Gordon Quinn

Artistic Director & Founder

Artistic Director and Founder of Kartemquin Films, Gordon Quinn’s documentaries include Home for Life, Taylor Chain, The Last Pullman Car, Golub, Hoop Dreams, Vietnam, Long Time Coming, Stevie and The New Americans. Recently he directed For The Left Hand, Prisoner of Her Past, A Good Man and ’63 Boycott, shortlisted for the Academy Award. He was Executive Producer on The Interrupters, The Trials of Muhammad Ali, The Homestretch, Life Itself and America To Me, and Oscar-nominated Edith and Eddie, Abacus, and Minding The Gap. Gordon helped create the Documentary Filmmakers Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use and speaks on public media, fair use, and documentary ethics.

Participating Sessions

Are Documentaries Journalism? When Prosecutors Decide

In 2024, the U.S. Justice Department made an alarming claim. In a bid to obstruct reporting on the prosecution of a Michigan man accused of terrorism, it argued that documentaries don’t count as journalism, and should not enjoy journalistic privilege. Speakers examine the case of Trevor Aaronson, The Intercept reporter who is battling this claim, and other cases in which prosecutors have taken it upon themselves to define what is...