Latest News

There are still a few tickets left for tomorrow night’s 9pm sneak preview of Kartemquin’s latest, Typeface at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. In preparation, check out this piece on the Walker blog. Read about the event on Minnesota Public Radio or in some recent blog posts at nassoskappa and upscale typography.

On November 9th, Kartemquin’s Gordon Quinn will speak on a distinguished panel of documentary makers and programmers to discuss documentary filmmaking’s rise in popularity and influence, and consider some of the inevitable questions that accompany it. Also on the panel are Tom Bailey, Typeface DP, and Johanna Zorn, executive director of the Third Coast International Audio Festival. The discussion will be moderated by Thom Powers, filmmaker and documentary programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival and the Stranger than Fiction series at New York’s IFC Center.

More info.

Leading up to the Chicago Humanities fest screening this Sunday at 3pm, read this blog post on Afromusing about the film.

Kartemquin is excited to announce that Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita recently took home two prizes at the Coruna Science Film Festival in Galicia, Spain. The film tied for second place in the feature category and was awarded 1,500 Euros. Additionally, the film received a “Youth Award,” the highest honor given by the youth jury, and a 1,000 Euro prize.

Get your tickets now for the sneak preview of Typeface, Thursday night, November 6th before they sell out! Tickets for the 7pm show are gone, but a 9pm screening was just added!

The film has recently been covered by Culture Soak and Reason Being.

Congratulations to grand prize-winners Brandon Hummons and Chris Frills for their short film “Hope in America,” and to finalists Dan Andries for his short film “Group” and members of Feel Tank Chicago for their short film “Twenty Reasons.” Honorable mention goes to John Birkner for his short film “Belleville Nights.”

The “Looking for Democracy Short Film Contest” was co-sponsored by Kartemquin, along with The Public Square, the Independent Television Service, Independent Lens, Independent Feature Project (IFP) Chicago, Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV), and the Columbia College Television Department.

Join us to celebrate and screen the winning films on October 28th, 6:30-8:30pm, in an evening entitled “Hope in America? Making Our Own Media.” Kartemquin Film’s Gordon Quinn will explore the meaning of hope in America and the value of alternative media this election season. After the films are screened, there will be a facilitated conversation with community activist Anton Seals and the winning filmmakers about the art of filmmaking and social change. Winning filmmakers will be awarded prizes to celebrate their commitment to creating media that encourages political dialogue, and a reception will close out the evening.

The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are recommended and can be made online, by email at events@prairie.org, or at 312.422.5580.

Hit the Chicago Public Library on State Street tonight to catch Kartmequin’s Steve James participate in a panel on storytelling around the topic of “new journalism.” The event is part of the “One Book, One Chicago” project. Get the details.

Following a great screening of Kartemquin’s latest work-in-progress at the APHA conference in New York this past weekend, we’d like to invite you to get a sneak preview of the final film at the Walker Art Museum in Minneapolis on Thursday, November 6. Get tickets now. The screening is co-sponsored by AIGA MN and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Director Justine Nagan will join Bill Moran and Greg Corrigan from the film for a discussion following the film.

Check out photos from the APHA presentation.

Two exciting Terra Incognita developments this week! For those of you in the Chicago area, WTTW the local PBS station, is re-broadcasting the film this Wednesday night at 10:00pm- right after the debates! Get more information.

Then, later this month the film will screen twice on October 23rd, in competition, as a part of the first annual Science Film Festival in Galicia, Spain. Get the details.

Additionally, Kartemquin is excited to announce that Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita has been accepted to the prestigious Council on Foundations Film Festival taking place in May 2009 in Atlanta. Exciting to have two films in the fest this year!

Kartemquin’s Creative Director Gordon Quinn has been in Mexico this week speaking on the Best Practices of Fair Use in Documentary. The center of his trip was a presentation at the Morelia Film Festival. Read this blog post about the session.

Check out this week’s Chicago Tribune Magazine for a cover story on Joanna Rudnick and In the Family. Additionally, we just learned that the film has been accepted into the prestigious Council on Foundations Film Festival for 2009 in Atlanta.

Check out this list of Vanity Fair’s top 25 documentary films, including Kartemquin’s Hoop Dreams.

In case you missed the national broadcast premiere of In the Family on PBS’s P.O.V. series last night, there are still opportunities to view! Many local stations will have additional broadcasts over the weekend (check local listings), watch the entire documentary free online through the end of October, buy the DVD, or check out local screenings in Anchorage, AK and Waco, TX.

Resources, talk-back forum and more on the re-vamped In the Family website.

