3 Goats and a Gruff
(1960s),
JoAnn Elam’s revision of the children’s fable through the lens of youth culture and revolutionary politics
(2020 Federal Grants).
Play film
8 Flags for 99 Cents
(1970),
Chuck Olin’s profile of a Chicago blue-collar community and the Vietnam War
(2011 Federal Grants).
Play film
Adam’s Film
(1963),
experimental work by Lawrence Janiak, combining abstract designs and live action
(2013 Federal Grants).
Play film
American Revolution II
(1969),
Film Group documentary on the alliance between the Black Panthers and Chicagoans from a white working class neighborhood
(2017 Federal Grants).
Play film
Back Alley Rip-Off
(1970),
narrative following two men trying to protect their lottery winnings, made by Chicago artist Don McIlvaine
(2024 Federal Grants).
Beauty and the Beast
(ca. 1973),
JoAnn Elam’s experimental melding of shadow puppets and scenes of farm and home life
(2020 Federal Grants).
Play film
Black Moderates and Black Militants
(1969),
discussion between two African Americans—a Black Panther Party member and high school principal—on how to promote social change
(2005 Partnership Grants).
Play film
Blizzard of '79
(1979),
JoAnn Elam’s lyrical examination of her snowed-in Chicago neighborhood
(2024 Avant-Garde Masters Grants).
Caligari's Cure
(1982),
Tom Palazzolo’s absurdist narrative feature inspired by his childhood.
(2023 Avant-Garde Masters Grants).
Camera on Chicago
(1940–83),
documentation of Chicago’s changing face and cultural diversity by amateur filmmaker Warren Thompson
(2019 Federal Grants).
Play film
Capitulation
(1969),
abstract exploration of Chicago’s urban spaces by Robert Stiegler
(2018 Federal Grants).
Play film
Chocolate Cake
(ca. 1973),
caustic vignette on domesticity and sexism by JoAnn Elam
(2020 Federal Grants).
Play film
Cicero March
(1966),
film documenting an African American protest march through a white suburban neighborhood
(2005 Partnership Grants).
Play film
Faces and Fortunes
(1960),
sponsored film about corporate branding, made by Chicago’s Goldsholl Design Associates for Kimberly-Clark
(2013 Federal Grants).
Play film
Fairy Princess
(1956),
stop-motion animation by award-winning amateur filmmaker Margaret Conneely
(2005 Federal Grants).
Play film
From A to Z: The Story of Special Summer Schools
(1964),
sponsored film made by Goldsholl Design Associates for the Chicago Board of Education
(2015 Federal Grants).
Play film
Games for Married Men
(1977),
dark comedy about midwestern middle class life produced by amateur filmmaking group Central Cinematographers
(2024 Federal Grants).
Harold is Gone
(1988),
Bill Stamets’ documentation of the funeral of Chicago mayor Harold Washington
(2023 Federal Grants).
Play film
In a Vacuum
(ca. 1956),
film of Sybil Shearer’s solo dance on the mechanization of the individual, first performed during her 1941 debut at Carnegie Hall
(2022 Federal Grants).
I’ve Got This Problem
(1966),
Don B. Klugman’s satiric short tracing the relationship of a young couple
(2007 Federal Grants).
Play film
Law & Order Versus Dissent
(1969),
one of four films by the Film Group exploring the final two days of the 1968 Democratic National Convention
(2006 Federal Grants).
Play film
Lie Back and Enjoy It
(1982),
JoAnn Elam’s dialectical examination of the politics of representation and the power imbalance between male filmmakers and female subjects
(2020 Federal Grants).
Play film
Lord Thing
(1969),
fictionalization of the rise of the Vice Lords gang in Chicago
(2012 Federal Grants).
Play film
A Matter of Opportunity
(1968),
Chuck Olin film, shot at Howard University Hospital and sponsored by two professional associations, about opening up medicine to African Americans
(2011 Federal Grants).
Play film
Metro!!!: A School Without Walls
(1970),
profile of a Chicago-based progressive experimental high school
(2015 Federal Grants).
Play film
Mi Raza: A Portrait of a Family
(1973),
cinéma vérité study of the daily life of Mexican-American immigrants
(2008 Federal Grants).
