“The Doc Talk Show brings talented storytellers into a cozy room, allowing audiences to break bread and to build relationships with filmmakers on a regular basis in a friendly atmosphere.”
— Jeff Spitz (Host & Producer)

The Doc Talk Show is a monthly non-fiction film showcase that features diverse filmmakers in Chicago. The filmmakers share their clips, trailers, and shorts and enjoy a facilitated Q&A with the audience. 

It takes place every last Wednesday at Uncommon Ground Edgewater (1401 W Devon ave.) from 7-9pm. Producer and host, Jeff Spitz, is a Sundance Film Festival honoree and Columbia College Chicago Associate Professor.

​The Doc Talk Show offers food and drink, networking and a stunning variety of filmmakers and films organized around a different theme each month.

Learn about about previous Doc Talk Films & Filmmakers

​Spitz started The Doc Talk Show to build community with diverse filmmakers in a city known for its stark racial and economic segregation. "Social media tends to drive people into different echo chambers and increases our feelings of isolation and distrust," says Spitz who teaches college courses in documentary and civic engagement.

Click Here to apply to showcase your film!

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For only $75, you’ll get access to the next 10 doc talk shows ($25 savings!)

Become a Sponsor!

We’re looking for sponsors to help co-curate our shows! Learn more about the different sponsorship packages and email jeff spitz for more info.

Upcoming Events

uncommon ground edgewater · 1401 W Devon ave
Admission $10 ~ Advance Seat Purchase Required!

 
 

Wednesday September 28, 2022 ~ 7-9pm

Co-host Zayd Dohrn: Mother Country Radicals with Bill Ayers
READ THE ‘DEADLINE’ ARTICLE
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

We are impatient with radicals who summon up the imagined “good old days” when every campaign was inspired and every action a success—all of it wrapped in the gauzy glow of nostalgia. There’s nothing more depressing than longing for a ship that’s already left the shore. But there are occasions when a long and deep look backward can give us courage and vision to face forward, perhaps most productively when our guide is a talented artist. Zayd Ayers Dohrn is the creator and host of one of the most listened to podcasts of 2022, Mother Country Radicals, a 10-episode series from Crooked Media that won the award for Best Audio Storytelling at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival in New York. He is a playwright, professor, and director of the MFA in Writing for Screen and Stage in the Department of Radio/Television/Film at Northwestern University.

WATCH THE TRAILER For ‘Mother country radicals’ here!

Wednesday october 26, 2022 ~ 7-9pm

Co-host Tonika Johnson: Folded Map Project
foldedmapproject.com

Wednesday November 30, 2022 ~ 7-9pm

TBA! Check back soon.

Wednesday January 25, 2023 ~ 7-9pm

TBA! Check back soon.

Wednesday february 22, 2023 ~ 7-9pm

TBA! Check back soon.

Wednesday March 29, 2023 ~ 7-9pm

TBA! Check back soon.

Wednesday april 26, 2023 ~ 7-9pm

TBA! Check back soon.

 
 

Can’t make it to an event?
Donate to a good cause!

Support THE DOC TALK SHOW which provides a free monthly showcase where documentary filmmakers and audiences meet face to face to discuss stories and social issues that impact our lives.

Contributions to Groundswell, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, are tax-deductible to the fullest extent that the law provides.

Groundswell’s mission is to collaborate across cultures in all aspects of documentary film, transfer media skills into disadvantaged communities, and partner with stakeholders to present the voices and issues raised in documentary films.

Groundswell engages audiences through film, live performances and multi-arts programs in schools, colleges, faith communities and untraditional venues.