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Monday 9:30am - 6pm Tuesday 9:30am - 6pm Wednesday 9:30am - 6pm Thursday 9:30am - 6pm Friday 9:30am - 6pm

Kartemquin Films

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Kartemquin Films

For more than 50 years, Kartemquin Films has been making documentaries that examine and critique society through the stories of real people.

Documentary Powerhouse.

08/29/2025

Today is the DAY! Applications for The Zhao-Chen Family AAPI Voices Fund at Kartemquin Films are officially OPEN!

Round 1 Fund Eligibility:
- Center AAPI-stories and communities
- Be working on a short documentary film project
- Are not enrolled in a degree seeking program
- Be in early- to mid-production

📆 Applications close on September 22nd. 📆

Apply HERE: bit.ly/AAPIVoicesApp

Questions? Email [email protected].

08/27/2025

For nearly 60 years, Chicago-based Kartemquin Films has been reeling viewers in with authentic stories of hopes and dreams, pains and struggles. With recent attacks on public media, we as filmmakers recognize the importance of archives; of being witnesses to the stories that shape us.

After four years of intensive work, the Film & Media Archive at Washington University in St. Louis is making KTQ’s extensive archive of materials, dating from 1966 to 2008, more accessible to scholars and the public.

Learn more in WashU Magazine here: https://source.washu.edu/2025/08/documenting-humanity/

08/18/2025

🗓 Save the Date! 🗓

Round One of the 2025-2027 Zhao-Chen AAPI Voices Fund at Kartemquin Films cycle opens August 29th! This round will invest funding, provide production and creative resources, and offer expert mentorship to produce three (3) original short films that center AAPI voices and stories, aiming to deepen audiences’ understanding of the complexity and diversity of AAPI communities in the U.S.

APPLICATIONS OPEN: August 29th, 2025

AAPLICATIONS CLOSE: Septemner 22nd, 2025

Questions? Email us at [email protected].

Learn more about the fund here!: bit.ly/AAPIVoicesFund

08/15/2025

Such a treat to get a surprise visit from one of our favorite filmmaker advocates and board member, Jack Lerner. A professor at the University of California - Irvine School of Law, Jack is a steadfast champion for fair use and freedom of information—two essential freedoms close to every filmmaker’s heart.

Thanks for stopping by and catching up with Artistic Director, Stacy Robinson! 🌞

08/14/2025

The Documentary Producers Alliance is hosting a Speaker Series to explore their new Ethics Resource Library (ERL), and we are so excited to see members of our KTQ community participating in the panel. HOLDING LIAT director, Brandon Kramer and producer, Lance Kramer will be joining KTQ's very own Gordon Quinn to discuss documentary ethics and how to share your project with your subjects or participants.

Join us on August 19th at 12pm PST | 3pm EST for a conversation moderated by ERL Librarian, Simon Mendes. Register here!: https://lu.ma/wqdrwr7s?tk=PaxtaOIt

07/29/2025

Registration is open for the 3rd annual Hot Springs Documentary Filmmaker Forum, taking place October 12–14 in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas.

This three-day convening brings together filmmakers and industry professionals for panels, one-on-one meetings, screenings, and networking opportunities, all part of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.

Early Bird Registration is just $95 through July 31. Our filmmakers receive an additional $10 off with the code: 'Kar25Forum'.

Register here: https://hsdfi.org/filmmaker-forum/!

07/17/2025

Nearly 40 years ago, a diverse coalition of independent filmmakers, including our founder Gordon Quinn, fought to create space in public media for bold, underrepresented stories. If this coalition served as the foundation for the Kartemquin Films we have today, then organizations like PBS and ITVS gave KTQ the tools to keep building. Without the support of public media organizations, we would not be where we are today, sharing stories from the heart of the Midwest.

We stand with , , and filmmakers nationwide in defending public media and protecting the storytellers who help shape a more just, connected, and informed society.

We know it feels like we are approaching an insurmountable mountain, but we can still TAKE ACTION. Go to protectmypublicmedia.org - linked in the comments - to contact your representatives and make your voices heard. ☎️

07/14/2025

This summer in Chicago marks 30 years since the deadly heat wave of 1995. Our film, COOKED: Survival by Zip Code, chronicles the racial and economic inequities that led to the deaths of 739 mostly Black, elderly, and poor Chicagoans. Filmmakers Judith Helfand and Fenell Doremus spent over 11 years bringing this story to life, and honoring the lives lost during that fateful week. On this Wednesday July 16th, we are coming together for a screening of the film at FACETS to commemorate those lost and discuss how this film remains all too relevant to this day. After the screening, the filmmakers will join a Q&A with subjects from the film and author/sociologist, Eric Klinenberg, whose book 'Heatwave' helped inspire the film.

Register at the link the in comments. See you there!

07/11/2025

Searching for your next KTQ film to watch? Look no further than our Friday Film suggestion: Saving Mes Aynak (2014), which follows Afghan archaeologist Qadir Temori as he races against time to save a 5,000-year-old archaeological site in Afghanistan from imminent demolition.

You can catch our Friday Film suggestion this SATURDAY, July 12th the South Asia Institute, with dir. Brent Huffman (filmmaker, professor) sharing insights on the film and the power of preserving artifacts in spite of political and environmental factors. Register for this FREE screening at the link in our comments!

06/20/2025

Things have been busy at KTQ's Office this week...

We were so excited to welcome our 2024-2025 DVID Fellows into our new space for a Fellowship Retreat!! Our fellows participated in workshops lead by esteemed members of our KTQ Community, Leslie Simmer and Sam Rong, along with Work-In-Progress Screenings and Pitch Deck Feedback sessions. Gordon Quinn and Margaret Caples, co-founders of the DVID Program, also attended, gracing us with their wisdom and feedback.

Everyone at KTQ was buzzing from the artistic electricity of this retreat, and were reminded of how powerful this community is. We even had a little future filmmaker join us!! 😍 So cute!!

As we know, filmmaking is a process... and so is taking a group photo. Click through to see our attempts. ☺️😅

06/11/2025

We are excited to support our friends at Documentary Producers Alliance (DPA) and the Ethics Resource Library (ERL), a free, public, and centralized online database designed to support ethical decision-making throughout the documentary and reality filmmaking process.

Built by and for filmmakers, the ERL aggregates and amplifies trusted resources that address the complex ethical challenges our industry faces today. From consent and authorship to funding transparency, working with vulnerable communities, and more, whether you’re an emerging storyteller or a seasoned producer, the ERL is a living resource to help guide your work with care and integrity.

We are honored to add our name to the list of impactful organizations that have endorsed the ERL, including the Documentary Accountability Working Group (DAWG), DocuMentality, Film Fatales, Brown Girls Doc Mafia, Columbia College Chicago, Jewish Film Institute, Peace is Loud, and many others.

📚Check out the ERL by checking out the link in ' bio!

06/06/2025

A very sad addition to our Film Friday offerings. Our deepest condolences to the Reich family following the passing of Sonia Reich, featured in the Kartemquin film, Prisoner of Her Past, written and produced by Howard Reich, directed by Gordon Quinn, and edited by Jerry Blumenthal. You can watch the film by visiting kartemquin.org. May the memory of Sonia be a blessing.

Address

1757 North Kimball Avenue, Suite 103-A
Chicago, IL
60647

Opening Hours

Monday	9:30am - 6pm
Tuesday	9:30am - 6pm
Wednesday	9:30am - 6pm
Thursday	9:30am - 6pm
Friday	9:30am - 6pm

Website

http://www.kartemquin.com/

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