FACETS Film 101 provides kids and teens ages 9-13 with a foundation in film history, appreciation, and production. Film 101 alumni who served on the CICFF Jury were recently invited to take part in the Movie Room film club for teens started by The California Film Institute (CFI). Recent Film 101 graduates were invited to participate in The California Film Institute’s (CFI) new National Film Club for Teens, Movie Room, in collaboration with seven other independent cinema’s across the country. Participating students ages 14–18 from around the country get exclusive, free online access to an independent film curated by one of

With the FACETS ReOpening Soon Campaign ending soon, we wanted to take some time and look back at the impact that our education programs have had on the individuals and community within and around FACETS. In the last year, communication has changed so much, with there really being no such thing as “face-to-face” conversations when it comes to our personal and professional lives. In a time where so much of our communication has been pushed into the digital realm, we are interacting with video and screens more than ever have before. Now is the time where film and media literacy are most important. Since

With the nationwide COVID-19 related shutdowns and stay-at-home order in place since mid-March, filmmaking has mostly taken a pause in America. The film industry has adjusted to the work-from-home lifestyle, as many notable filmmakers are completing their projects under their own roofs. For example, the new Michael Jordan Docuseries, The Last Dance, premiered in April. Upon initial release, the series had not been fully edited and director Jason Hehir coordinated his team remotely to finish the documentary. Unfortunately, other productions were halted entirely, including season four of the critically acclaimed crime show Fargo which had to suspend shooting due to COVID-19. Even

Imagine going to a crowded theater for a highly anticipated film (those were the days, right?) and it exceeds everyone’s high expectations. As people file out of the theater, they are likely raving about the actors’ performances or how well the film was directed. While these filmmaking roles might dominate the press cycle, they don’t even begin to scratch the surface of what makes a film great.  Simply put, some areas of filmmaking are underappreciated. When a film is announced, all the press cares about are the director and stars. It wasn’t a news story when Christopher Nolan picked Jennifer Lame

At Facets’ Film 101 summer camp, the best way to have fun is to work together as a team. It’s pretty clear that something like soccer is a team sport. You have your goalie, your center back, your sweeper. You have your coach yelling from the sidelines. It’s all pretty straightforward and fits nicely into our understanding of traditional team sports. But what if we told you filmmaking is also a team sport? Just think about how long the credits roll at the end of your favorite film. You have your director, your cinematographer, your actors. You have your writers, your editors,

As an aspiring filmmaker, you can learn a lot from these iconic local artists. We tend to think of filmmaking as something exclusive to Hollywood. But plenty of directors from the Chicago area have made their best work while living in the city. All of these artists started somewhere small, and have plenty of thoughtful advice for aspiring filmmakers everywhere. The Wachowski Sisters: The Wachowski sisters, who wrote and directed The Matrix (1999), may have spent plenty of time in Hollywood, but for years they kept a studio running in the Chicagoland area. Even their biggest Hollywood blockbusters are influenced by their Midwestern

So, kid, you want to be a filmmaker? Well, it looks like you might be one already. Filmmaking can seem like an unreachable profession when you’re miles away from Hollywood, without thousand dollar equipment. But with the help of modern technology, many people have the tools for creating cinema sitting in their pocket. Directors like Ocean’s Eleven (2001)’s Steven Soderbergh and The Florida Project (2017)’s Sean Baker have used smartphones to make acclaimed films like High Flying Bird (2019) and Tangerine (2015), so what’s stopping you? In fact, you might already be a filmmaker in your own right whether or not you’re