Kartemquin is saddened to learn of the passing of three friends and KTQ associates, Ryszard Nykiel, Ruth L Ratny and David Szabo. Ryszard Nykiel, described as an "extraordinarily talented shooter" by KTQ co-founder and Artistic Director Gordon Quinn, worked on Kartemquin classics such as The Last Pullman Car and Golub. Nykiel also worked with KTQ collective member Judy Hoffman on several of her projects. Continued

Unbroken Glass, the debut feature from director Dinesh Sabu capped off its week-long run at the Gene Siskel Film Center last Thursday. Dinesh and the film hosted seven screenings in partnership with organizations including the Indo-American Heritage Museum, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Chicago, Apna Ghar, IFP Chicago, and the Eye On India Festival. Post-screening, Dinesh participated in discussions with fellow filmmakers and leaders in the fields of gender violence in the immigrant community, mental health, the South Asian American community and independent film. Continued

Acclaimed director and long-time Kartemquin associate Steve James will be honored by the Cleveland International Film Festival with the festival's Director's Spotlight Award. Previous award recipients include the likes of Kurt Kuenne, Jan Hřebejk, John Sayles, Rolf de Heer, Freida Lee Mock, Todd Solondz and Goran Markovic. CIFF41 runs March 29-April 9 in Cleveland, Ohio. In honor of James, the festival will screen Life Itself, Hoop Dreams, At the Death House Door and his newest release, Abacus: Small Enough to Jail. Continued

Award-winning Raising Bertie has continued its packed festival run in the past week, playing at the Portland International Film Festival on February 21 and 22, having its Tennessee premiere at the Indie Memphis Film Series on February 22 and heading to the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival this Friday! Director Margaret Byrne was in attendance for the screenings in Portland, including a screening for 300 students. Continued

Unbroken Glass, the debut feature film by director/producer Dinesh Sabu will begin its week-long run at the Gene Siskel Film Center at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago beginning February 17th and running through February 23rd. Purchase tickets HERE. Continued

We're delighted to announce Edith + Eddie, a new Kartemquin documentary, will have its World Premiere at the 2017 True/False Film Fest this March 2-5. Directed, edited and produced by Laura Checkoway, the 29-minute documentary short follows Edith Hill and Eddie Harrison – America's oldest interracial newlyweds. Their unusual and idyllic love story is threatened by a family feud that triggers a devastating abuse of the legal guardianship system. Checkoway will be in attendance for the screening. The film is produced by Thomas Lee Wright and executive produced by Steve James, Gordon Quinn and Betsy Steinberg. Continued

Saving Mes Aynak by director Brent Huffman has continued to spark dialogue and make headlines regarding the imminent destruction of a Mes Aynak, one of the world's most significant archeological excavations, by a Chinese state-owned mining company eager to harvest $100 billion dollars worth of copper buried directly beneath the archaeological ruins. Read about Saving Mes Aynak in the following publications: CNBC: China plans to destroy an ancient Buddhist city to get the copper buried there International Business Times: China to destroy 5,000 year-old Buddhist city in Afghanistan for copper extraction Continued

Raising Bertie and Abacus: Small Enough to Jail head to the Portland International Film Festival this week to screen in the festival's Documentary Views section, aimed at offering a "fresh perspective on the world we live in and the fascinating people and stories that surround us Other films in the series include Academy Award-nominated I Am Not Your Negro and Fire at Sea. Both Steve James, director of Abacus: Small Enough to Jail and Margaret Byrne will attend the screenings: ABACUS: Saturday, February 11 at 5:15PM Continued

The University of Chicago will host screenings of three Kartemquin films during the month of February, including The Homestretch on Thursday, February 9th at 4:30PM, Unbroken Glass by U of C alum Dinesh Das Sabu on Thursday, February 16 at 6:30PM and Steve James on Thursday, February 23 at 7PM.  Continued

Stranded by the State, a web series in collaboration with In These Times and directed, edited and produced by Liz Kaar broadcast across Illinois as a two-part special presented by Illinois Public Media. The series focuses on the long-term toll that the Illinois budget crisis has had on everyday people across the state, and will begin broadcasting on public television states February 14–the day before Governor Bruce Rauner's state budget address. Watch the trailer: Continued