Kartemquin Films

More than 75 films and hundreds of filmmakers – crafting stories that show up in classrooms, living rooms, community centers, and courtrooms. Stories that changed minds and started conversations that are still happening.

Kartemquin has always believed that documentary is a democratic infrastructure. In a moment when trust in institutions is eroding, when history is being rewritten, and voices are being silenced, documentary film does something irreplaceable: it slows down, listens carefully, and tells the truth. It makes invisible lives visible. It builds empathy without flattening disagreement. It seeds dialogue in the places democracy actually lives — schools, unions, faith communities, neighborhood organizations.

This is the work. This is what sixty years looks like.

KTQ60 is our year-long celebration of that legacy and our commitment to the next sixty years.

Throughout the year, Kartemquin is bringing this work to life through screenings, events, community convenings, and the stories we're still telling: a PBS national broadcast, a filmmaker showcase celebrating the next generation, and a Summer Soirée high above the Chicago lakefront. 

Your support sustains the filmmakers, programs, and community infrastructure that make Kartemquin what it is and what it will become.

Help the next generation of filmmakers by sponsoring KTQ60 TODAY

Or contribute to the next chapter by making a tax-deductible contribution

Sponsorship Levels

• Hoop Dreams Partner: $20,000 - Named for the 1994 film that redefined American documentary and remains one of the most celebrated films ever made, and continues to be a symbol of aspiration.
• First Frame Partner: $10,000 - Named in the spirit of the initial step of production and the foundational support that’s essential for emerging filmmakers.
• New Americans Partner: $5,000 - Named for the 2004 series following five families navigating the distance between who they were and who this country would let them become.
• Fair Use Partner: $1,000 - Inspired by the legal definition that preserves the freedom for storytellers to express and exchange ideas that are essential to documentary.
  
  

Questions? Email events@kartemquin.org

Ready to become a sponsor? Click here

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Thank you to our sponsors:

New Americans Partners

Lainey Canevaro
Elissa Efroymson and Adnaan Hamid

 

Fair Use Partner

Margaret Caples

 

EVENTS

Summer Soiree 

July 25, 2026 Elevated. Intimate. A little renegade. Just the way Kartemquin likes it.

Celebrate 60 years of Kartemquin Films, where activism, artistry, and community come together.  Join fellow filmmakers, storytellers, and democracy defenders for an intimate evening of music, film, drinks, and fireworks! Space is limited; RSVP today bit.ly/KTQsoiree

 

Midwest Film Festival

July 23, 2026, 7:30pm Screenings of 63’ Boycott and Trick Bag, Ramova Theater 3520 S. Halsted  Daily programming will include curated film blocks, filmmaker Q&As, panel discussions 

 

KTQ 60th Anniversary Summer Screenings WASHU / Hi-Pointe Theater

Hi-Pointe Theater, St. Louis, MO

• June 28: Hoop Dreams
• Aug 1 Golub & Viva La Causa 
• Aug 4 Trials of Muhammad Ali 

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Kartemquin Films, the Film & Media Archive at WashU Libraries is partnering with the Hi-Pointe Theatre to highlight a diversity of films from the renowned documentary production house. All screenings are free and open to the public.

 

Then & Now Filmmaker Showcase

Location: TBD
November 2026

A three-part film showcase using documentary as a lens on democracy. Grounded in the shared mission of filmmaking and journalism to explore ethics, mental health, and the artist’s role in civic life

 

KTQ60 Film Series: The Work of Democracy

Location: TBD
Jan - Feb 2027

A three-part film series using documentary as a lens on democracy. Grounded in the shared mission of filmmaking and journalism to explore ethics, mental health, and the artist’s role in civic life.