Join DOC10 filmmakers, supporters, and organizers for a celebratory drink! We'll toast a weekend of documentary gems and wrap the festival with a special performance. It's sure to be a gem of a party!
SPONSORED BY LAGRALANE GROUP
Director Ido Haar
courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
Known as “Princess Shaw,” Samantha Montgomery, who lives in one of New Orleans' toughest neighborhoods, is committed to her dream of singing stardom. Although she posts a cappella clips of herself on YouTube to a handful of followers and auditions for The Voice, she seems destined to a life of anonymity. But unbeknownst to her, a world-renowned Israeli musician and mash-up artist named Kutiman is about to transform her into an online sensation. Called “astounding and thoroughly inspirational” (Variety) and “sweet and surprising” (MTV), this rousing film examines the nature of loneliness, connectivity, aspiration and fame in the Internet age.
Followed by Q&A with film subject Samantha Montgomery.
SPONSORED BY COHEN LAW GROUP
Director: Nanfu Wang
Meet “Hooligan Sparrow,” a.k.a. Ye Haiyan, a tireless Chinese women’s activist. In this tense, riveting first-hand account by first-time filmmaker Nanfu Wang (which she smuggled out of the country), viewers get a front-row seat to Sparrow’s activist efforts, from posing as a sex worker to shaming a high school principle accused of raping his students. With “on-the-ground urgency, [this] nervy, paranoid” (Screen Daily) docu-thriller presents a harrowing view of state surveillance and intimidation, as the characters are constantly under threats of harassment and violence. It’s also a devastating critique of China’s policies (as one of the film’s characters testifies, “China is so corrupt that it’s become fashionable for government officials to have sex with young girls.”) A “rabble-rousing” portrait, according to RogerEbert.com, “the movie’s fighting spirit is a standout.”
Followed by Q&A with director Nanfu Wang.
SPONSORED BY IMPACT PARTNERS
Directors: Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk
Audrie and Daisy are two average high-school girls who have never met, but share a horrible experience. They were both sexually assaulted by boys they knew, only to then be savagely attacked on social media. By juxtaposing their stories, filmmakers Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk (The Island President) illuminate the larger societal epidemic of teenage sexual and online assault. “Wrenching to watch, but told with clarity and guts,” according to The Hollywood Reporter, this stunning entry from this year’s Sundance Film Festival goes beyond recent films such as The Invisible War and The Hunting Ground to paint a complex and elegantly conceived picture of both the women survivors and the men who took part, from the young assailants to a small-town sheriff to Daisy’s older brother, a surprisingly heartening voice for change.
Followed by Q&A with director Jon Shenk.
SPONSORED BY KARTEMQUIN FILMS
Directors: Albert Maysles, Nelson Walker, Lynn True, David Usui, Ben Wu
Legendary documentary pioneer Albert Maysles (Iris,Grey Gardens, Gimme Shelter), working with a team of filmmakers, brings his trademark generosity of spirit to this enchanting portrait of passengers aboard Amtrak's Empire Builder, traveling en route from Chicago to Portland and Seattle. Unfolding in a series of vignettes, against a backdrop of changing American landscapes, the film observes a cross-section of people during moments of transition in their lives and speaking their own truths: college students prepare for their futures; a very pregnant woman seeks support from family elsewhere; and able-bodied men seek work in the oil fields of North Dakota. "Beautifully assembled and touching,” according to the New York Times, In Transit is both subtle and monumental—an empathetic examination of American life in the tradition of Studs Terkel and Walt Whitman. Best Documentary, Special Jury Mention, 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.
Followed by Q&A with directors Lynn True and David Usui.
SHOW SOLD OUT! WAIT LIST ONLY, IN PERSON AT MUSIC BOX THEATRE
SPONSORED BY NATIONAL CINEMEDIA
Join us for a classic Chicago Media Project experience: the Big Table Dinner - but for Brunch! This exclusive event will feature a feast from the fantastic chefs at Soho House Chicago and pitches from three outstanding documentaries-in-progress. Each of these three highlights a key social issue using empathy, warmth, and humor in documentary storytelling, and we're so proud to have them represented at the pitch session!
Don't miss this opportunity to experience a classic CMP Big Table event, normally open only to CMP members. Seats are limited, so get your tickets before they sell out!
CO-PRESENTED BY HOT DOCS
Director: David Shapiro
Plagued by her teenage brother’s 1978 murder, Manhattan art collector Martina Batan hires a private investigator to find out the truth behind her brother's death. Meanwhile, she diligently seeks out the artwork of New Orleans so-called "gangster" Roy Ferdinand, a deceased outsider artist whose violent imagery resonates with Batan's afflicted mind. Filled with surprising revelations, Batan’s journey eventually takes her to New Orleans, where she forms an unexpectedly emotional bond with Ferdinand's sisters. A mix of true crime investigation and heart-wrenching story of grief and healing, Missing People has been called a “quiet stunner” (Toronto Film Scene) and “subtly touching portrait of psychological trauma” (Indiewire.com). Winner, Best Documentary at the Hamptons International Film Festival; Special Jury Mention at DOC NYC.
Followed by Q&A with director David Shapiro.
Join Chicago Media Project to celebrate the fantastic directors who have come to Chicago for the inaugural DOC10 festival weekend. The Directors' Dinner Package includes a ticket to the 6 p.m. screening of SONITA, followed by this very special gathering of filmmakers and film lovers over a delicious pre-fixe dinner and drink at Uncommon Ground, our festival partner. Expect excellent company and insightful conversations at this intimate event. Seating is limited to 40 guests, and is expected to sell out, so get your tickets today!
