One Chicago: CIFF Brings Home Chef Charlie, Harold Washington, Recovery And Women At The North Pole

Five documentaries in the fifty-seventh Chicago International Film Festival are products of Chicago and Chicagoans: “Love, Charlie,” by Rebecca Halpern; “Punch 9 For Harold Washington,” by Joe Winston (“What’s The Matter With Kansas?”); “Any Given Day,” by Margaret Byrne (“Raising Bertie”); and “Exposure,” by Holly Morris (“The Babushkas of Chernobyl”). (We talked with the filmmakers of “For the Left Hand”—Gordon Quinn, Leslie Simmer, Diane Quon and Howard Reich—in last week’s film column.) We asked each filmmaker to tell us about their movie and to put it into a Chicago context, in terms of their subjects, as well as production and post-production, which always takes longer than with fiction features.

Rebecca Halpern’s “Love, Charlie” is a portrait of Chicago chef Charlie Trotter. 

If there is such a thing as a “Chicago” film, how does yours typify or exemplify it? In subject matter, subjects and in the style you tell your story, especially editing?

Rebecca Halpern: Google “What is Chicago known for?” and you get two answers: food and architecture. Chef Charlie Trotter singlehandedly put Chicago on the map for food. “Love, Charlie” follows Trotter’s epic life story, from his childhood in Wilmette, when he was called “Chuck”; through his work at Chicago institutions like the Ground Round in Wilmette’s Plaza del Lago and legendary restaurateur Gordon Sinclair’s American Grill in Lake Forest; then, to his own meteoric rise during Chicago’s heyday. In the 1990s, Chicago felt like the center of the universe with Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan and the World Champion Chicago Bulls, and Charlie Trotter, the hottest, most innovative chef in the country, if not the world. But for Trotter, being on top meant someone was always gunning for his spot, and he often made front-page news for gossipy spats, many of his own making, and embarrassing incidents that undermined his legacy.

“Purity of product” drove Trotter’s cooking, and that same approach drove the filmmaking of “Love, Charlie.” Footage of Chicago from the 1960s-2000s is peppered throughout. We deliberately feature classic Chicago public art installations, like the Miro sculpture, that have been upstaged by contemporary masterpieces, a metaphor for lost legacy. We also gained exclusive access to the long-shuttered Lincoln Park restaurant, which stands as a hollow reminder of what Trotter’s relentless pursuit of excellence had wrought.

Renee Frigo, Producer: Chicago will always be an important part of who I am. I grew up on the Northwest Side of the city in Old Edgebrook, with dreams of working in the entertainment business. My first internship in the music business was with the Music of the Baroque orchestra, and my first job was with Alligator Records before heading out to Los Angeles. After ten years in music I returned to Chicago to build the business of Lucini Italia, best-known for our extra virgin olive oil. Charlie Trotter was the first celebrity chef to champion Lucini, which had many positive effects on my life. Several years after Charlie’s death, I realized his legacy was on the verge of being forgotten, or worse, unknown if you weren’t from Chicago. I knew I had to take this project on to seal his place in culinary history. So, I founded Oak Street Pictures named after my favorite street in Chicago and started to work on the Charlie documentary.

Did your film rely on Chicago post-production, collaborators, community? Could you have or would you have embarked on or completed your picture without the Chicago community?

Halpern: Our producer, Renee Frigo, who put the project together, grew up in Chicago, and she came to know Trotter through her olive oil company, Lucini, which he used in his kitchen. I got my start in documentary television in Chicago, working for legendary producers Jonathan Towers and Bill Kurtis on hit true crime series like “Gangland” and “American Greed” and it was on these early gigs that I met many of the extremely talented individuals who make up our Chicago-based crew, including one of our DPs and drone operator, our animator, our audio engineers, Steadicam operators, our grips and gaffers. And through my volunteer work as an alumni mentor at Northwestern, we hired recent NU grads as production assistants and interns. We began production on day one of the COVID quarantine, and while we had to pivot a lot on our shoots, we never wavered from our commitment to using local crews in Chicago.

What does it mean for your film, and for yourself, to be showcased in CIFF, which, in recent years has become more visible and influential, especially in local programming and documentary work?

Halpern: I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, and moved to Los Angeles from Old Town six years ago. Ever since, I’ve been looking for a project that pays homage to the city that I love. My mother was a food writer in Chicago in the nineties, and my father was in construction in Chicago, so when I was approached to direct “Love, Charlie,” it just felt like kismet. Funnily enough, there’s a lot of overlap between Charlie Trotter and my life, though we never met. I never ate in his restaurant, only took out from Trotter’s To Go. Charlie’s sister lives in my mother’s best friend’s old house; my high school homeroom teacher’s husband designed two of Charlie’s cookbooks; one of my best friends did an internship at Charlie Trotter’s; and my mother even cooked in Charlie’s kitchen for a night!

Joe Winston’s “Punch 9 for Harold Washington” revisits an era of Chicago politics the importance of which is in danger of being forgotten.

If there is such a thing as a “Chicago” film, how does yours typify or exemplify it? In subject matter, subjects and in the style you tell your story, especially editing?

