2023 DOC CHICAGO
Fri, Nov 3– Sat, Nov 4, 2023
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Doc Chicago is a free, volunteer-run event that invites the regional documentary community to come together, share ideas, and learn from each other.
Doc Chicago is rooted in a spirit of mutual aid and we are so grateful to the many local filmmakers who are contributing their expertise and time as speakers, moderators, and volunteers this year – we couldn't do this without you! And thanks to Northwestern University's MFA in Documentary Media program for the support and the Chicago Film Office/DCASE for hosting us again this year at the Chicago Cultural Center! Doc Chicago is FREE to attend, but separate pre-registration for each day is requested. |
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FRIDAY, NOV. 3, 2023, 7pm
Claudia Cassidy Theater, 2nd floor (Randolph Street side) – Chicago Cultural Center DOC CHICAGO: A CONVERSATION WITH GORDON QUINN We're thrilled to kick off Doc Chicago with a conversation with Gordon Quinn, Kartemquin Films' co-founder and and longtime former Artistic Director, prolific filmmaker, and a wonderful mentor to so many documentarians in town. You can expect to watch clips from some early Kartemquin projects and an in-depth conversation between Gordon Quinn and documentary filmmaker and educator Dinesh Sabu (Unbroken Glass). |
SATURDAY, NOV. 4, 2023, 10:30am-4:30pm
Claudia Cassidy Theater, 2nd floor (Randolph Street side) – Chicago Cultural Center
DOC CHICAGO SCHEDULE
10:30am: Check in + Welcome
Join us for a day of informative panels, short spotlight talks, and opportunities to meet other documentary filmmakers, share what you're working on, and potentially find new collaborators. Please note that there will be short breaks for mingling throughout the day that are not listed on this schedule.
Claudia Cassidy Theater, 2nd floor (Randolph Street side) – Chicago Cultural Center
DOC CHICAGO SCHEDULE
10:30am: Check in + Welcome
Join us for a day of informative panels, short spotlight talks, and opportunities to meet other documentary filmmakers, share what you're working on, and potentially find new collaborators. Please note that there will be short breaks for mingling throughout the day that are not listed on this schedule.
10:45am: International Perspectives
What if your documentary leads you to explore an international story? What are the challenges and rewards in producing abroad?
Filmmaker and DePaul professor Anuradha Rana will share about her work-in-progress Language of Opportunity, which contrasts the immigrant experience of Indian families in the US with the aspirations of migrant families in urban India to discover how language is inextricably woven into our identity. Filmmaker and curator Floyd Webb – whose expansive career includes founding one of the first black film festivals in the nation (Chicago's Blacklight Film Festival, 1982) – is currently producing Kiku's Legacy, one of several international co-productions. Exploring her family's story has led Cindy Martin to the Philippines, where she just spent several months filming her personal feature documentary Love Is a Stranger. Moderated by filmmaker Erika Valenciana.
What if your documentary leads you to explore an international story? What are the challenges and rewards in producing abroad?
Filmmaker and DePaul professor Anuradha Rana will share about her work-in-progress Language of Opportunity, which contrasts the immigrant experience of Indian families in the US with the aspirations of migrant families in urban India to discover how language is inextricably woven into our identity. Filmmaker and curator Floyd Webb – whose expansive career includes founding one of the first black film festivals in the nation (Chicago's Blacklight Film Festival, 1982) – is currently producing Kiku's Legacy, one of several international co-productions. Exploring her family's story has led Cindy Martin to the Philippines, where she just spent several months filming her personal feature documentary Love Is a Stranger. Moderated by filmmaker Erika Valenciana.
11:45am: Spotlight: Artist Residencies + Fellowships
Alexandra Halkin, filmmaker and Executive Director of Americas Media Initiative, will share successful strategies and resources for applying to artist residencies and fellowships.
LUNCH BREAK
Alexandra Halkin, filmmaker and Executive Director of Americas Media Initiative, will share successful strategies and resources for applying to artist residencies and fellowships.
LUNCH BREAK
1pm: Sound Waves
Maybe you've heard it said that capturing good sound is more important than image in documentary? This panel will explore different approaches to sound that will range from the pragmatic to aesthetics and technology. Filmmaker and location sound recordist extraordinaire Shuling Yong will share about her experiences in the field; filmmaker, expanded cinema artist and Northwestern professor Christina Nguyen has served as sound designer on experimental and documentary films that have played at many major festivals; and Devin Delaney has worked on a great variety of projects as the head composer of post production audio facility Noisefloor’s music department. Moderated by Doc Chicago founder Ines Sommer.
