THE WALKING MAN
Photo by Jason Martini.
THE WALKING MAN is a short film honoring Chicago’s legendary “Walking Man”, Joseph Kromelis.
For decades, Joseph captured the city's imagination as he strode through downtown streets, his long black hair and thick mustache reminding many of Yanni or Tom Selleck. A unique yet familiar face among the throngs of city-dwellers and a fixture of people’s daily commutes, but still, a stranger. And though his pants were always pressed and his shoes were always polished, THE WALKING MAN was homeless.
Joseph died tragically in December 2022 after being set on fire while sleeping outside on Chicago's Lower Wabash Avenue. Joseph’s story is a haunting mirror of our collective human experience, and a vivid reminder that we must take care of others in our communities.
This short film is not a traditional biographical documentary that recounts the facts of Joseph’s life through sit-down interviews. Rather, it is an immersive experience that places you in Chicago, walking beside and catching glimpses of THE WALKING MAN. With never-before-seen archival footage of Joseph, and a found poem crafted by Award-winning poet and Northwestern Professor Rachel Webster, the film aims to honor Joseph’s legacy and raise awareness of the dangers facing Chicago's unhoused population.