If anybody outside of Chicago knows about Kartemquin Films it's probably because of the success of Hoop Dreams, their most famous film. But they've made scores of films in the past 50 years, and to celebrate their anniversary they're streaming one film per week, for free, at their Website: http://watch.kartemquin.com/
This week's film Inquiring Nuns is a pretty compelling subject: two nuns go through downtown Chicago on a Sunday and ask passersby the question, "Are you happy?" Inspired by a previous doc with the same premise, Inquiring Nuns not only provides an interesting look at how people were feeling in 1968, but also shows fascinating details of Chicago from 47 years ago, from the different skyline to the hair and clothing styles. And there's an amazing sequence where the nuns run across actor Stepin Fetchit, in a rare on-screen interview where you can hear his normal speaking voice. The film even includes Philip Glass' first screen credit for scoring!
Keep an eye on the Kartemquin site, because there will be a new documentary every week throughout the year. There are some fascinating films coming up over the next few weeks.