, reform and U.S. Immigration between 1952 and 1952. Register here.Kelly Lytle Hernández grew up in the U.S.–Mexico borderlands during the 1980s and ’90s — a period marked by the rapid expansion of immigration law enforcement. Border Patrol was a major part of everyday life, she… read more about CDS to Host Visiting Keohane Professor Exploring Race, Policing and the Roots of U.S. Immigration »
Deadline: November 3, 2025 Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) invites proposals from Duke faculty and community collaborators interested in leading documentary projects with Doc+ students during Summer 2026. Doc+ is a six-week summer immersion program in the documentary arts that welcomes Duke undergraduates interested in exploring creative, community-based approaches to storytelling. Students work in small project teams led by faculty and/or external documentary… read more about Doc+ 2026 Call for Proposals: Faculty- and Community-Led Documentary Projects »
Academy Award® winner Steven Bognar tells us about his first time at Full Frame, and why he keeps coming back. Doc : Doc is a new interview series from Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), where we talk shop with documentary artists and explore the evolving field of nonfiction storytelling. Through candid conversations, we illuminate the creative process, celebrate the power of documentary and highlight the programs that make it all possible.In this first feature,… read more about Doc : Doc — Steven Bognar on Full Frame and the Power of Documentary Film »
At the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), we love to host artists whose work invites reflection, connection and imagination. Recently, five Israeli Jewish, Palestinian and Druze graduate student artists from Givat Haviva, The Center for a Shared Society, stepped into our space for an inspiring conversation with the team behind the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, a CDS program. The artists are currently in residence at Duke University for six weeks through the… read more about Day Dreams: Givat Haviva Artists Imagine Community Engagement with Full Frame »
What happens when documentary artists are given time, space and care to simply create? We asked the DocX fellows to reflect on their four-week residency.Held in Durham at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), DocX: Another World is Possible was created by Stephanie Owens and Nyssa Chow as an invitation for documentary artists to breathe and make. Four individual fellows and one collaborative duo were selected to advance their… read more about DocX Diaries: Reflections From Six Fellows in Residency at CDS »
Imani Dennison is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker whose work explores memory, folklore and identity. They participated in the DocX Residency: Another World is Possible at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) in spring 2025 — conceived by Stephanie Owens and Nyssa Chow as an invitation for documentary artists to connect, breathe and create. Below, Dennison reflects on this experience and… read more about DocX Diaries: Reflections From Imani Dennison »
Director Arielle Knight is a New York- and Mexico-based documentary filmmaker and producer mining the absurd, mythological and mundane to center and recover the multiplicity of Black experiences. She participated in the DocX Residency: Another World is Possible at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) in spring 2025 — conceived by Stephanie Owens and Nyssa Chow as an invitation for documentary artists to… read more about DocX Diaries: Reflections From Arielle Knight »
Emily Mkrtichian is a filmmaker and multimedia artist whose work is deeply influenced by her upbringing in a displaced, diasporic family. Kamee Abrahamian is a queer artist, storyteller, producer, mother, waitress and witch whose work summons ancestral reclamation, diasporic futurism and justice. They participated in the DocX Residency: Another World is Possible at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) in spring 2025 — conceived by Stephanie… read more about DocX Diaries: Reflections From Emily Mkrtichian and Kamee Abrahamian »
J Wortham is a writer, oral historian, reiki practitioner and sound healer living in Brooklyn. They participated in the DocX Residency: Another World is Possible at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) in spring 2025 — conceived by Stephanie Owens and Nyssa Chow as an invitation for documentary artists to connect, breathe and create. Below, Wortham reflects on this experience and time spent… read more about DocX Diaries: Reflections From J Wortham »
Dominic Yarabe is an award-winning filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist based in New York. She participated in the DocX Residency: Another World is Possible at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) in spring 2025 — conceived by Stephanie Owens and Nyssa Chow as an invitation for documentary artists to connect, breathe and create. Below, Yarabe reflects on this experience and time spent working on her… read more about DocX Diaries: Reflections From Dominic Yarabe »
The newest +Program isn’t about fetching coffee for directors. Students will take an active role in four unique documentary projects. Doc+ students Ali Pfaff (left) and Shelby Parker (right) explore the rich holdings of Perkins special collections during a guided tour. This summer, they’ll contribute to “Student Action with Farmworkers,” conducting archival research, recording oral histories and curating findings in a public-facing zine. Photo: Lauren Henschel “This kind of program didn’t… read more about Doc+: A Summer of Documentary Immersion at Duke »
At the 2025 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) presented its CDS Filmmaker Award to Coexistence, My Ass! directed by Amber Fares.Full Frame is a vital program of CDS and embodies Duke’s commitment to the arts and community engagement. The CDS Filmmaker Award, offered for the 23rd time, recognizes documentary films that combine originality and creativity with firsthand experience in examining societal issues of our time… read more about The 2025 CDS Filmmaker Award Goes to “Coexistence, My Ass!” »
Duke senior Lauren Valle is the winner of the 2025 Julia Harper Day Award for Documentary Studies. The Biology major, who will graduate with a Certificate in Documentary Studies, will receive a prize of $500.The Julia Harper Day Award was created by the Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) in 1992 in memory of the young woman who was our first staff member — a writer and photographer of real accomplishment. The annual award recognizes seniors who have demonstrated excellence in… read more about Lauren Valle Receives Julia Harper Day Award for Documentary Studies »
A Duke student views a portrait of him on display at Duke Center of Documentary Studies. The work is part of Lauren Valle’s capstone project, “Unseen Histories: Latinidad in Focus.” Photo: Dhruv Rungta Bold new documentary work by four Duke seniors and one rising senior is now on view at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies. Developed this spring in the Capstone Seminar in Documentary Studies course, their projects span photography, zine-making, film and oral history, and will be on… read more about Five New Visions in Documentary Art »
This week author and filmmaker James Robinson ’20 returns to Duke and the Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), carrying signed copies of Whale Eyes, his newly released illustrated memoir based on his CDS capstone project. Join CDS for an author talk with James Robinson on Wednesday, Mar. 26, at 6:30 p.m. … read more about From Capstone to Debut Memoir: CDS Alum James Robinson Shares His Story »