Justine Nagan, who grew up in the Twin Cities area and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000, was recently named executive director of Chicago-based Kartemquin Films.
She had been serving as a producer and interim associate director of the 40-year-old nonprofit organization, which is known for such documentaries as “Hoop Dreams” and “The New Americans.”
Nagan recently directed “Typeface,” a documentary on a museum and print shop in Two Rivers, Wis., that is struggling to stay relevant in the digital age. The film reportedly sold out two pre-screenings at the Walker Art Center last year.
She also was associate producer of Kartemquin’s stem-cell documentary, “Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita,” broadcast nationally on PBS’ Independent Lens in 2008.
Nagan attended Fridley High School, majored in film and journalism at UW-Madison, and received an M.A. from the University of Chicago. You can read more about her here and in this Chicago Magazine article.