Home For Life

A recent blog on the TCM Classic Movies site about William Friedkin's The French Connection details the rarely noticed influence that the 1960's Chicago documentary film movement, in which Kartemquin played a leading role, had on the Oscar-winning thriller's famously gritty style.

"The film’s down-and-dirty style derives from a short-lived Chicago-based documentary movement from the 1960s—now long gone and unchronicled in most documentary history books. A version of cinema verite, the visual style of this loose-knit movement included the use of hand-held camera, long takes, and direct sound, just like their well-known verite counterparts from New York—Richard Leacock, the Maysles, and others who were part of Drew Associates. And, the Chicagoans also took advantage of the new lightweight 16mm cameras and cableless sync-sound recorders. But, there was something more direct, earnest, and even anxious about Chicago’s answer to verite; theirs was a no-nonsense street style fashioned from the use of documentary as social activism.

I don’t know much about the roots of this movement, though I’ll bet my peaked interest will shortly turn into a quest to uncover every bit of information that I can. I first became aware of it through the work of Kartemquin Films, which was founded as a documentary co-op in the 1960s to make films as a way to examine and critique social issues, problems, and contradictions by focusing on the stories of real people. In 1966, Kartemquin released their first film, Home for Life, which is a  powerful chronicle of two elderly people entering a home for the aged shot in the low-budget, no-frills style of other Chicago documentaries of the time. Long after most Chicago documentary filmmakers left town or moved on to other opportunities, Kartemquin remained in the Windy City, expanding its enterprise and broadening its arena to worldwide issues."

Read the rest of the excellent article here.

A reminder to join us for two Kartemquin screenings this week…

First, Kartemquin's first film, Home for Life is screening on Wednesday night the 23rd at 7:30pm in Evanston as a part of the REELTIME series. Join filmmakers Gordon Quinn and Jerry Temaner for this evening of documentary and discussion. Get the details.

Also, Vietnam Long Time Coming, is screening on Saturday night the 26th at 5:45pm at the Hyde Park Art Center as a part of their Creative Move event. Director Jerry Blumenthal will introduce the film and answer questions afterwards. Get the details.

We hope you can join us!

Kartemquin's founding film, Home for Life, is now available on DVD. The DVD features a restored print of the film and several extras including an interview with the filmmakers and deleted scenes. The release has generated some great press- read reviews in The Philadelphia Weekly and Time Out Chicago.

To celebrate this DVD release, Home for Life is screening at ReelTime at the Evanston Public Library at 7:30pm on April 23rd. Filmmakers Jerry Temaner and Gordon Quinn will be present. Save the date!

Kartemquin was thrilled to premiere the new restored 16mm print of its founding film, Home for Life, at a sold-out screening Saturday night at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. At a pre-screening reception, friends of Kartemquin mingled with experts in the field of aging, documentary enthusiasts and several individuals who worked at the Drexel Home, both during filmmaking and in the years afterwards. The film was introduced by Richard Christiansen, and the packed house enjoyed a lively, and long, discussion about the documentary following the screening.

Tickets are now on sale for the premiere screening of the new restored film print of Kartemquin's first film, Home for Life, on November 10th at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago.

Buy your tickets.

Kartemquin is thrilled to announce that the restored Home for Life print will have a premiere screening at the Gene Siskel Film Center on Saturday, November 10th at 8:00pm. Home for Life, Kartemquin's first film, has been out of circulation for years and is in the process of an extensive preservation thanks to a generous grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation. The event is featured in the Chicago Tribune film calendar.

Kartemquin Films is excited to be the recipient of a 2006 Partnership grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation to preserve its founding film, Home for Life. This grant, totaling over $11,500 in in-kind services and cash funds, will allow Kartemquin to restore and re-release this important film. Thanks to the Spertus Institute, the Chicago Film Archives, Chace Productions, Film Technology and I-Cubed for their assistance and support with this effort. This is Kartemquin’s first preservation award. For more information, or to see who else was awarded, please visit filmpreservation.org.

The second night of the Kartemquin Retrospective at the University of Chicago is tomorrow night, Thursday, November 3rd at 7pm at the U of C Film Studies Center at 5811 S. Ellis. The evening entitled "Health in Crisis" will include screenings of Home for Life, The Chicago Maternity Center Story, [[HSA Strike 75|film:hsa-strike-75]] and Refrigerator Mothers as well as a discussion with the filmmakers following the film excerpts.

Other events for the Retrospective will take place throughout November. For more information visit here.