Inquiring Nuns

'63 Boycott (2017)

On October 22, 1963, more than 200,000 students walked out of the Chicago Public Schools to protest racial segregation. Many marched through the city calling for the resignation of School Superintendent Benjamin Willis, who placed trailers, dubbed ‘Willis Wagons,’ on playgrounds and parking lots of overcrowded black schools rather than let them enroll in nearby white schools. Blending unseen archival 16mm footage of the march shot by Kartemquin founder Gordon Quinn with the participants’ reflections, ’63 Boycott connects the forgotten story of one of the largest northern civil rights demonstrations to contemporary issues around equity, education, and youth activism.

Inquiring Nuns (1968)

50th Anniversary! Newly preserved print!

Inspired by Jean Rouch’s Chronicle of a Summer (1961), Kartemquin’s playful, insightful, eye-opening two-part foray into cinema vérité follows Sisters Marie Arné and Mary Campion as they explore various sites around Chicago in 1968, asking people a seemingly simple question: “Are you happy?” With answers ranging in thoughtfulness, sincerity and depth, unrehearsed encounters spring forth from these intensely human conversations, elevating the “nun-on-the-street” content beyond the conceit of a straightforward social experiment, inspiring today a dialogue across decades.

16mm, b/w, 61 min. Director: Gordon Quinn, Gerald Temaner. Cast: Sister Marie Arné, Sister Mary Campion.

Watch the trailer: