It’s been great to get to work with Kartemquin Films again, this time on the restoration of their rarely seen, 1968 cinema verite gem, INQUIRING NUNS. The film was shot on the streets of Chicago in the summer of 1967 and premiered in festivals and church basements in 1968. The newly restored 16mm print was supported through a grant by the National Film Preservation Fund and has been making its’ way around the country since the premiere at the Museum of the Moving Image in November.

The film was inspired by CHRONICLES OF A SUMMER by Jean Rouch & Edgar Morin and follows two Catholic nuns as they crisscross the streets of Chicago to ask random strangers the question, "Are You Happy?"

The music was composed by Philip Glass, his first credited film score. When we asked Co-director and founder of Kartemquin Films, Gordon Quinn, about how they connected with him, Gordon replied, "He was just this guy named Phil that we knew who made music."

As someone who studied film in college in the mid 80's and learned to shoot 16mm with A Bolex, it’s a special treat to get to see the restored print on screen and witness the enthusiasm for this startling restoration.

This past September, Argot Pictures was in Los Angeles for the Getting Real conference hosted by the IDA. While we were there, Kartemquin invited us to a screening of MINDING THE GAP, a film that they produced and which came up through their Diverse Voices in Docs program. It’s an extraordinary film that’s on the Oscar short-list for feature documentaries (Gordon Quinn's 63' Boycott is on the short list for short docs this year as well!).

The screening for this film was at the office of CAA and was introduced by Academy Award winning director Barry Jenkins. At the post-screening soiree we spotted none other than George Papadapolous, former member of Trump’s foreign policy team and one of the first to plead guilty in the Mueller probe. Truly one of the weirdest "star" sightings in our experience!

The next morning we met with Gordon and Tim Horsburgh in a seedy Arby's on Sunset Blvd to discuss working on Inquiring Nuns. I’m certain that there's no other documentary company anywhere in the world like Kartemquin, but the ability to move from the posh offices of Creative Artists Agency to an Arby’s that belongs in Port Authority bus terminal in less than 24 hours is something I will always admire and love about them!