For over twenty years, filmmakers Tom Desch (Walkable USA, An American Home) and Brian Kallies (Lincoln Is Crying, Heroes on Deck) have documented the ongoing saga of a proposed third Chicago airport and the impact it’s had on communities in Chicago’s Southland and exurbs near Peotone, Illinois. “HOLDING PATTERN” is an unprecedented chronicle and intimate portrait of the conflict surrounding the proposed airport.
Since 1985, plans for a third major airport in Chicago’s far south suburbs (full footprint would be larger in land area than New York’s Manhattan Island) have erratically progressed through the present day. Proponents of the airport claim it would alleviate air congestion, meet growing passenger demand, and create thousands of much needed jobs in the economically struggling Southland. Anti-airport activists decry the plan as a potential environmental disaster, the destruction of irreplaceable farmland, and a waste of millions of taxpayer’s dollars. Still in play, this political football has spanned the administrations of seven Illinois governors and as many Chicago mayors.
The 56-minute “HOLDING PATTERN” documentary frames this ongoing battle through the lens of two anti-airport activists, George Ochsenfeld and Judy Ogalla; and two airport proponents, political pundit Delmarie Cobb and former Park Forest, IL mayor John Ostenburg. Over the course of 20+ years, the filmmakers take an up-close and personal look at how the airport project has impacted the lives of Ochsenfeld and Ogalla, their personal relationships, and their evolution from citizens to activists to politicians. Cobb and Ostenburg, who have championed the airport for decades, address the political complexities of the project, and explain why they believe eminent domain (the government’s power to seize private land for public use) is justified and could change thousands of lives for the better.
“HOLDING PATTERN” is executive produced by veteran television showrunner and documentary filmmaker John Davies whose many national credits include the WTTW Chicago productions Sneak Previews, Wild Chicago, Heroes on Deck, and The First Jetliner. The documentary is also executive produced by Robert Bied, President of Captain Dave’s Foundation and The Chicago Marine Heritage Society. The film is made possible in part through the support of Captain Dave’s Foundation, an Individual Artist Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, as well as a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
