Kartemquin Films is an independent film production company based in Chicago that specializes in making documentaries. Several of their movies are widely available through Netflix and one of them was even highlighted by ESPN as a part of their "30 for 30" series. The film is about former basketball star Allen Iverson's involvement in a racial altercation and how it affected the town and more specifically Iverson himself. Like most documentaries, Kartemquin's films have a strong message to get across. As Netflix labels some labels some of their films as "cerebral", it would be safe to say that the audience is intended to be smarter people. But they also appeal to those who are socially conscious and interested in sports. Other notable films are about the violence in Chicago, Muhammad Ali, stem cell research and two boys with basketball dreams. Most of these films appear in prominent film festivals like Big Sky and South by Southwest (SXSW) and are nominated for a bunch of awards. Although the majority of documentaries never attract large audiences that doesn't take away from their quality of production.
On their website they state that they are a nonprofit organization, which is exactly the opposite of the larger media companies that basically operate to create profit. Kartemquin qualifies as an independent media outlet because they allow filmmakers with a story to tell an opportunity to document what they want the world to see. Their website details the social goals of their films. A main goal is to represent those who don't have a voice in the media, which happens to be a major disadvantage of mass communication. Kartemquin often collaborates with other independent filmmakers to create films that share the same goals "KTQ" have*. These type of collaborations are key to honoring the art of independent film making because if they do not take any outside help or contributions, they would not epitomize independent media and wouldn't be much different than the corporations at the top.
* http://kartemquin.com/involve/filmmakers/collaborate
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