Erin Babbin
Erin Florence Babbin is a documentary filmmaker who believes in keeping it real. Her work centers around elevating true stories from real people. Babbin continues her family’s tradition led by her great-grandfather’s home movies, her grandmother's photography and her mother's filmmaking. From a young age they brought her into their darkrooms and film sets, creating a foundation and passion for image-making. Babbin studied documentary filmmaking at Columbia College and co-founded On The Real Film in 2011 with partner Michael Sullivan to share stories of people underserved by mainstream media, elevating Chicago voices and narratives. On The Real Film’s work has been screened internationally including Paris, Mexico City, New York, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Chicago, and Park City. Babbin was awarded the Chicago Filmmakers Digital Media Production Grant in 2022 and has been the captain of the doc shorts jury of the Slamdance Film Festival since 2018.
From the Filmmaker
"One of the reasons I love this project dearly is that everyone in front of and behind the camera is a member of El Paseo Community Garden. We have been planting and growing our roots together for years, and what is manifesting is truly a reflection of our community resilience and love."
Nuestra Herencia
Nuestra Herencia: Legacy Film Project brings together a series of short documentary films exploring histories, gardens, and legacies through the lives of 10 senior gardeners of El Paseo Community Garden in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.
ERIN BABBIN | Director
MICHAEL SULLIVAN | Cinematography and Postproduction
TAMARA BECERRA VALDEZ, YARITZA GUILLEN, PAULA ACEVEDA, ERIN BABBIN | Producers
Nuestra Herencia was filmed on location at the El Paseo community garden in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. Director Erin Babbin is a Chicago native.
