Milwaukee Film is proud to announce a tribute to Kartemquin Films as part of the 2011 Milwaukee Film Festival, presented by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Kartemquin Films is a Chicago-based non-profit documentary powerhouse celebrating 45 years of creating innovative documentaries and pursuing social justice through film. The tribute includes the Milwaukee premieres of their two newest films, The Interrupters and A Good Man, as well as a presentation of their landmark 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams, and a preview of in-progress film American Arab.

The Interrupters, directed by acclaimed documentarian Steve James, examines violence in Chicago and was hailed by Slate Magazine as "the most necessary film of the year." Several key subjects of the film will join James for the Saturday, September 24 screening at the Landmark Oriental Theatre.

"I am delighted that we are presenting Steve James latest masterpiece, The Interrupters, at the festival. I view the film as the most important documentary of the year," said Milwaukee Film Artistic and Executive Director Jonathan Jackson. "We had great success last year with community engagement around screenings of Waiting for "Superman" and are looking to do the same this year with The Interrupters."

The festival's tribute will also feature the local premiere on Saturday, October 1 of another new Kartemquin Films production, A Good Man, which profiles modern dance provocateur Bill T. Jones taking on the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, and is co-directed by Gordon Quinn, Kartemquin's Co-Founder and Artistic Director.

"We're thrilled to be collaborating with the Milwaukee Film Festival to bring a wide array of our work to Wisconsin audiences," said Justine Nagan, Kartemquin Films' Executive Director. "The panels and films that they selected show the breadth and history of our work, as well as some of our exciting new projects. Kartemquin is happy to be partnering with another strong midwestern film institution to bring people together and create meaningful dialogue and discussion around media."

Gordon Quinn, Justine Nagan and Steve James will attend the events along with Kartemquin's Director of Production (and The Interrupters co-producer) Zak Piper, and filmmakers Usama Alshaibi and Brad Lichtenstein.


The Interrupters
(Dir. Steve James/USA/2011) *Milwaukee Premiere!*

A Good Man
(Dirs. Bob Hercules, Gordon Quinn/USA/2011) *Milwaukee Premiere!*

Hoop Dreams
(Dir. Steve James/USA/1994)

Panel Discussions:

American Arab Preview
Award-winning filmmaker Usama Alshaibi (Nice Bombs) shares a sneak preview of his in-progress documentary, American Arab, and engages the audience in conversations about the contemporary relevance of the work and its changing themes. Joining Alshaibi on the panel are Affnan Mohammed and Arab-American studies expert Dr. Louise Cainkar (Marquette University). Alshaibi began American Arab as Kartemquin Films' 2009 Diversity Fellow, a program supported by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation.

Social Outreach and Engagement Panel
These days, building and engaging your film's audience must happen long before completing the project. Join us for a dynamic conversation with documentary filmmakers from Chicago's Kartemquin Films about the importance of blending old-school outreach with new-school social media engagement. Kartemquin brings to the discussion 45 years of filmmaking and engagement experience on a variety of issues, including aging, immigration, the death penalty, stem cell research and urban violence. Joining Gordon Quinn (co-founder and Artistic Director) and Justine Nagan (Executive Director) of Kartemquin in this discussion will be Naomi Walker, current coordinator of Chicago's Community Cinema program and former outreach director for Cinema/Chicago.

Representing Labor Panel
Labor unions are a divisive issue. Documentary films, like those from Kartemquin, show the role American unions play in history and tell the stories of their people. Filmmakers and union insiders consider how film represents this charged issue, especially in clips from Kartemquin's 1980s labor films and Milwaukee filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein's forthcoming film, As Goes Janesville (being made in association with Kartemquin). Panelists will discuss the role of media in union organizing, what really happens in collective bargaining and the direction of unions today. Screenings of two Kartemquin Films labor documentaries—The Last Pullman Car (1983) and Taylor Chain II (1983)—will follow this panel.

All panels will take place at Kenilworth Square East (1925 E. Kenilworth Place) near the Oriental Theatre.  For complete information goto our Panels section.