Just a tiny bit about who I am. Eli Hayes and I became friends in 3rd. He was a best friend from elementary school to high school.

He moved out of Milwaukee junior year of high school to a boarding school and we were not able to remain as close for a bit but rekindled our friendship upon us graduating high school.

Even from a very early age Eli was hilariously funny, incredibly bright and had a growing obsession with movies/film.

In the past I have helped Eli on a couple of his short films. And was always excited and grateful that he valued my opinion and wanted crotiques from me.

I obviously knew he was a part of the online film community and had many friends and peers who appreciated his work. But not being an active member of letterboxd etc. I had no idea how deep his impact was.

I also think I wasn’t aware of just how large his presence was is because Eli was an incredibly humble person as you all know.

Anyways these past days have been very hard. It’s difficult to know exactly what to do with the knowledge of Eli’s passing. I do know that those of us in Milwaukee want to find some way to honor his work and his life. And I’m sure we are not the only ones who have a desire to

Not quite sure how this will manifest. I am hopeful for public (after the pandemic) and virtual screenings of some of his films. Or maybe trying to have an honorary submission into the Milwaukee film festival.

I do know that I want to reach out to this community he was so activel a part of and ask for your help and also your input on finding ways to honor Eli Hayes life and work. Please feel free to tweet at me or message me.

P.S. sorry that this thread is riddled with typos. And also I meant 3rd grade in my first tweet.