Nonprofit film org
will honor the life
of its founder
during the annual
Chicago International
Children’s Film Festival
Facets’ 36th annual Chicago International Children’s Film Festival is dedicated to the memory of Milos Stehlik, founder and executive director of Facets, who passed away this July.
Milos had a dream that film, the most powerful communications tool ever invented, has the power to change the world. Since 1975, he worked tirelessly to fulfill this dream in many forms.
His accomplishments remain a thriving part of Chicago’s film community.
Milos Stehlik helped exhibit powerful, award-winning films from around the world through educational programs encouraging students to critically examine the meaning of the moving image and how it impacts their daily life. He helped develop innovative streaming services like Facets Edge and Facets Kids that bring these films to audiences worldwide. He helped create of Facets’ Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, the largest and longest-running children’s film festival in the world.
ALSO READ: Milos Stehlik, 1949-2019
The Milos Stehlik Global Impact Award
To honor Milos’s lifework and to continue his legacy for generations to come, Facets is also announcing the creation of the annual Milos Stehlik Global Impact Award at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival.
The award will be given to a filmmaker or film project from the Festival’s Official Selection that is committed to building bridges, overcoming divisions, and promoting diversity and global understanding through film.
The inaugural award will be selected by special committee and presented at the Closing Night Ceremony for the 36th Chicago International Children’s Film Festival on November 10 at Facets.
ALSO READ: Facets announces Children’s Film Fest schedule
The dedication and award are just two of a number of recognitions that are being created to honor Milos’s lifework. The prestigious Telluride Film Festival has named an annual Milos Stehlik Scholarship, given to a young film student “who embodies Milos’s passion and humanist heart.” The 31st Polish Film Festival in America (November 9-24, 2019) is also dedicating this year’s festival to Milos.
There has never been a more important moment in history to celebrate Milos’s vision and stress the importance of empathy-driven, global films, especially for young audiences. By properly wielding the power of film, it is possible to, in Milos’s words, “open minds and souls, giving every individual the opportunity to see themselves as they are, and as what they can be, embracing their potential to save our planet and ourselves.”
MILOS STEHLIK
TEACHING IN A BRAVE NEW WORLD
About Facets’ 36th Annual Chicago International Children’s Film Festival
Since 1983, the Festival has set an internationally-recognized standard of excellence in film for children and youth through film screenings and educational experiences. The 36th annual Festival presents an official selection of 248 films from 49 countries from November 1 – 10, 2019, along with school field trips and education programs. The full schedule, passes, and tickets are available at Facets.org/CICFF. The Festival is presented by Facets, a nonprofit that connects people to independent ideas through transformative film experiences. Learn more at Facets.org.
Send your film updates to Reel Chicago Editor Dan Patton, dan@reelchicago.com.