50 Years Of Docs From Chicago’s Kartemquin Films

Kartemquin
Chris Bently / Flickr
Kartemquin
Chris Bently / Flickr

50 Years Of Docs From Chicago’s Kartemquin Films

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Kartemquin Films is behind some of the best known documentaries — Hoop Dreams, Life Itself and The Interrupters to name a few.

Founders Gordon Quinn and Jerry Blumenthal started the film collective in the 1960s to document Chicago’s most pressing struggles. As it continued to grow, Kartemquin became a powerhouse in not just the documentary world, but the film world. 

This year marks the group’s 50th anniversary. We talk to co-founder Gordon Quinn and executive director Betsy Steinberg about how Kartemquin approaches documentaries and how its films reflect each of the five decades the group has been in existence.