U-46 parents, students invited to forum on bullying
Stand for the Silent is hosting an open forum on bullying for all Elgin Area School District U-46 parents, guardians and students Thursday, Feb. 23, at Poplar Creek Library, 1405 South Park Blvd., in Streamwood.
The program will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. focusing on the effects of bullying and what steps communities can take to help find solutions to this growing problem. Students who have been bullied, have been bullies or bystanders are all invited to participate in the discussion, share experiences, and support each other.
For details, visit www.standforthesilent.org/.
Judson film festival:
Judson University in Elgin will honor David McFadzean, co-creator of the 1990s hit sitcom “Home Improvement,” with the Imago Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award in April.
It's an honor given to an individual whose work in film has significantly shaped the discourse on faith and ethics in the arts.
McFadzean will accept the award in person during the 13th annual Imago Film Festival April 4-8 on Judson's campus, 1151 N. State St. He will be the special guest speaker during the Imago chapel event at 10 a.m. April 5 and accept the award later that day at 7 p.m. in the Herrick Chapel.
The festival showcases independent films and filmmakers who use image and story to explore faith and ethics, and the journey from brokenness to hope.
McFadzean, who lives outside Los Angeles, began his film career as a playwright in Chicago and earned a master's degree at Illinois State University. In 1989, he formed Wind Dancer Films with Carmen Finestra and Matt Williams.
He served as the executive story editor on the pilot and during the premiere season of the hit TV show “Roseanne,” and was part of the Wind Dancer Films' production team that produced the shows “Carol & Company,” starring Carol Burnett, “Buddies” with Dave Chappelle, “Thunder Alley” with Ed Asner, “Soul Man” with Dan Aykroyd, “Saint George” with George Lopez, and “Home Improvement.”
Several of the shows received Emmy nominations, and “Home Improvement,” starring Tim Allen, won multiple People's Choice Awards.
McFadzean's film producer credits include, “Bernie,” starring Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey and Shirley MacLaine; “What Women Want,” starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt; “Where The Heart Is,” starring Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd; and “Firelight,” starring Sophie Marceau.
McFadzean's Wind Dancer partners coproduced the off-Broadway premiere of Mark St. Germain's “Camping with Henry and Tom” at New York City's Lucille Lortel Theatre, and the premiere of Kirsten Child's “The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin” at Playwrights Horizons.
McFadzean is a founding board member of the New Harmony Writers' Conference, on the board of directors of Act One: Writing for Hollywood, and sits on advisory boards of several arts organizations.