Truth & Documentary

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Truth & Documentary

A production company serving non-profits, artists, journalism outlets and documentary filmmakers.

12/29/2025

This year we provided video production to 53 different nonprofits, artists, doc filmmakers, & journalism outlets, including 187 shoots, leading to 135 terabytes of data, and over 200 different videos and media assets delivered.

Lets work together in 2026!

12/22/2025

We're saddened to hear of the passing of artist Arkee Chaney.

Friends, family and loved ones gathered December 20 at his funeral to celebrate his life and impact.

You can honor Arkee by supporting Walls Turned Sideways - https://wallsturnedsideways.org/donate/, and hear his story in our short documentary, Arkee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjZYXYpWehM

12/12/2025

Immigrant Justice: Then & Now

A Screening with Media Burn Independent Video Archive
Jan 15, 2026 6pm at The Edge Theater 5451 N Broadway

Mirko Popadic's "Between Uncertainty and Hope" (21 min) which features Chicagoans protesting immigration raids in 1988 - will screen alongside our work-in-progress "Shouldering Sanctuary" (35 min), which follows activists, city council members, businesspeople and artists grappling with what it means for Chicago to be a Sanctuary City during the first year of the second Trump administration.

Discussion with 26th Ward Alderperson Jessie Fuentes, organizer Antonio Gutierrez (Organized Communities Against Deportation) and others will follow the screening.

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/immigrant-justice-then-now-screening-and-discussion-tickets-1972572937757

12/04/2025

Join us at Doc Chicago this weekend - which provides a space for documentary filmmakers to gain new insights and strengthen connections across our region. A scene from our project documenting the impact of Trump on immigrants and refugees is screening with other shorts on Friday (tickets: https://chicagofilmmakers.org/upcoming-screenings-and-events/doc-chicago-shorts-2025) and on Saturday we’ll be connecting with other filmmakers at Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events mini-conference at the Chicago Cultural Center (RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/doc-chicago-tickets-1972115498544?aff=oddtdtcreator). See you there!

11/27/2025

We’re thankful for First Nations Film & Video Festival, presenting films directed by Indigenous/Native American filmmakers from the United States, Canada, Central and South America, and Mexico for 35 years across Chicagoland.

T&D was a sponsor of this year’s festival, a collaboration we hope to continue for years to come. Follow First Nations Film and Video Festival to hear about future screenings and events, and join us in supporting them this giving season: https://fnfvf.org/donate

11/14/2025

We teamed up with WBEZ on their Rise & Chi campaign, supporting their creative vision through talent casting and location production.

If you’ve spotted the billboards and newspaper spreads around the city, that’s Rise & Chi in action celebrating a new era of storytelling from WBEZ.

Photography by Jaclyn Rivas

Be sure to tune in and support their new lineup of shows:
☀️ Morning Edition with Clare Lane
🎧 In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons
💬 Say More with Mary Dixon & Patrick Smith

10/24/2025

Inspired by a protest led by high school students about the lack of Latinx representation, the Chicago History Museum created Aquí en Chicago, a new exhibit and project fore-fronting these communities. T&D prepared the archival video elements for the exhibit, which opens Saturday October 25, 2025, which is also a free admission day for Illinois residents - go visit! Find out more: https://www.chicagohistory.org/exhibition/aqui-en-chicago/

10/16/2025

From Rails to Trails tells the story of a movement to turn abandoned rails into community assets.

Truth & Documentary provided principal photography for this hour-long documentary, now playing PBS stations and streaming nationwide, featuring Pete Buttigieg and narrated by Edward Norton. The film tells the behind the scenes stories of how beloved trails across the country came to be, including Wisconsin’s , Manhattan's , Chicago's , the Atlanta Beltline, Seattle’s trail, and the Great American Rail-Trail.

Truth & Documentary Team:
Director of Photography Ben Kolak, with support from Michael del Rosario and Brandon Mioduszewski

Directed and Produced by Dan Protess
Produced and based on the book by Peter Harnik
Edited by Michael Lahey
Written by Rachel Pikelny
Production Management Lily Qi
Additional Cinematography Alejandro Marin

Watch here: https://video.wttw.com/video/from-rails-to-trails-Qj9S1f/

10/06/2025

Its the 100th anniversary of Swift Hall, home to the The University of Chicago Divinity School, the global leader in the study of religion. We created 11 short documentaries about key moments in School's history, featured in a online exhibition. Understanding religion is more important now than ever - get started https://www.swift100.com/

09/26/2025

This summer, our team traveled to Jinan, China to document a powerful story: music as a universal language. The Music Summer Camp brought together students from the US & China to bring cultures together, make music, and build friendships along the way. To see the full documentary, the link is in our bio.

09/17/2025

“Kidnapping is not a career”

August 7, 2025: The Congress Hotel hosts hundreds of job-seekers and an unexpected protest condemning the presence of a Dept. of Homeland Security U.S. Customs and Border Patrol recruitment table.

See what unfolds at the Chicago Job Fair, where ethical dilemmas and the realities of a difficult economy come to a head.

This short video is part of our work documenting the impact of Trump on immigrants and refugees in Chicago, to show the on-the-ground reality, educate other communities who may be targeted next, and highlight the humanity of our newest neighbors facing the threat of deportation. What people, places, events and organizations should we focus on?

Let us know what demands documentation in this challenging time.

Edited by T&D's summer intern, Madeline Voelkel, produced by Fatima Omar and shot by Ian Resnick.

08/21/2025

Sat 8/23/25 4p - Thalia Hall Free For All - a free all ages event featuring performances and the opportunity to explore one of Chicago’s most loved venues, presented by WBEZ.

At the event, catch a first look at a series we’re creating with the station featuring intimate performances by bands like Case Oats and Spun Out.

See you there! https://www.wbez.org/event/thalia-hall-wbez-present-thalia-hall-free-for-all

Address

329 W. 18th Street Ste 607
Chicago, IL
60616

Telephone

+13128466782

Website

https://linktr.ee/truthanddoc, http://www.truthanddocumentary.org/

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