Kartemquin Films records

Historical note

Kartemquin Films is a not-for-profit documentary and educational film production company founded in 1966 in Chicago by Gordon Quinn, Jerry Temaner and Stan Karter, three University of Chicago graduates who wanted to make documentary films guided by their principle of ""Cinematic Social Inquiry."" They were later joined by Jerry Blumenthal, who along with Gordon Quinn remains with the organization today. Kartemquin evolved into a film collective, producing social-interest documentaries such as The Chicago Maternity Center Story, the Taylor Chain films, The Last Pullman Car and Golub, largely for public television and the educational market. Kartemquin's best known film, Hoop Dreams, won several major critics prizes and journalism awards in 1995 and was named on over 150 “ten best” lists. Kartemquin Films productions have been distributed nationally and internationally, often accompanied by outreach and education campaigns. By engaging the larger public and policy-makers in the process of learning and understanding, Kartemquin hopes to make films that can lead to real social change.