News/Story Ideas
Cinematic Durham
At the turn of the 19th century, the lens of Durham photographer Hugh Mangum captured the unique natural beauty surrounding his home along the Eno River. A century later, the Eno figured prominently in the 1997 Hollywood thriller Kiss The Girls.
With Duke’s Gothic West and Georgian Revival East campuses, Downtown’s ornate brick tobacco warehouses, and Research Triangle Park’s modern architecture, Durham offers film scouts limitless opportunities to fit almost any movie project.
Durham ’s versatility as a filming location hasn’t escaped the attention of Hollywood. In addition to Kiss The Girls, the Bull City was featured in films such as Brainstorm, Bull Durham, and The Handmaid’s Tale, as well as on the small screen with series such as Dawson’s Creek and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.
The Bull City’s cinematic reputation expands well beyond making movies. Durham is home to the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival (April 6–9, 2006), the preeminent documentary film festival in North America, and the North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (August 10–13, 2006), one of the Southeast’s premier festivals of its kind, along with lots of other film festivals and series throughout the year.
Dining in Durham
Durham has recently been in the news as the “Diet Capital of the World,” due to its many weight management centers that attract people from all over the world. However, Durham is also well-known for its epicurean side.
A colony of nationally acclaimed chefs calls Durham home, as do 20+ restaurants reviewed by Food Network, Gourmet,Bon Appétit, and many other national media. These establishments, highlighted by the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau as "Celebrated Cuisine" restaurants, incorporate various culinary styles from around the world.
With more than 300 eateries representing everything from South American to Szechuan Chinese and Mediterranean to East Indian, the Bull City is a dining destination like no other.
Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University
The eyes of the art world focused on Durham October 2, 2005, as the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University opened its doors, bringing Durham and the state of North Carolina to a new cultural plateau. World-renowned architect Rafael Viñoly designed the landmark 65,767-square-foot museum, consisting of five separate pavilions linked by a glass-roofed atrium.
The museum features galleries for Duke’s permanent collection of works from around the globe, representing Classical, Medieval, Renaissance, pre-Columbian, and Contemporary periods. Additionally, there are galleries for special exhibitions, sculpture gardens, a café, a gift shop, and classrooms.
The Nasher Museum joins an area of Duke’s campuses that already includes two must-see features. The Sarah P. Duke Gardens, with its 55 acres of landscaped and woodland gardens, is a short walk away, while the breathtaking architecture and colorful stained-glass windows of Duke University Chapel, one of the last great collegiate Gothic projects in the nation, is also nearby.
