a mini-documentary commissioned as part of splitpillow’s decade-long “chicago 360” project, which hopes to chronicle early 21st century life and culture in the windy city.

this documentary focuses on charlie lawrence jr and his trade: selling peanuts on the intersection of harrison and sacramento, off the highway in the south side of the city.

directors: alan del rio ortiz & aaron brown

producer: ben poster

editor: alan del rio ortiz

music: zach goheen

made possible by splitpillow

“... aaron brown and alan ortiz’s is especially strong: handheld footage of a peanut vendor working auto traffic in winter captures the precariousness of street life, while the intercut remarks of a businessman explaining the economics of the trade give an expanded perspective worthy of dziga vertov “ 

-- fred camper, chicago reader