DOCUMENTARIES

THE HILLS
At the edge of Chicago, where the steel mills once operated, sits an abandoned toxic slag hill that's been harming people, wildlife, and waterways for decades. Set against a backdrop of urban wilderness that's both seductively beautiful and poisoned, The Hills uses a lyrical lens to connect legacy pollution to current environmental struggles. 
Read more here.
Director, producer, cinematographer, editor: Ines Sommer

Available for streaming via Chicago PBS station WTTW.

SEASONS OF CHANGE ON HENRY'S FARM
For a quarter-century, Henry Brockman has worked alongside nature to grow delicious organic vegetables on his idyllic Midwestern farm. But farming takes a toll on his aging body and Henry dreams of scaling back. While his former apprentices run the farm, Henry spends a “fallow year” with his wife Hiroko in Japan. But things don’t turn out as planned, and Henry must grapple with the future of farming in a changing climate . Best Documentary awards at Vail Film Festival, MINT Montana International Film Festival, and Big Muddy Film Festival. More at the film's website: http://www.seasonsofchangeonhenrysfarm.com/
Director, producer, cinematographer: Ines Sommer
Co-produced with Terra Brockman 

COUNT ME IN
Count Me In follows everyday Chicagoans as they take part in an innovative experiment in grassroots democracy called "participatory budgeting," a process that gives them direct say over local public projects and monies. The first in-depth documentary about this burgeoning national movement, Count Me In was supported by the MacArthur Foundation and aired on PBS  stations across the nation in 2016.

More at the film's website: http://www.countmeinmovie.com/
Director, producer, cinematographer: Ines Sommer 

BENEATH THE BLINDFOLD
Why do we allow government-sponsored torture to occur? Beneath the Blindfold addresses this horrendous human rights violation through the stories of four international survivors who are based in the U.S. and are struggling to heal from long-lasting trauma and regain a sense of belonging. 

More at the film's website: http://beneaththeblindfold.com/
Director, producer, cinematographer: Ines Sommer
Director, producer: Kathy Berger

‘Beneath the Blindfold’ reminds us of the immorality and illegality of torture, even when disguised as ‘enhanced interrogation.’  This essential documentary shakes our complacency and determines us to insist on actual, effective abolition of torture in our time.
— Juan E. Méndez, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment