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Courtney Prokopas

Biography

Profile: How many would-be movie directors in their early 20s have had a film reviewed by the great critic, Roger Ebert?  Courtney Prokopas, one of the Foundation’s Graduate Arts Award recipients, has.  Her movie, “Scrappers” not only received a “thumbs up” from Mr. Ebert, but he also selected it as one of the top 10 documentaries in 2010.  The film, according to one online review, “is a cinema verite portrait of two scrap metal scavengers searching for a living and shows how globalization, the 2008 financial crisis, crackdowns on undocumented immigrants and widespread scrap metal theft effect these men and their families.”  Courtney prides herself on being practical, and she learned this from her late mother, a home economics teacher, who passed away when Courtney was in her early teens.  “While her passing shaped me personally,” Courtney said, it was a letter she received from a former student after her mom died that had a dramatic impact on her.  In the letter the former student joked that “she never thought that learning how to make pancakes would be the most important lesson she'd learn in school, but knowing that you need to consider at least math, economics, chemistry, science, agriculture, and most importantly, patience all at once just to make breakfast, was powerful.”  Hearing this from the student led Courtney to realize that she too was imparted with this ability from her mother. “This inspired me to seek out educational forms that are all-encompassing and to glean the forest for the forest, rather than for the individual trees.  I have carried this method through to my documentary storytelling -- letting the characters tell their own story, letting the subjects be the authorities, letting a tree describe what it is like to be part of a forest.”

Inspiration: Courtney studied under Judy Hoffman while pursuing her bachelor's degree in visual art.  “Ms. Hoffman taught me the greatest lessons for documentary film-making: ask forgiveness rather than permission and never stop rolling.” 

Aspiration: To earn her Master of Fine Art with a concentration in moving image and to continue to make art and perhaps teach.

Making a Difference:  Courtney is most proud of her contributions to animal welfare in the city of Chicago.  Through volunteering at Chicago Animal Care and Control, working at PAWS Chicago and fostering for ALIVE Rescue, Courtney has made significant strides personally to address pet overpopulation.  “There is a saying in animal rescue, which I closely identify with: I saved one animal and it didn't change the world, but surely the world changed for that one animal.”  Courtney said she feels that the compassion and composure required to work in this field translate to her life, specifically her art-making.  “The patience, persistence and ability to resist crumbling into nothing but a bleeding heart inform my documentary work.”

Accolades: Her movie, “Scrappers”, was named one of Roger Ebert's Top Documentaries of 2010.  While at the University of Chicago, Courtney earned Dean's List recognition all four years.

Interesting Fact: Courtney is an aerial acrobat, performing flips and tricks high in the air on the trapeze or fabric, “but I'm really not keen on heights.”

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