SPONSORED BY CHICKEN & EGG PICTURES
Director Rokhsareh Maghami
Winner of both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize in this year’s Sundance World Cinema Documentary Competition, Sonita follows young Afghan refugee and aspiring rapper Sonita Alizadeh, a strong-willed 18-year-old whose idols include Rihanna and Michael Jackson. But there’s a big problem with her ambitions: Women aren’t allowed to sing publicly in Iran, and her conservative Afghan family bristles at the thought of their daughter’s blasphemy. Can Sonita escape her traumatic past, a forced wedding, and realize her dreams? Not just a stirring chronicle of struggle and liberation, Sonita becomes an intimate, provocative and “deeply affecting” (Screen Daily) look at the close relationship between subject and filmmaker, as female director Rokhsareh Maghami finds herself increasingly drawn into Sonita’s fate.
Followed by Q&A
SHOW SOLD OUT! WAIT LIST ONLY, IN PERSON AT MUSIC BOX THEATRE
SPONSORED BY KEN PELLETIER & AMANDA LAO
Directors: Peter Middleton, James Spinney
“If I didn’t understand it, it would defeat me,” says John Hull, referring to the blindness that took his sight away at the age of 45. This probing sensorial experience of a film follows the respected Australian-born academic and theologian as he grapples with his condition, forcing him to change everything about his life, from the way he teaches to the way he connects with his children. Gorgeously photographed and beautifully crafted, Notes on Blindness employs actors, who lip-sync Hull’s actual audio recordings, to provide an intimate, fascinating and sometimes frightening account of Hull’s challenges and triumphs, anguish and acceptance. From Sundance and Rotterdam 2016, Notes on Blindness has been called “immensely creative and poetic” (Cineuropa) and “elegant, evocative and deeply affecting” (Screen Daily).
Followed by Q&A with directors Peter Middleton and James Spinney
The film will be accompanied by a Virtual Reality presentation of "Notes on Blindness—Into Darkness," a beautifully animated, interactive documentary, which uses real-time 3-D, virtual reality, and binaural sound to explore the world of the blind.
SPONSORED BY KINDLING GROUP
Director: Werner Herzog
courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
In his inimitable inquisitive style, maverick filmmaker Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man,Cave of Forgotten Dreams) takes viewers on a fascinating and provocative journey into the past, present and future of our digital world. Through a series of ten loosely interconnected chapters that reveal the ways in which technology has transformed our lives, for better and for worse, Lo and Behold tackles a wide range of topics, from online bullying and cyber-warfare to artificial intelligence and digital meltdowns. Called “alternately playful and unsettling” (Variety) and “incredibly moving and sobering” (Screen Daily), Herzog’s latest philosophical expedition is itself a wonder to behold.
Followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Lucianne M. Walkowicz, Astronomer at Adler Planetarium; Professor Jason Salavon, Department of Visual Arts & the Computation Institute at The University of Chicago; and Dr. Kristian Hammond, Professor of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Co-Director of the Intelligent Information Laboratory at Northwestern University.
SHOW SOLD OUT! WAIT LIST ONLY, IN PERSON AT MUSIC BOX THEATRE
Is it truly the golden age for documentary film? With the mainstream success of nonfiction content such as The Jinx, Making a Murderer, and Amy, real-life stories are making a huge impact in the cultural and commercial marketplace, both in our homes and in our movie theaters. But are they making a difference in terms of social impact, and among the glut of entertainment options available to consumers? And how do we know? What are the new challenges for documentary producers in this distribution landscape? Gathering together top experts in the documentary world, this panel aims to address the state of the art and industry of documentary filmmaking today.
Moderated by Paula Froehle of Chicago Media Project with these featured panelists:
WE HAVE REACHED CAPACITY, WAITLIST ONLY IN PERSON ON SATURDAY MORNING
The panel is free to attend, but we ask that individuals and groups RSVP here to reserve space at the panel, as capacity is limited to 70 seats.
CO-PRESENTED BY RUN OF LIFE DOC SERIES
Directors: Anna Sandilands, Ewan McNicol
This vivid portrait of redemption and survival in Uncertain, Texas, a tiny bayou town on the Louisiana-Texas border, interweaves the stories of three very different men tied to the swampland: an elderly, charismatic fishing guide with a dangerous past; a former addict on an epic quest to kill an elusive wild boar; and a young man who yearns to escape a home that may be heading for extinction. An atmospheric and “hauntingly evocative” (The Hollywood Reporter) journey into the American South, Uncertain is one of the year’s most visually striking and fascinating nonfiction films. Winner of a special directing award at the Tribeca Film Festival and called one of the best documentaries of 2015 by Newsweek magazine.
Followed by Q&A.
SPONSORED BY WXRT
Director: Barbara Kopple
From Oscar-winning documentary maven Barbara Kopple (Harlan County USA) comes this stirring story of electrifying soul singer Sharon Jones. A former New York corrections officer, Jones found fame in her 40s as the front-woman for the R&B/funk band The Dap-Kings. But in 2013, Jones was diagnosed with a serious illness. Miss Sharon Jones! follows the magnetic Jones and her close-knit family of band members through one of their most tumultuous years together, filled with highs and lows, tears and joy, and plenty of rip-roaring musical numbers. A “beautiful, touching documentary” (RogerEbert.com) and “intimate” and “rousing” (Indiewire.com), Miss Sharon Jones! is an emotional roller-coaster ride of a film and a powerful testament to one woman’s strength and resilience.
Followed by Q&A with director Barbara Kopple and producer David Cassidy.
