Award-winning film director to be honored with Wichita North High HOF induction

Film director Brian Schodorf will be inducted into the Wichita North High School Hall of Fame on Saturday, joining the likes of Barry Sanders, Lynette Woodard and Rudy and Robert Love.

Schodorf, who was born in Wichita and graduated from North in 2002, has won six Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards and been nominated for 19 as a director, producer and writer. He’s also won 13 national Telly Awards for excellence in video and television.

“This is an incredibly special honor for me. I actually received my start in broadcasting at North High School through the TV and journalism program,” said Schodorf, who went on to study at Columbia College Chicago.

“North is one of the most diverse schools in Kansas. It’s a melting pot of culture and experiences you won’t find at any other school in the state. I’ve always felt that the experiences I received at North High helped me transition to larger markets like Chicago and Los Angeles and allowed me to see the world through a different lens.”

Schodorf’s directorial debut was the 2007 film “Poverty in Chicago,” which investigated the homelessness epidemic in downtown Chicago and aired on PBS. His 2008 “Greensburg” documentary explores the impact of a devastating tornado on the small Kansas town.

His acclaimed 2020 documentary “Chicago at the Crossroad” exploring disparities stemming from the city’s housing history has aired on National Geographic, The Discovery Channel, NBC, Fox, ESPN and NBA-TV, among other networks.

Schodorf’s latest project, “Somewhere in America,” is a six-part limited series exploring the country’s cultural and political divides that will be released in 2023. Topics include the Tulsa Race Massacre, Kansas’ Aug. 2 Value Them Both abortion vote and the decline of small-town America.

“What we saw in 2020 and 2021 was the end result of a lot of years of historical divisions in America,” said Schodorf, whose mother, Jean Schodorf, served three terms in the Kansas Legislature. “[The documentary is] a look at everyday ordinary people, meeting with them where they’re at and trying to understand what has molded their worldview.

“I interviewed probably over 300 people at everything from Trump rallies to Black Lives Matter rallies. And the reason why it’s so experiential is because everybody has a different story. Everybody has a unique way of looking at it.”

Portions of “Somewhere in America” were shot in Wichita, and the project features notable figures including Rudy Giuliani, Roger Stone, Kathleen Sebelius and Brandon Whipple.

The hall of fame induction ceremony will be held at the North High Auditorium on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. The event is free to the public.