Premiere night at @mcachicago ! 🎥
Join us on May 26th at 6pm for the debut of “4×4: Contemporary Art in Chicago,” a brand-new annual series of short documentaries about practicing local artists, each directed by a Chicago-based filmmaker.
Season 1 features:
🎨 Bernard Williams x Kevin Shaw
🎨 Jenn Freeman | Po’Chop x cai thomas
🎨 Deb Sokolow x Alex Morelli
🎨 Errol Ortiz x Erin Babbin & Michael Sullivan
Watch the full series, then stick around for a live discussion with the artists and filmmakers!
Tickets → go.mcachicago.org/4x4
Tomorrow! Join Chicago Torture Justice Center (@chitorture ) as they honor the 11th anniversary of the passing of Chicago’s historic Reparations Ordinance and the 9th anniversary of the CTJC.
These two short documentaries offer unique looks at their work: @RespairMedia ’s “One Million Experiments” and “The Next Act Is Freedom,” which went behind the scenes at the first-ever Resilience Arts Festival in 2025. This short was created by students in Pentimenti’s Documentary course at @HydeParkArtCenter .
Stay after the screening for a Q&A with perspectives from filmmakers and artists involved in both projects!
Pentimenti is extending the deadline of our #EmergingFilmmakersGrants application until May 31, 2026!
This cycle we are awarding four grants to applicants from across the U.S., not just Chicagoland.

In keeping with Pentimenti’s mission, eligible projects must pertain to art or artists in some capacity, although they needn’t necessarily be a documentary. The recipient of the Emerging Filmmakers Grant will be determined by an independent selection committee and approved by Pentimenti’s board. Recipients of the grant will receive $2000 to spend on their film project, consultations with Pentimenti staff, and a spotlight feature on Pentimenti’s communication channels. The grant will be awarded by an appointed jury — stay tuned for more info.
Apply today, or send along to friends, collaborators, and emerging artists in your circles!
Link in bio đź“ť
In a time where the arts feel fragile, what keeps you hopeful?
Small arts funders like Pentimenti Productions are doing something about it.
The Pentimenti Grant for Emerging Filmmakers closes April 30. $2000 for women, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ filmmakers making work connected to art. Nationwide.
If this is your grant, don’t wait. Link in bio 🎯
@pentimentiproductions
Rejection is part of the relationship.
Erin Babbin @ontherealfilm applied to the Pentimenti Grant more than once, with more than one project. She’ll tell you that every application is another chance for the people on the other side to get to know you and your work.
The Pentimenti Grant for Emerging Filmmakers is open now. $2,000 for women, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ filmmakers making work connected to art. Deadline: April 30.
Link in bio to learn more + apply.
@pentimentiproductions
Alexandra Antoine is a visual artist. The Pentimenti Grant for Emerging Filmmakers was her first time applying for film funding, for her first film.
Her advice: if you have a story to tell and the program fits, just go for it 🎯
$2000 for women, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ filmmakers making work connected to art. Deadline: April 30
Link in bio to learn more + apply ✨
@pentimentiproductions
Who gets to call themselves an emerging filmmaker?
Erin Babbin @ontherealfilm has been making films for years. She applied, and won.
Erin talks about giving yourself permission to fit in the category, and what it means to receive a grant from an organization that wants to develop a relationship with you as a maker.
The Pentimenti Grant for Emerging Filmmakers is open now. $2000 for women, non-binary, and LGTBQ+ filmmakers making work connected to art. Deadline: April 30
Link in bio to learn more + apply.
@pentimentiproductions
Some grants are transactional. The best are relationships.
The Pentimenti Grant for Emerging Filmmakers: $2000 for women, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ filmmakers making work connected to art. This cycle, for the first time, is open nationwide.
Deadline: April 30. Link in bio to learn more and apply.
@pentimentiproductions
This Friday at 7pm, #Westermann3D screens in Houston! @RiceUniversity hosts Writer-Director Leslie Buchbinder for a post-screening Q&A with Professor of Art and Chair of the Department of Art, John Sparagana.
This event is free and open to the public!
Link in bio. đź”—
Clip from the insightful panel discussion of “The Next Act is Freedom,” (18min) now streaming! This short film document of the Resilience Arts Festival in October 2025 — a first-of-its-kind convening of artists impacted by the criminal legal system, presented by @MudTheatreProject and The Chicago Torture Justice Center (@chitorture ). Exploring themes of healing and re-entry, the film presents four days of performance and poetry, as well as conversations with police torture survivors, currently incarcerated writers, and abolitionist advocates.
Filmmakers: Mariam Aejaz, Mary Huber, Sumiah Salloum, Toni Smalls, Drew Smalls-Verneau
“Making the Short Documentary” Instructors: Brian Ashby, Giorgia Harvey, Mike David Thomas
Link in bio đź”—
New Mexico! Join us for a special screening of “Westermann: Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea” On Friday, March 6 at 5:15pm in @HarwoodMuseum ’s Arthur Bell Auditorium.Â

Included with admission as part of First Friday, extended pay-what-you-wish hours. This film is presented in conjunction with “Pursuit of Happiness: GI Bill in Taos “ on view through May 31, 2026. Â
Link in bio. 🏜️
#Westermann3D
Now Streaming: “The Next Act is Freedom,” (18min) a document of the Resilience Arts Festival in October 2025 — a first-of-its-kind convening of artists impacted by the criminal legal system, presented by @MudTheatreProject and The Chicago Torture Justice Center (@chitorture ). Exploring themes of healing and re-entry, the film presents four days of performance and poetry, as well as conversations with police torture survivors, currently incarcerated writers, and abolitionist advocates.
Filmmakers: Mariam Aejaz, Mary Huber, Sumiah Salloum, Toni Smalls, Drew Smalls-Verneau
“Making the Short Documentary” Instructors: Brian Ashby, Giorgia Harvey, Mike David Thomas
Link in bio đź”—