Maybe you've heard it said that capturing good sound is more important than image in documentary? This panel will explore different approaches to sound that will range from the pragmatic to aesthetics and technology. Filmmaker and location sound recordist extraordinaire Shuling Yong will share about her experiences in the field; filmmaker, expanded cinema artist and Northwestern professor Christina Nguyen has served as sound designer on experimental and documentary films that have played at many major festivals; and Devin Delaney has worked on a great variety of projects as the head composer of post production audio facility Noisefloor’s music department. Moderated by Doc Chicago founder Ines Sommer.
2:15pm Spotlight: From Video Documentary to Podcast
Chicago filmmakers Peter Kuttner, Cyndi Moran and Eric Scholl collaborated on their seminal documentary The End of the Nightstick in the early 1990s. It was a revelatory expose of police torture and institutional racism in the Chicago Police Department that also told the story of a resistance movement led by local activists who refused to let testimonies of police violence remain buried. Decades later, these three media makers and producer Ben Freemantle are creating a new podcast that revisits these harrowing stories and brings them into the present, through interviews with survivors, activists, and attorneys who have continued the fight for justice and accountability.
Chicago filmmakers Peter Kuttner, Cyndi Moran and Eric Scholl collaborated on their seminal documentary The End of the Nightstick in the early 1990s. It was a revelatory expose of police torture and institutional racism in the Chicago Police Department that also told the story of a resistance movement led by local activists who refused to let testimonies of police violence remain buried. Decades later, these three media makers and producer Ben Freemantle are creating a new podcast that revisits these harrowing stories and brings them into the present, through interviews with survivors, activists, and attorneys who have continued the fight for justice and accountability.
2:45 pm: Spotlight: Documentary Producers Alliance
The Documentary Producers Alliance is a diverse coalition of more than 300 international members, ranging from emerging to Academy Award-winning documentary producers. The DPA sets standards for inclusive, sustainable and equitable business practices. DPA Co-President and producer Chris Renteria (Whose Streets?) will share about the organization's newly launched Producing Towards Equity program.
The Documentary Producers Alliance is a diverse coalition of more than 300 international members, ranging from emerging to Academy Award-winning documentary producers. The DPA sets standards for inclusive, sustainable and equitable business practices. DPA Co-President and producer Chris Renteria (Whose Streets?) will share about the organization's newly launched Producing Towards Equity program.
3:15pm: Film Screening
Swimming Through (2022, 15 min) Director, producer: Samantha Sanders
As the brutal Chicago winter draws near, Deirdre, Helen and Jennefer—avid open water swimmers—make a pact to continue their daily sunrise swim through the snow and ice. This commitment becomes their salvation from lockdown and helps alleviate each of their personal struggles as the pandemic rages on. Trailer here.
3:30pm: Short & Sweet
Once you've completed your short documentary, how and where can you get it seen? What are the challenges and opportunities for short form work? This panel brings together filmmaker Samantha Sanders, whose recent short Swimming Through starts off this session; film programmer Raul Benitez who has curated numerous short film programs for Full Spectrum Features, Midwest Film Festival, and the Chicago International Film Festival, among others; producer Nevo Shinaar, whose award-winning short films have played at major film festivals including Sundance, AFI Docs, Black Star, and many others; and filmmaker Blair Barnes, who until recently was one of the curators for the Staff Picks team at Vimeo. Moderated by filmmaker Connor Lee O'Keefe.
Swimming Through (2022, 15 min) Director, producer: Samantha Sanders
As the brutal Chicago winter draws near, Deirdre, Helen and Jennefer—avid open water swimmers—make a pact to continue their daily sunrise swim through the snow and ice. This commitment becomes their salvation from lockdown and helps alleviate each of their personal struggles as the pandemic rages on. Trailer here.
3:30pm: Short & Sweet
Once you've completed your short documentary, how and where can you get it seen? What are the challenges and opportunities for short form work? This panel brings together filmmaker Samantha Sanders, whose recent short Swimming Through starts off this session; film programmer Raul Benitez who has curated numerous short film programs for Full Spectrum Features, Midwest Film Festival, and the Chicago International Film Festival, among others; producer Nevo Shinaar, whose award-winning short films have played at major film festivals including Sundance, AFI Docs, Black Star, and many others; and filmmaker Blair Barnes, who until recently was one of the curators for the Staff Picks team at Vimeo. Moderated by filmmaker Connor Lee O'Keefe.