Constance Mortell is an Emmy-nominated film producer and director of Prairie Tides, an early backer of the Oscar-winning short documentary Saving Face and the Oscar-nominated, Sundance Audience and Special Jury Award winner Writing with Fire. She also served as executive producer of the TV pilot The Abandon. Constance has produced numerous award-winning shorts, including Make the Change for the Chicago Transit Authority and This Old Church, which helped save one of Chicago's oldest landmarks. She is currently in pre-production on a feature entitled I Remember You and is a financial supporter of independent projects such as the documentaries Mother: Caring for 7 Billion, Open Sesame: The Story of Seeds, and Nelson Algren: The End is Nothing, the Road is All.

As one of the founding producers of the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), Constance continues to champion new works in the arts. She currently serves on the boards of Hi-Artsnyc (formerly the Hip-Hop Theatre Festival) and Shotgun Productions/Global Arts Initiative in New York City and is an associate producer at Lang Entertainment Group.

Prairie Tides

I produced and directed the Emmy-nominated film Prairie Tides, which explores how Chicago became the most competitive transportation center in 19th-century America. Airing multiple times during prime-time on PBS due to popular demand, the film was later integrated into local school curriculums with a fully developed educational program. It is now part of the collections at the Newberry Library, the Chicago Historical Society, and the Paley Center for Media.

Prairie Tides delves into the initial land grab from Native American tribes in the area and the exploitation of early settlers who built the Illinois & Michigan Canal. The film also highlights the groundbreaking reversal of the Chicago River’s flow—a major engineering feat of its time. With the completion of the canal and the Midwest’s first rail line, Chicago emerged as the most cost-effective commodities freight hub of the era.

Sketches

I wrote, produced, and directed this narrative film, inspired by a real-life experience with young graffiti artists. The story explores the lives of urban youth as they navigate the crosscurrents of family and neighborhood loyalties, balancing the urge for self-expression with the enduring conflict between independence of spirit and the need to belong.

Through the creation of mural art—from initial sketches to large-scale execution—the film highlights the genuine collaborative spirit within each "crew," showcasing leadership, racial harmony, and a focused pursuit of originality. These young artists also reveal humor, honor, and a sense of fair play in the massive murals they create together. Their esprit de corps reflects grace and resourcefulness in the face of lost childhoods, superficial politicians and pundits, glamorized violence, and a relentless consumer culture. Ultimately, this is the story of urban survivors who deserve support and respect.

The Abandon

I executive produced this TV pilot, which follows a group of young Black men—longstanding friends—on their annual summer hiking trip, a chance to escape the distractions of New York City, including their mobile phones. What begins as a peaceful retreat takes an unexpected turn when they stumble upon signs of a potential alien invasion, forcing them to confront a life-altering dilemma: focus on their own survival or fight to secure the future of the human race.