LINCOLN PARK — Facets is seeking to broaden the scope of what movies Chicago's children consume with an app packed with independent films from all over the world.
Facets Kids is a subscription-based streaming app that its creators said will give parents peace of mind knowing their children are watching movies that will enrich their lives and provide an alternative to mainstream films.
"These are films that have been vetted," said Milos Stehlik, founder and executive director of Facets. "They literally are the best films for kids."
Paul Biasco says the app would offer a wider selection that Netflix:
Stehlik is about to launch a Kickstarter campaign with the hopes of raising $50,000 to expand the streaming catalog to 1,000 films and to bring on 1,000 new subscribers.
Facets plans to donate the app to 1,000 schools and libraries, mostly in Chicago, giving them access to films that are currently unavailable anywhere else.
Mainstream children's films "are very manipulative. They ultimately reinforce stereotypes," Stehlik said. "They don't ask children to think and bring their own sense of engagement. In terms of the volume of what kids consume, this is like a tsunami in their lives."
The app's offerings are broad, multicultural and include an extremely diverse variety of protagonists.
The app is in its testing phase and currently has about 400 films available, all of which have been shown at Facets' Chicago International Children's Film Festival.
Those films are from 45 countries and in 25 different languages.
Facets has been hosting the children's film festival for 31 years, and often after the movies are screened, they disappear because there is no market for them, especially the short films, Stehlik said.
"Parents will say 'We saw this in the 2008 festival — where is this film? How can we see it again?'" Stehlik said. "There's no way for us to get them this film. This will solve all this."
Stehlik hopes Facets Kids will connect kids with quality films that "inspire creativity, curiosity and appreciation for the diverse world around them."
Through the crowdfunding campaign, Facets is hoping to finish the app's platform, add staff to develop additional education features and raise enough money to donate the app to 1,000 schools and libraries.
Rewards in the Kickstarter include lunch with documentarian Ken Burns and mentorships from filmmakers Steve James ("Hoop Dreams," "Life Itself"), Jill Godmilow ("What Farocki Taught") and Werner Herzog ("The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser," "Grizzly Man").
The Kickstarter campaign will launch Sunday during Facets' Family Boo! Bash.
"We are really trying to make history and change because these are important parts for children," Stehlik said. "Most of the stuff that they see is really not so helpful to them, so this can really be a very positive force in their lives."
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