Kartemquin Films

Kartemquin Films is a not-for-profit organization that was founded in 1966 by Gordon Quinn, Jerry Temaner and Stan Karter, three University of Chicago graduates who wanted to make documentary films guided by their principle of "Cinematic Social Inquiry." They were soon joined by Jerry Blumenthal who along with Gordon Quinn remains with the organization today.

Kartemquin's first film in 1966, Home For Life -- a chronicle of two elderly people entering a home for the aged -- established the direction the organization would take over the next four decades. Kartemquin evolved into a film collective producing films such as The Chicago Maternity Center Story and the Taylor Chain films. They continued releasing social-issue documentaries (The Last Pullman Car, Golub) largely for public television and the educational market into the 1990s.

Kartemquin's best known film, Hoop Dreams, won several major critics prizes and journalism awards in 1995 and was named on over 150 “ten best” lists. Filmmakers Steve James, Peter Gilbert and Fred Marx examined the complex role basketball plays in the lives of two inner-city high school players. After receiving the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, Hoop Dreams was released theatrically by Fine Line Features and became the highest grossing documentary at that time and one of highest-rated documentaries broadcast on PBS.

Since Hoop Dreams, Kartemquin has continued producing films that examine and critique society by following the stories of real people. At the Death House Door premiered at SXSW, and went on to win awards at Full Frame and other festivals. Their documentary, Terra Incognita: Mapping Stem Cell Research", follows Dr. Jack Kessler of Northwestern University in his search for a cure for spinal cord injuries using embryonic stem cells. Other recent documentaries have included: The New Americans, a seven-hour miniseries for PBS that follows immigrant families from five different countries; Stevie; Refrigerator Mothers; 5 Girls; and Vietnam, Long Time Coming. In 2007, Kartemquin Films received the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. The group is located in Chicago, Illinois and is still run by Gordon Quinn. In late 2008 he transitioned to Artistic Director, and Justine Nagan was named Executive Director. Justine directed Typeface in 2009.

Kartemquin's more recent projects include "A Good Man," which examines Bill T. Jones' Ravinia Festival interpretive dance piece inspired by Abraham Lincoln and interrogates the myths surrounding political heroes in general; and "The Interrupters," which tells the story of a group of men and women in Chicago — most of them former gang leaders — who now work for CeaseFire, an organization that interrupts shootings and crimes in Chicago.

"The Interrupters" was released to critical and audience acclaim. The film won several awards, including "Best Documentary" from the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards, as well as "Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking" and "Best Direction" from Cinema Eye Honors. Film critic Roger Ebert called the film "mighty and heart-wrenching."

Films currently in production include "On Beauty," which follows former fashion photographer Rick Guidotti, who after 15 years of working for clients such as Yves Saint Laurent, Elle, and Harpers Bazaar, grew tired of seeing the same ideal of beauty and who now works towards redefining the standards; "American Arab," in which an Iraqi-American filmmaker explores the diverse experiences of people living as Arabs in the U.S.; "The Trials of Muhammad Ali," which recounts legendary boxer Muhammad Ali's battle to overturn a five-year prison sentence he received for refusing U.S. military service during the Vietnam War; and "In the Game," examining the role of Title IX legislation in the lives of U.S. female athletes.