The 112 Education Foundation proudly hosted its annual Reel 112 Film Festival on Monday, May 16. The event featured fourteen short films created by North Shore School District 112 elementary and middle school student filmmakers in a variety of formats including documentary, animation, and drama. In its fifth year, the festival returned to the Renaissance Theater in Highland Park after having been canceled in 2020 and shifting to a virtual format in 2021.
This year the 112 Education Foundation introduced the first annual Milos Stehlik Legacy Award to recognize young filmmakers who demonstrate excellence in the craft. Stehlik, who died in 2019, was the founder of Facets Chicago and a regular film contributor on WBEZ. Stehlik and the Facets team were instrumental in creating the Reel 112 Film Festival, a unique offering in a public school setting. This year’s recipients of the award were Edgewood student Isabel Davis and Northwood students Eli Levin, Dorothy Perez and Sophie Ripes. Congratulations to these students and all of the participating filmmakers.
A special thank you to Edgewood CMA teacher Elaine Allison and Northwood CMA teacher Laura Baartmans for their vast and tireless efforts to ensure the success of this event.