Milking the Rhino

Kartemquin's Milking the Rhino in an official selection of the 2009 Big Sky, the biggest film festival in Montana. Associate Producer Xan Aranda will attend on behalf of the film. Get more information.

Read these recent reviews of Kartemquin films: Milking the Rhino is covered in Variety and At the Death House Door is featured in the Chicago Reader's Best of 2008.

Mark your calendars now! Three Kartemquin films (Milking the Rhino, Stevie and In the Family) are being featured in an upcoming series of ten films honoring the centennial of the University of Chicago's school of social service.

From their website: Born from the ideals for change of the Progressive Era, the School of Social Service Administration has been an advocate and resource for the disadvantaged in Chicago for 100 years. SSA has a history of impact on the issues that are central to the lives of the city’s citizens, families, and neighborhoods: Poverty. Education. Family support. Mental illness. Crime. Urban development. Health care. Housing. Substance abuse. Child welfare. Employment. That legacy continues today.

In light of this storied legacy, Doc and the SSA (with special thanks to Kartemquin Films, three of whose titles we’re showing in the series) present ten films that relate to a broad range of social service issues.

Read more about the series and get details on their website.

Kartemquin's Milking the Rhino will be shown at this year's Honolulu International Film Festival as the recipient of the Silver Lei Award. Congratulations to the crew!

Following its success at IDFA, Milking the Rhino is continuing a busy festival schedule around the world in the coming months. The Santa Fe Film Festival, Barbados International, DC Environmental, Backlot in Sarinambe, Egypt International and Jerusalem International are just some of the places the film will be showing. Keep checking our website for more details!

A large Kartemquin contingent heads to the International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (IDFA) today representing Milking the Rhino and At the Death House Door. Additionally, Kartemquin Board Member Pat Aufderheide is participating on a panel during the festival.

David Simpson's Milking the Rhino is in competition for the Joris Ivens Prize and the center of a large special screening at the end of the festival sponsored by OXFAM. At the Death House Door is up for a Human Rights Award and following its screening, Steve James will speak about his experiences to be joined by Peter Gilbert and Gordon Quinn for the second half. Buzz about At the Death House Door is building following yesterday's announcement about the Academy Award shortlist. Read continued coverage in The Chicago Sun Times.

We're excited to announce that Kartemquin's recent film, Milking the Rhino is off to the Barbados International Film Festival after it competes at IDFA. A busy fall for the film!

Read reviews of Kartemquin's latest in The Sun Times and Time Out, then go see the film this week at Siskel.

In anticipation of tomorrow night's US theatrical premiere of Milking the Rhino, listen to filmmakers David Simpson and Jeannie McGill interviewed on WBEZ's Worldview.

Then, read the Chicago Tribune review of the film.

See you at the Siskel!

Kartemquin is thrilled that two of its recent documentary features will be included in this year's prestigious International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam (IDFA) in November. David Simpson's Milking the Rhino will screen in competition for the Joris Ivens Award, screening details to be announced shortly. Additionally, Steve James and Peter Gilbert's At the Death House Door will be screening, followed by "A Conversation with Steve James," on Friday, November 21st.

Kartemquin's Milking the Rhino will have four additional screenings in South Africa later this week. Get the details. Then a Chicago run is planned at the Gene Siskel Film Center for Sept. 26 - 30. Then, the film will be featured as a part of the Chicago Humanities Festival, November 2nd at the Cultural Center. Mark your calendar!

Milking the Rhino is ready for release! The film will have its world premiere at the Tricontinental Film Festival next month.

August 21, Johannesburg (Rosebank Mall) August 23, Johannesburg August 24, Capetown (V&A Waterfront)

We are pleased to announce that Milking the Rhino, the forthcoming documentary from Producer/Director David E. Simpson from a concept by Co-Producer Jeannie Magill, is the recipient of a $150,000 grant from the PBS Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Fund. The Fund was established in 2006 by way of a multi-million dollar grant from the Skoll Foundation, with the purpose of highlighting the work of people acting as change agents, improving systems, inventing new approaches, and creating sustainable solutions to better society.

Milking the Rhino

portrays rural Africans at the forefront of community-based conservation: a revolution that is turning poachers into preservationists and local people into the stewards of natural resources.

With this grant, a strong outreach plan will be built and executed for RHINO, as well as an informative and resource-rich website to support the film's life beyond broadcast. These materials will help the film achieve its dual goal of challenging a general audience's preconceptions of conservation, and providing inspiration for those working and teaching within the field.

Kartemquin Filmmaker, David E. Simpson, participated in the ITVS session during day 3 of the IFP Chicago Midwest Filmmaker Summit on Sunday. Simpson sat with Naomi Walker from ITVS and discussed his related experiences on his past film Refrigerator Mothers, and with his current ITVS funded doc-in-progress, Milking the Rhino. Naomi Walker is also presenting Kartemquin's Terra Incognita as a part of the Independent Lens' Community Cinema program in Chicago on December 15th.

Learn more about the status of Kartemquin's work-in-progress, Milking the Rhino, by visiting their blog and myspace page.

Milking the Rhino Producer/Director David E. Simpson and Associate Producer Xan Aranda have just returned from San Francisco, where they finalized licensing contract negotiations with the Independent Television Service. This contract includes significant levels of funding which will aid the Rhino crew in finishing its goals for this feature-length film.

Milking the Rhino's exploration of the triumphs and pitfalls of community-based conservation continues, with plans for a third and final trip to Africa this summer. The director and crew venture back to Namibia and Kenya to follow up with Maasai and Himba communities, torrential rain in East Africa now in place of devastating drought, and the continually unpredictable landscape of conservation, rural development, and poverty reduction.

A "bridge between producers and public television", the Independent Television Service (ITVS) - subsidized by the Corporation For Public Broadcasting - provides film funding, feedback during production and a comprehensive public television launch including marketing, publicity, station relations and outreach support.

The Illinois Arts Council has awarded Kartemquin Educational Films a grant of $14,270.00 from State funds for support of the feature length documentary: Milking the Rhino…and Other Tales of Community Conservation. Each Kartemquin project employs and hopes to inspire a variety of Illinois artists. Our films succeed because of the collaborative efforts of local directors, writers, cinematographers, editors, musicians, graphic designers and many talented others. Milking the Rhino is no exception. This grant is part of the larger picture of IAC support for Kartemquin projects over the years. In the case of Milking the Rhino, this financial support will help to offset the costs of high definition video post-production during our 2007 fiscal year.

A new DVD which contains 88 minutes of rough-cut material is now finished. The disk is comprised of 11 stand-alone scenes from Namibia and Kenya as well as a short demo for the film. Director David E. Simpson edited the material with assistance from Associate Producer Aaron Wickenden. Kartemquin’s Jim Morrissette authored the disk and Dan Sharkey, formally of gripdesign, created beautiful packaging. Along with newly revised fundraising materials, authored with the help of development consultant Julie Simpson, the Milking the Rhino team will be using this disk as part of a targeted fundraising push. In the coming months, the team will be approaching specific foundations and exploring various co-production possibilities as a way to meet their fundraising goals. Plans are underway for a final return trip to Africa in Spring of 2007.