Today marks a historic staffing change at Kartemquin. Founder and Executive Director Gordon Quinn is transitioning from his management position to assume the new role of Creative Director for the organization. Following an executive search process, former Associate Director Justine Nagan has been selected to replace Mr. Quinn as Executive Director. Gordon will continue working full-time but will devote greater attention to filmmaking, while Ms. Nagan will transition away from filmmaking into increased organizational responsibility. Read more from Gordon about the transition or read this article in the IDA newsletter about the change.

Kartemquin’s What the Fuck Are These Red Squares? is included in an upcoming comprehensive exhibition at the Exit Art Gallery in New York. In Signs of Change: Social Movement Cultures 1960s to Now, “hundreds of posters, photographs, moving images, audio clips, and ephemera bring to life over forty years of activism, political protest, and campaigns for social justice. Curated by Dara Greenwald and Josh MacPhee as part of Exit Art’s Curatorial Incubator, this important and timely exhibition surveys the creative work of dozens of international social movements.”

The exhibition opened last week and the film will screen several times during the week of November 11 - 15. Get screening times in the Kartemquin events section.

In anticipation of In the Family’s national broadcast on PBS’ P.O.V. Wednesday night, tune in to NPR’s Talk of the Nation tomorrow afternoon at 2pm CST. Watch a clip from John Callaway’s interview with Joanna on Chicago Tonight and check out the P.O.V. website for the film.

Nearly 100 people gathered Friday night at the AV-Aerie in Chicago to raise funds for Kartemquin’s doc-in-progress, Typeface. Guests enjoyed music from Mar Caribe, clips from the film, and poster art from The Post Family, Pointed Press and Dennis Ichiyama. Thanks to the artists, the band, the staff of the AV-Aerie, Amy Cargill, Ian Arsenault and all those who attended to support the film.

Kartemquin’s Zak Piper, Peter Gilbert and Adam Singer are on their way to the distant north to capture the the Cape Farewell expedition to the Arctic, with over 40 artists, scientists and musicians onboard. The expedition runs from September 25 to October 6. Read more.

Read reviews of Kartemquin’s latest in The Sun Times and Time Out, then go see the film this week at Siskel.

Read this great blog about Kartemquin’s doc-in-progress, Typeface, on designworklife.com. Then, get your tickets for our fundraiser tomorrow night at www.typefacethefilm.com

Catch Kartemquin’s At the Death House Door at the Lake County Film Society Doc Fest, ILL - DOCS this Saturday night.

College Of Lake County - Grayslake, IL 60030 8pm

Get more information.

In anticipation of tomorrow night’s US theatrical premiere of Milking the Rhino, listen to filmmakers David Simpson and Jeannie McGill interviewed on WBEZ’s Worldview.

Then, read the Chicago Tribune review of the film.

See you at the Siskel!

Kartemquin is thrilled that two of its recent documentary features will be included in this year’s prestigious International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (IDFA) in November. David Simpson’s Milking the Rhino will screen in competition for the Joris Ivens Award, screening details to be announced shortly. Additionally, Steve James and Peter Gilbert’s At the Death House Door will be screening, followed by “A Conversation with Steve James,” on Friday, November 21st.

Help us raise completion funds for Typeface this Friday, September 26th, from 8pm - 11pm at the AV-Aerie in Chicago. Get more information and buy your tickets now at www.typefacethefilm.com

Cocktails, film clips and an auction of limited edition movie posters! You don’t want to miss it.

Kartemquin Associate Maria Finitzo and Camerawoman Ines Sommer recently worked on a series of shorts of oncofertility for Northwestern University. Check them out.

Read Rob Elder’s Screen Scene column in today’s Chicago Tribune and read how local filmmaker D.P. Carlson found inspiration for his new film in vintage Kartemquin classic Now We Live on Clifton.

As the Typeface crew strives to raise completion funds and finish editing the film concurrently, excitement about the documentary is building. On October 10th, a sneak preview of the film is planned at The Grolier Club in New York to kick off this year’s American Printing History Association annual conference. On Saturday the 11th, Director Justine Nagan will lead a panel discussion with Professor Dennis Ichiyama and designer Bill Moran, both subjects of the film, about issues of preservation and design. Read the full schedule.

In the meantime, two Chicago fundraisers are in the works. Stay tuned.

Director Joanna Rudnick will represent In the Family at a screening tonight sponsored by the Health Law Institute of DePaul University College of Law in cooperation with the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy at the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine and the Clinical Ethics Consult Service at University of Illinois at Chicago. Following the film, a panel discussion on medical and legal ethics will commence.

Kartemquin’s Gordon Quinn and Justine Nagan met with a delegation of documentary filmmakers this afternoon visiting from South and Central Asia. They discussed current distribution and outreach trends in the field of social issue documentary. The group of 11 travels to New York later this week.

Read this feature article on former Kartemquin intern Josh Hyde in The Southern newspaper. It profiles the preparations leading up to his first feature film, soon to be shot in Peru.