Ines Sommer is a filmmaker, curator, media arts advocate, and educator, whose genre-crossing projects have tackled topics ranging from the environment to the arts, women's roles, civic engagement, and human rights.
Ines' recent documentary Seasons of Change on Henry's Farm follows Midwest organic farmer Henry Brockman as he grapples with the impact of a changing climate on his family farm. The film is currently making the festival rounds and won the “Best Documentary” award at both the Vail Film Festival and the Big Muddy Film Festival. Other documentaries include the MacArthur Foundation-funded Count Me In, which aired on PBS stations across the nation in 2016; and the human rights documentary Beneath the Blindfold (co-directed with Kathy Berger). Ines also produced and shot Pamela Sherrod Anderson's award-winning documentary The Curators of Dixon School and the short documentary Window Dressing about sculptor Diane Simpson.
Ines' recent documentary Seasons of Change on Henry's Farm follows Midwest organic farmer Henry Brockman as he grapples with the impact of a changing climate on his family farm. The film is currently making the festival rounds and won the “Best Documentary” award at both the Vail Film Festival and the Big Muddy Film Festival. Other documentaries include the MacArthur Foundation-funded Count Me In, which aired on PBS stations across the nation in 2016; and the human rights documentary Beneath the Blindfold (co-directed with Kathy Berger). Ines also produced and shot Pamela Sherrod Anderson's award-winning documentary The Curators of Dixon School and the short documentary Window Dressing about sculptor Diane Simpson.
Ines' experimental films have screened widely at film festivals in the U.S. and Germany and include the hybrid feature Ghost Cities and My Germany: Unqualified Remarks of a Distant Observer, an award-winning video essay about German history.
Ines' company Sommer Filmworks LLC produces documentaries and commissioned videos for non-profits, arts organizations, faith groups, schools, and other clients. Sommer Filmworks' commissioned biographical documentary It Is No Secret is an engaging portrait of Rev. Clay Evans, the legendary founder of Chicago's Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, important leader in the Civil Rights movement, and award-winning Gospel Music artist. The documentary was broadcast multiple times on Chicago's PBS station WTTW.
Ines has also collaborated extensively with other independent filmmakers as a cinematographer. Her camerawork was featured in numerous award-winning documentaries, including several projects for Chicago-based Kartemquin Films (Terra Incognita: Mapping Stem Cell Research; In the Family; Hard Earned; and other titles) and The Kindling Group (No Small Matter; @home; The Calling; A Doula Story). A partial list of camera credits is available via Ines' IMDb listing.
Ines' company Sommer Filmworks LLC produces documentaries and commissioned videos for non-profits, arts organizations, faith groups, schools, and other clients. Sommer Filmworks' commissioned biographical documentary It Is No Secret is an engaging portrait of Rev. Clay Evans, the legendary founder of Chicago's Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, important leader in the Civil Rights movement, and award-winning Gospel Music artist. The documentary was broadcast multiple times on Chicago's PBS station WTTW.
Ines has also collaborated extensively with other independent filmmakers as a cinematographer. Her camerawork was featured in numerous award-winning documentaries, including several projects for Chicago-based Kartemquin Films (Terra Incognita: Mapping Stem Cell Research; In the Family; Hard Earned; and other titles) and The Kindling Group (No Small Matter; @home; The Calling; A Doula Story). A partial list of camera credits is available via Ines' IMDb listing.
Besides making films, Ines has a longstanding interest in engaging audiences with independent cinema and advocating for the regional documentary community. She has held board and staff positions at several non-profit media arts organizations, primarily curating and producing film series and festivals. She is the co-founder and Executive Director of Percolator Films, a 501(c)3 non-profit media arts organization that presents and produces documentaries. In 2019, Ines founded the Doc Chicago conference, which brings regional documentary filmmakers together to learn, exchange ideas, and connect.
Chicago's alt-weekly New City has included Ines three times on the annual Film 50 list that highlights "50 individuals who shape Chicago's film scene." She currently teaches at Northwestern University, where she serves as the Associate Director of the MFA in Documentary Media program.
Chicago's alt-weekly New City has included Ines three times on the annual Film 50 list that highlights "50 individuals who shape Chicago's film scene." She currently teaches at Northwestern University, where she serves as the Associate Director of the MFA in Documentary Media program.
