COLUMBIA, Mo. — The recent world premiere of a sensationally effective Chicago documentary tore the roof clean off two different theaters at the 2022 True/False Film Festival.
“Let the Little Light Shine” is the title. And at True/False, the nation’s most beloved nonfiction cinema showcase, director Kevin Shaw’s film delivered the visceral impact of all six “Rocky” movies and a couple of “Creed” films put together.
It’s a rousing tribute to grassroots activism, charting a resourceful group of public school parents and students out-maneuvering their city’s attempt to convert National Teachers Academy, between the Near South Side and Chinatown, from a low-income, high-performing elementary school to a neighborhood high school. What the Chicago Public Schools called a “transition,” the NTA community saw as a racially motivated school closing, rushed through CPS and City Hall without meaningful community involvement.
