Roger Ebert Lecture: "Documentaries on the Frontlines of Democracy: How Kartemquin’s Storytelling Works for Stronger Publics"
Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory, Urbana
Or join us via Zoom
The 2024 Roger Ebert Lecture and Screening will be held October 17-18 in the Knight Auditorium of Spurlock Museum.
Join us in person or via Zoom for the Roger Ebert Lecture "Documentaries on the Frontlines of Democracy: How Kartemquin’s Storytelling Works for Stronger Publics," presented by Patricia Aufderheide, University Professor of Communication Studies at American University in Washington, D.C.
Kartemquin Films, a Chicago media arts legend founded in 1966, has evolved through generations with a consistent claim for its documentary work: honest, experiential stories of real life in America can strengthen the democratic process, by empowering people to see themselves as active members of the public. It’s been a feminist-forward collective, a production center for labor activism, and a home for engaged humanist stories. At a time when democracy itself is at risk, this talk takes a close look at how filmmakers with a passion for their craft, an artistic vision, and a commitment to an open and just society told Midwest-centric stories that won Emmys, duPont-Columbias, Peabodys, Oscar noms, and changed how viewers understood themselves in the world.
Angela Aguayo, associate professor of media and cinema studies, will provide an introduction, and Raina Politva from the University of California Press will provide a brief statement before the Ebert Lecture by Patricia Aufderheide. Founding member of Kartemquin Films, Gordon Quinn, will also be in attendance. Quinn's first film, Home for Life, was heralded as "an extraordinarily moving documentary" by Roger Ebert. A Q&A will follow.
About the Presenter
Patricia Aufderheide is University Professor of Communication Studies in the School of Communication at American University in Washington, D.C. She founded the School's Center for Media & Social Impact, where she continues as Senior Research Fellow. Her books include Kartemquin Films: Documentaries on the Frontlines of Democracy (University of California Press), Documentary Film: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford), The Daily Planet (University of Minnesota Press), and Communications Policy in the Public Interest (Guilford Press), as well as co-authoring Reclaiming Fair Use: How to Put Balance Back in Copyright (University of Chicago), with Peter Jaszi.
She has been a Fulbright Research Fellow three times, in Brazil (1994-5), Australia (2017), and South Korea (2024). She is also a John Simon Guggenheim fellow (1994) and has served as a juror at the Sundance Film Festival among others. Aufderheide has received numerous journalism and scholarly awards, including the George Stoney award for service to documentary from the University Film and Video Association in 2015, the International Communication Association's 2010 for Communication Research as an Agent of Change Award, Woman of Vision award from Women in Film and Video (DC) in 2010, a career achievement award in 2008 from the International Digital Media and Arts Association and the Scholarship and Preservation Award in 2006 from the International Documentary Association.