Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Do This / Film Now playing: the Sundown in K-Town documentary series
Posted by Ben Sachs on 07.11.12 at 11:18 AM
Last night marked the first event of Sundown in K-Town, a series of free outdoor screenings in Lawndale presented by Facets Multimedia and the Better Boys Foundation. The series, which continues through the end of the month, showcases social documentaries with a connection to Chicago history and culture; each screening is followed by a panel discussion that promises to be as informative as the movie itself. Last night the guests included former Black Panther Billy Che Brooks and Flint Taylor, a founding partner of the People’s Law Office. Tomorrow night Kartemquin Films cofounder Gordon Quinn and longtime local filmmaker Tom Palazzolo (a grade-A conversationalist, incidentally) will be on hand to discuss a program that includes the early Kartemquin doc And This Is Free (1965) and Palazzolo’s short Jerry’s Deli (1976).
Next week’s programs include: the 1969 documentary American Revolution 2, which addresses race and class issues surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests; and The Chicago Maternity Center Story (1976), one of the high-water marks of Kartemquin’s filmography. One of the directors (Suzanne Davenport) and one of the subjects (Sharene Miller) of that film will be in attendance for the screening; it should be interesting to hear what they think of the film 35 years after its completion. The panel discussion after American Revolution 2 will feature Jose “Cha Cha” Jiminez, a founder of the Young Lords.
