QUEST

This portrait of a North Philadelphia family and the creative sanctuary offered by their home music studio was filmed for over a decade with vérité intimacy. The family’s 10-year journey is an illumination of race and class in America, a testament to love, healing, and hope.

Film Signature Image
Series
POV
Premiere Date
June 18, 2018
Length
90 minutes
Funding Initiative
Open Call
  • Nominated laurels-r Created with Sketch.
    2018 News and Documentary Emmy Awards-Outstanding Social Issue Documentary
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    2018 News and Documentary Emmy Awards-Best Documentary
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    2018 Peabody Awards-George Foster Peabody Award
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    2017 Cinema Eye Honors-Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
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    2017 Cinema Eye Honors-Outstanding Achievement in Editing
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    2017 Cinema Eye Honors-Audience Choice Prize
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    2017 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival-Grand Jury Prize
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    2017 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival-Kathleen Bryan Edwards Award for Human Rights
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    2018 Independent Spirit Awards-Best Documentary
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    2018 Independent Spirit Awards-Jeep Truer Than Fiction Award
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    Director

    Jonathan Olshefski

    Jonathan Olshefski is a documentary filmmaker from Philadelphia. He tells intimate and nuanced stories that honor his protagonists’ complexity by employing a production process that emphasizes collaboration, dialogue, and relationship. He is a professor at Rowan University where he teaches in the Department of Radio, Television, and Film.

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    Producer

    Sabrina Schmidt Gordon

    Sabrina Schmidt Gordon is an award-winning documentary filmmaker & impact strategist who has distinguished herself as a producer, editor, and director. Career honors include the Dear Producer Award for excellence in independent filmmaking, Reel Sisters Trailblazer Award, Women at Sundance Fellowship, and membership to the Academy (AMPAS).

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    The Film

    Filmed with vérité intimacy for over a decade, QUEST is the moving portrait of a family in North Philadelphia. Christopher "Quest" Rainey, along with his wife Christine'a, aka "Ma Quest," open the door to their home music studio, which serves as a creative sanctuary from the strife that grips their neighborhood. Over the years, the family evolves as everyday life brings a mix of joy and unexpected crisis. Set against the backdrop of a country now in turmoil, QUEST is a tender depiction of an American family whose journey is a profound testament to love, healing, and hope.

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