award-winning documentaries.

breakfast at ina's

Ina Pinkney is a Chicago legend of the tastiest kind. Known around town as the “Breakfast Queen”, she has been feeding Chicagoans for the past 33 years – first, out of a small bakery and, most recently, from her beloved breakfast nook in the West Loop. Ina, who survived polio as an infant, now suffers the effects of post-polio syndrome, and made the decision to close the doors of her celebrated establishment at the close of 2013.

An undeniably outstanding chef and businesswoman, Ina is so much more. She’s a community leader, a pioneer, a television personality, but most importantly, she’s the rare sort of person who’s found a way to transform her passion into a joy that extends an entire city, and beyond.

The documentary, “Breakfast at Ina’s” gives audiences a glimpse into Ina’s extraordinary life, all while chronicling the last days of the restaurant as Ina and her staff serve up its final meals.

World Premiere at Chicago International Film Festival

Ina Pinkney looks on lovingly at her full dining room, days before its closing

Ina Pinkney interacts with customers in the final days of her restaurant

Order up - Chicago's best breakfast about to be served

Ina Pinkney sits for an after-hours interview

Ina Pinkney and manager Seana click mugs on closing day

today we saw the face of god

In January of 2010, a team of 23 volunteers set off on what should have been an ordinary medical mission to Haiti. They had no way of knowing the devastation that would inevitably come. On their final evening, the team treated their last patient, gathered their supplies and set off towards their sleeping quarters. Shortly thereafter, they felt a jolt of panic as the world began to shake and tremble violently beneath them. Within hours, the entire team was unexpectedly thrust into the center of one of the worst natural disasters in modern history – the Haiti earthquake.

The documentary film, Today We Saw the Face of God transcends viewers from their comfortable homes into the poverty-stricken world that Haitians navigate daily. As the team journeys back to Gramothe, Haiti, they recount the harrowing reality of being first responders in an unprecedented medical crisis.

A surprisingly hopeful look into a tragedy that shook the world, Today We Saw the Face of God is a true testament to the power of human connection in the face of unimaginable suffering.

The original inscription written on the walls of the MTM clinic in Gramothe, Haiti on January 12, 2010.

Filmmakers Ryan Atenhan and Mercedes Kane (far left) pose with the Little by Little medical team in Gramothe, Haiti.

Sue Walsh reads to a Haitian girl displaying severe burn marks from a previous accident.

Medical professional, Dawn Ribnek works with a Haitian family in the MTM clinic in Gramothe, Haiti.

Shoes worn by Haitian children are often worn or broken.

A Haitian man holds his sick child while waiting for care at the MTM clinic in Gramothe,Haiti.

The Little by Little medical team works diligently in the MTM clinic in Gramothe, Haiti.

Q&A at Illinois International Film Festival

Screening at Illinois International Film Festival

hearts of hope

Michel Ilbawi, M.D., leads the pediatric heart surgical team at The Heart Institute for Children. Headquartered at Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois, they perform over 400 operations and care for more than 3,500 children with heart defects each year. With over 25 years experience as a pediatric heart surgeon and more than 20,000 surgeries performed, Dr. Ilbawi is nothing short of a miracle-worker to the families whose children he treats daily.

The documentary film, Hearts of Hope, is a once-in-a-lifetime, behind the scenes look at this amazing doctor, his dedicated staff and the families of children they fight to save every day. In the delicate realm of pediatric heart surgery, sometimes hope is all you have. Hearts of Hope unveils a world of courage, strength and the spirit to survive, at any age.