How filmmaker-philosophers brought the dream of making documentaries and strengthening democracy to award-winning reality—with help from nuns, gang members, skateboarders, artists, disability activists, and more.   The evolution of Kartemquin Films—Peabody, Emmy, and Sundance-awarded and Oscar-nominated makers of such hits as Hoop Dreams and Minding the Gap— is also the story of U.S. independent documentary film over the last seventy years. Patricia Aufderheide reveals the untold story of how Kartemquin developed as an institution that confronts the brutal realities of the industry and society while empowering people to claim their right to democracy.   Kartemquin filmmakers, inspired by pragmatic philosopher John Dewey, made their studio a Chicago-area institution. Activists for a more public media, they boldly confronted in their own productions the realities of gender, race, and class. They negotiated the harsh terms and demands of commercial media, from 16mm through the streaming era, while holding fast to their democratic vision. Drawing on archival research, interviews, and personal experience, Aufderheide tells an inspiring story of how to make media that matters in a cynical world. "Historical background on the political developments documented in Kartemquin’s Films sheds light on the New Left’s waning after the 1960s, and Aufderheide offers edifying insight into Kartemquin’s intellectual underpinnings. . . . Documentary buffs will want to seek this out."   ― Publishers Weekly “Though I’ve been a part of Kartemquin Films for nearly forty years, Pat Aufderheide's book was a revelation for me about its history, its guiding passions, and its community of artists. Gordon Quinn emerges as a true hero in our field, while his creative partner Jerry Blumenthal symbolizes the heart and soul of the place. This book has finally—beautifully—etched Kartemquin’s place in film history.”—Steve James, director of  Hoop Dreams “A highly original and compelling book that will be of monumental importance to the field. With acumen and verve,  Kartemquin Films  reclaims regional independent cinema and wrests its story away from the coasts in this epic hidden history of a key Chicago institution.”––Patricia R. Zimmermann, author of  Documentary Across Platforms: Reverse Engineering Media, Place, and Politics  and director of the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival “With depth, rigor, and heart, Patricia Aufderheide elevates Kartemquin Films to its rightful place in the film canon and documentary history, connecting its founding principles to defining moments and movements. Kartemquin is powerfully and crucially rendered as a small but mighty institution that has profoundly influenced the form, American culture, and the media landscape through its dogged commitment to participatory democracy.”—Carrie Lozano, President and CEO of Independent Television Service and former director of documentary film and artist programs at the Sundance Institute “ Hoop Dreams is just the tip of the iceberg. Aufderheide reveals everything below the surface. It's essential reading for anyone with a love for Chicago, left-wing activism or documentary film history.”—Thom Powers, cofounder of the DOC NYC festival and host of the  Pure Nonfiction podcast “Aufderheide masterfully breathes life into the long-ignored history of the vibrant media culture of the Midwest. Centering Kartemquin while speaking broadly about how people engage in culture-making for a better world,  Kartemquin Films  is an institutional history with a playbook for how ordinary people find political consciousness and agency through media. I cannot overstate the urgency, value, and significance of telling this story, which had been on the verge of being lost.”—Angela J. Aguayo, independent filmmaker and author of  Documentary Resistance: Social Change and Participatory Media  “Through the inspiring and sometimes harrowing story of Kartemquin Films, this eminent scholar of public media powerfully intertwines philosophy, history, and the personal accounts of artists who take democracy personally–and do something about it. Patricia Aufderheide reveals the thrilling stakes of Kartemquin's work over six decades and grounds the independent documentary field in its ongoing legacy. The field is in her debt.”—Sally Jo Fifer, former President and CEO, Independent Television Service “In this age of disinformation and the commercial dominance of true crime, celebrity bios, and unscripted content,  Kartemquin Films  reminds readers that democracy needs the power and vitality of independent, rigorously researched, cinematic social inquiry. This is an outstanding resource for filmmakers, scholars, and students that I am excited to include in my syllabi."—Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, independent filmmaker and Professor of Social Documentation, University of California, Santa Cruz "Kartemquin Films is the progenitor of a glorious documentary tradition that reverbe