Wilmette Teen To Screen Video on Food Allergies

Kickstarter screenshot

A Wilmette teen suffering from food allergies has created a documentary he hopes will reach classrooms nationwide to inform the public of the challenges and frustrations shared by youngsters like him.

Jack Yonover was diagnosed with nut allergies at the age of 10 and decided to chronicle the challenges associated with it for a Bar Mitzvah project.

“I was complaining a lot about my allergies, and my dad said, ‘Why don’t you make an educational video about it?’” Yonover told the Wilmette Life.

The result, thanks in part to a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, is “That Bites,” a 42-minute documentary airing in public for the first time on April 16 at 5:40 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. at the Wilmette Theater, 1122 Central Ave.

The film was commissioned by his parents, Jill and Paul Yonover. The Kickstarter campaign with an original goal of $5,400 to help buy the necessary camera and editing equipment netted $8,400 in donations.

Both Wilmette showings will benefit Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit that supports allergy research. The documentary is then expected to be picked up at independent film festivals in California, Arkansas and New Jersey.

Tickets are available only at Jack’s website, that-bites.org/, and cannot be purchased at the door. They cost $25 and all of the proceeds will be donated to FARE.