Kartemquin Films’ Latest Move

A standing-room-only crowd of filmmakers celebrated Kartemquin Films’ housewarming event at the Kimball Arts center on February 6. Representing a motherlode of documentarian prowess, they dialed up the camaraderie with unwavering friendliness.

“Please make this your home as it is our new home,” Artistic Director Betsy Leonard announced in a brief welcoming speech during the event. “Let’s raise a glass to the well-being of creatives in our world at a time we when really need it and to the community we create with each other.”

Kartemquin Films (KTQ) is a Chicago-based production company that has earned four Academy Award nominations and six Emmys while releasing nearly a hundred films over the past four decades. Along the way, it has built a renowned network of documentary makers. In the creative world, KTQ is an irreplaceable source of experience and support. 

KTQ IN THE HOUSE
KTQ’s new location occupies a storefront on a side street between Logan Square and Humboldt Park. The entryway leads to a main room with floor-to-ceiling windows that frame colorful graffiti on the foundation of The 606, a former rail line that has been transformed into a recreational trail. The office is part of a two-story, 48,000 square-foot timber loft that also houses a photography studio, a theater company, a coffee house and several other tenants. According to KTQ Artistic Director Stacy Robinson, it’s a great fit. 

“It feels like a really organic move for us to be with other artists,” she said. “Our old space always had a storefront, and that storefront kind of open-door community is something we want to come back to. We’re right on the street with a lot of artists and activists and so we feel right at home.”

KTQ IN THE WORKS
Robinson added that KTQ hopes to release roughly half a dozen films this year. Among them are Chicagoan Collete Ghunim’s Traces of Home, a journey to Palestine and Mexico, places where her father and mother were forced to flee as children.

Completing these films will be a staff of approximately six people. Along the way, they’ll also be developing dozens of other projects in the works. 

KTQ IN THE COMMUNITY
KTQ’s enthusiasm for fostering creative success was on full display all night. Guests included Chicago Underground Film Festival Executive Artistic Director Bryan Wendorf and Sidney Has No Horses director Salvator Consalvi. 

Cofounder and legendary filmmaker Gordon Quin engaged with anyone who said hello.  After greeting Screen Magazine and posing for a photo with frequent collaborator Bob Hercules, he said, “make sure to get a picture of Ashley,” a filmmaker who was standing nearby. 

The person he mentioned was Ashely O’Shay, director of Unapologetic, a story “told through the lens of two fierce abolitionist leaders,” that takes a “deep look into the Movement for Black Lives.” In true community spirit, Ms. O’Shay was totally cool when the photographer asked for a little extra time to get the camera settings just right.

Check out a sampling of pics from KTQ’s Housewarming below. To view ScreenMag’s full Facebook album of the event, click here.

KTQ HOUSEWARMING

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