ABOUT US
Percolator Films is a 501c3 non-profit media arts organization that presents and produces engaging, thought-provoking documentary media. We love to interact with our audience and use independent film as a springboard for dialogue.
Percolator Films is a 501c3 non-profit media arts organization that presents and produces engaging, thought-provoking documentary media. We love to interact with our audience and use independent film as a springboard for dialogue.

Percolator Films grew out of Evanston's long-running Reeltime film series, which was a filmmaker-led effort to bring the community together through shared cultural experiences and discussion.
Percolator Films was formally established as a non-profit organization by filmmakers Kathy Berger and Ines Sommer in 2008 in order to offer a wider range of programming and a collaborative home for Midwest documentary filmmakers.
Percolator Films’ activities and programs have included:
Percolator Films was formally established as a non-profit organization by filmmakers Kathy Berger and Ines Sommer in 2008 in order to offer a wider range of programming and a collaborative home for Midwest documentary filmmakers.
Percolator Films’ activities and programs have included:
- Community-based, free Reeltime film & discussion series (1999-2015). Screenings were held at the Evanston Public Library and Northwestern University's Block Cinema.
- Evanston's Talking Pictures Festival
- The itinerant Percolator Films Presents project hosts screenings of select documentaries throughout the Chicago metro-area
- Production and fiscal sponsorship of documentaries, webseries, and more.
- Consulting for independent filmmakers, community organizations, and institutions