What are the challenges in making personal documentaries, this most intimate form of storytelling? How much do you reveal? And how do you transcend the personal to open up the story for others? The speakers on this panel have all wrestled with these questions. Northwestern University professor and playwright Zayd Ayers Dohrn spent his childhood underground because his parents, who were part of the Weather Underground, were on the run from the FBI. His riveting audio documentary Mother Country Radicals won the Audio Storytelling award at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. Filmmaker Dinesh Sabu was only six years old when he lost his parents. His moving documentary Unbroken Glass uncovers silenced family history and confronts the stigma of mental illness. Donald Conley’s lyrical documentary Matriarch celebrates his two grandmothers, both Southern Black women hoping to maintain their independence during what could potentially be the final year of their lives (see Doc Chicago Short Film Showcase). Conversation moderated by documentary filmmaker Cindy Martin, who is at work on a personal feature documentary.
WHAT IS DOC CHICAGO?
Doc Chicago is an annual gathering for and by Midwest documentary filmmakers that provides a space to connect with each other, learn, and share ideas. Filmmakers representing every career stage are welcome to attend!
In 2022, Doc Chicago will unfold as a compact, in-person gathering on Sat, Nov. 5 at the Chicago Cultural Center. The event is FREE to attend, but please pre-register via Eventbrite.
We’ll cap off the day with the Doc Chicago Short Film Showcase, a great sampling of locally produced short docs followed by a Q+A with the filmmakers at the Gene Siskel Film Center. Separate admission applies – a discount for Doc Chicago attendees will be available.