“Punch 9 for Harold Washington” is a pure Chicago film from beginning to end. The story is about a key moment in the transformation of Chicago into a modern city. As far as style goes, this film is quite emotional, but it’s also fast-paced and we trust our audience to follow along without spoon-feeding them. We found a ton of archival film and video from the 1980s, so the audience is immersed in the grit, the texture, the neighborhoods, the accents of this city. It’s like entering a time machine. Best of all, it’s one-hundred-percent accurate: DuSable Lake Shore Drive does not lead directly to New York City, or anything like that.

Did your film rely on Chicago post-production, collaborators, community? Could you have or would you have embarked on or completed your picture without the Chicago community?

“Punch 9” is a Chicago production. The producers and director are all Chicagoans, we filmed everything here, using Chicago crew, post-production, graphics, sound. We didn’t have to explain to folks here why Harold’s story is so powerful.

What does it mean for your film, and for yourself, to be showcased in CIFF?

As a native Chicagoan who never moved away, premiering at CIFF is a dream come true. I thought our New York-based sales agent would be skeptical, but CIFF completely won them over. My last movie premiered in Chicago at the Gene Siskel, and this town and the late, great Roger Ebert launched it to nationwide distribution. We should never underestimate the power of Chicago.

Margaret Byrne’s “Any Given Day” is a portrait of recovery.

If there is such a thing as a “Chicago” film, how does yours typify or exemplify it? In subject matter, subjects and in the style you tell your story, especially editing?

“Any Given Day” follows three Chicagoans as they work through recovery after being jailed because of crimes they committed as a result of their mental illness. The film is rooted in cinema vérité, an approach to filmmaking well-known in the Chicago documentary scene, particularly because of so many wonderful projects produced by Kartemquin Films. Filmed in Chicago over five years, “Any Given Day” looks at the longterm effects of criminalizing individuals with mental illness. The film opens in 2015 after half of the city’s mental health clinics were closed and the Cook County Jail was considered the largest single-site mental health facility in the country. Now, as we face compounded challenges addressing mental health care and the effects of COVID, we hope the film will ignite important discussions around mental health care and criminal justice in Chicago and throughout the country.

Did your film rely on Chicago post-production, collaborators, community? Could you have or would you have embarked on or completed your picture without the Chicago community?

If you’re going to tell a Chicago story, you should work with Chicago crew. All our production and post-production was completed in Chicago. When you live in the place where you are making your film, not only will you tell a more authentic, nuanced story, but you can develop deeper relationships and be more present in the lives of the people you are filming. Some of the key scenes I filmed for “Any Given Day” happened very last-minute. I could show up within the hour all while wrangling school pick-up and making dinner. I couldn’t imagine a more supportive film community than the one we have here. I’m in production on a doc series, another Chicago story, revealing dozens of alleged murder frame-ups tied to one retired detective. We plan to complete production and post-production entirely in Chicago. Although there’s sometimes an expectation to work with editors on the coasts, I know we have the talent and experience to achieve all our goals here. Over the last ten years I’ve seen the Chicago film scene flourish, especially in documentary. I’m excited for what’s to come.

What does it mean for your film, and for yourself, to be showcased in CIFF?

Having our U.S. premiere at the fifty-seventh Chicago International Film Festival is not only an honor for the whole team, but will also officially kick off our two-year impact and engagement campaign for the film. Along with our partner organizations, we will be screening the film throughout Chicago and Illinois and holding panels and discussions exploring alternatives to law enforcement intervention during mental health crisis calls. For myself, this premiere is particularly special, because it’s the most personal film I’ve made and it is so fitting to get to share it in my hometown first. Telling Chicago stories and having the support of such an iconic and important festival like Chicago International, helps to elevate these stories nationally in a way that I hope will lead to systemic change in Chicago and beyond.

Holly Morris’ “Exposure” takes place during one of the most chaotic polar seasons in history, with eleven women from the Arab World and the West struggling together to reach climate change ground zero: the North Pole.

If there is such a thing as a “Chicago” film, how does yours typify or exemplify it? In subject matter, subjects and in the style you tell your story, especially editing?

I’ve always thought of the character of Chicago, and Chicagoans, as muscular, audacious, with a tendency to lock eyes with adversity and remain positive. And funny! Chicagoans roll up their sleeves and get the hard job done, even when, especially when the windchill is forty below! The values of this city, and this expedition are certainly kindred. (And my Monsters of the Midway grit held me in good stead throughout a harrowing production, that is for sure.)

Did your film rely on Chicago post-production, collaborators, community? Could you have or would you have embarked on or completed your picture without the Chicago community? 

Digital artist Evan Halleck and graphic designer Linda Kane are both Chicagoans, and I, director and producer, grew up here. This was the most difficult project of my career and my Chicago family and friends fed, housed and cheered me along the way.

What does it mean for your film, and for yourself, to be showcased in CIFF?

I’m super-honored and proud to have the world-premiere of my new film in Chicago and at CIFF, a prestigious festival I’ve long admired. Also, having grown up here in a media family (my parents, Jeannie and Johnny Morris, were longtime CBS sportscasters), it’s a meaningful, emotional, professional homecoming of sorts. Fingers crossed Chicago likes the film, they don’t suffer fools!