Chaz Ebert to Be Honored at FACETS Screen Gems Gala
Entrepreneur, publisher, author, producer, and philanthropist Chaz Ebert has spent her career championing overlooked films and filmmakers, providing invaluable opportunities for new and diverse voices. Her work as a film producer, most recently in Rebecca Hall’s Passing, has bolstered diversity and change in the film industry. Ebert will be honored at the FACETS Screen Gems Benefit, on Wednesday, September 28th. Festivities begin at 6:00 pm at The Arts Club of Chicago, located at 201 East Ontario Street.
The evening’s proceeds will be directed to the Bross Scholarship Fund supporting under-resourced youth. Scholarships provide free access to the Annual Chicago International Children’s Film Festival and to Summer Film Camp.
Chaz Ebert serves as CEO of Ebert Digital and the Ebert Companies and President of the Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation.
In this brief segment, Ebert talks about her career, her values, and those who inspired her…
FACETS declares, “Now more than ever, Chicago’s youth must have the opportunity to view films that are culturally authentic ‘mirrors,’ allowing our youngest citizens to see themselves in an empowering light. They must be provided the opportunity to learn how to tell their own stories, use their own voice, and strengthen muscles for critical analysis, problem solving, and collaboration.”

A Life of Dedication to the Arts
As president of the Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation, Ms. Ebert is passionate about programs that help break the glass ceiling for women and people of color and provide education and arts for women, children, and families. She has provided grants to support films with strong social justice themes, and she supports emerging writers, filmmakers, and technologists with her endowment of scholarships, internships, or awards at the Sundance Film Festival, Film Independent Spirit Awards, the University of Illinois Ebert Fellowships, the Hawaii International Film Festival-Young Critics Program, the Telluride Ebert/TFF University Seminars, the Chicago International Film Festival Ebert Director Awards, and the Columbia College Links Journalism Awards in conjunction with the Chicago Urban League.
She is a life trustee of the Art Institute and serves on the boards of the Lyric Opera, the Lincoln Presidential Foundation, After School Matters, and the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, along with the Honorary Board of Family Focus and the Advisory Board of FACETS.
Ms. Ebert has been a longtime supporter of FACETS and a beacon of advice and encouragement as the organization has found its new place in the cinema landscape.
Join FACETS as they express a small thank you for her immense impact.
Click here for your tickets to the September 28th festivities.
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