Play film
Nightsong
(1964),
Don B. Klugman’s portrait of the Chicago Near-North folk club and nightlife scene.
(2007 Federal Grants).
Play film
No Peace on Earth
(ca. 1956),
photographer Helen Morrison’s documentation of a solo dance by Sybil Shearer
(2022 Federal Grants).
Novo Dextro: Purity and Danger
(1982),
Bill Stamets’ documentary on an American Nazi Party rally in Chicago and its protesters
(2023 Federal Grants).
Play film
Obey Your Air Raid Warden
(1942),
humorous parody of a popular song and public service announcement made in response to World War II
(2024 Federal Grants).
O Lost
(ca. 1956),
photographer Helen Morrison’s documentation of Sybil Shearer’s dance celebration of individualism
(2022 Federal Grants).
On the Shores of Lake Michigan
(1948),
travelogue of the region’s touristic and industrial highlights by Illinois photographer Julian Gromer
(2019 Federal Grants).
Play film
Paying the Piper
(ca.1936),
anti–New Deal snipe produced by the Jam Handy Organization
(2021 Federal Grants).
Play film
The People’s Right to Know: Police Versus Reporters
(1968–69),
Chicago Film Group’s look back at the confrontations between police and demonstrators at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
(2005 Partnership Grants).
Play film
Peoria Community Fund Campaign Film
(ca.1935),
portrait of 23 local charitable organizations in need of support
(2021 Federal Grants).
Play film
Police Power and the Freedom of Assembly: The Gregory March
(1969),
one of four films by the Film Group exploring the final two days of the 1968 Democratic National Convention
(2006 Federal Grants).
Play film
The Right to Dissent: A Press Conference
(1969),
one of four films by the Film Group exploring the final two days of the 1968 Democratic National Convention
(2006 Federal Grants).
Play film
Rox Sox Disco Sux
(1979),
experimental documentary by Bill Stamets of Chicago’s notorious “Disco Demolition Night”
(2023 Federal Grants).
Play film
Rudy Lozano
(1983),
Bill Stamets’ examination of southside Chicago’s response to the murder of the Mexican American labor rights activist
(2023 Federal Grants).
Play film
Salute to Old Friends: Agnes de Mille
(ca. 1956),
Sybil Shearer’s solo dance tribute to a fellow dancer, set to music by the Dave Brubeck Quartet
(2022 Federal Grants).
Salute to Old Friends: Doris Humphrey
(ca. 1956),
Sybil Shearer’s solo dance tribute to a fellow dancer, set to music by Miles Davis
(2022 Federal Grants).
Salute to Old Friends: John Martin
(ca. 1956),
Sybil Shearer’s solo dance tribute to the New York Times’ dance critic, set to music by the Benny Goodman Quintet
(2022 Federal Grants).
Salute to Old Friends: Walter Terry
(ca. 1956),
Sybil Shearer’s solo dance tribute to the New York Herald Tribune’s dance critic, set to music by the Count Basie group
(2022 Federal Grants).
Social Confrontation: The Battle of Michigan Avenue
(1969),
one of four films by the Film Group exploring the final two days of the 1968 Democratic National Convention
(2006 Federal Grants).
Play film
A Soil for Growth: A Story of the Gifted Child Program
(ca. 1966),
sponsored film made by Goldsholl Design Associates for the Chicago Board of Education
(2015 Federal Grants).
Play film
Super Up
(1968),
Kenji Kanesaka’s experimental social justice narrative about an African American Chicagoan
(2018 Federal Grants).
The Switch
(1961),
mischievous domestic comedy directed by Margaret Conneely and produced by Chicago’s Metro Movie Club
(2024 Federal Grants).
Untitled (Moussorgsky)
(ca. 1956),
documentation of Sybil Shearer’s dance set to Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”
(2022 Federal Grants).
Variety Show at the Peoria Palace Theatre
(ca.1934),
showcase of local performers backed by a band of female musicians
(2021 Federal Grants).
Play film
You’re Putting Me On
(1969),
Don B. Klugman’s film following a Chicago couple who “psychoanalyze” their relationship en route to a swinging sixties party
(2007 Federal Grants).
Play film