Calendar: November 21-27, 2025
Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.
~~~~~
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
Before you pass the dishes and offer your thanks next week, should you participate in festivities with your family members or at a friendsgiving, we’re bringing over a few topical treats from MFHQ Deux to share with our dearest gobblers who can’t get enough of the movies of Champaign, Urbana, and the cites beyond!
For our lede in today’s Report, we’re high-fiving from afar the stewards of Flyover Film Studios in Rantoul, ever-growing with their accomplishments and influence in the area. Always up to the task of breaking local media-maker news, Amy Penne of Smile Politely shared a concise history of how Flyover came together as pretext to their latest milestone, being awarded “Business of the Year” last week by the Rantoul Area Chamber of Commerce. Who knows what their activity up north on the grounds of the former Octave Chanute Air Force Base has actually translated to numerically in terms of business for themselves, tax revenue for Rantoul and the county, a spending influx at other local businesses by their own staff and visiting clients, and freelance and full-time jobs created to aid the production of movies, television, and commercials at the facility and on location nearby, but hopefully it adds up to sustainability and growth in the years to come. Flyover clearly is encouraging the development of a trained work force based here as well as a connection between folks who offer services and resources that lend themselves to production, so we need to watch for those overtures; to wit, they are hosting an instructional session this Saturday, November 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. where participants will get a taste of what roles in different departments can entail, and they also have a combination holiday gathering, swap meet, and live auction event on tap for Saturday, December 6, from 12 to 6 p.m. Go inquire, and with good cheer!
Can we relate “the Flyover effect” to various recent goings-on in the movie world du C-U? Maybe! The most obvious is in cases like the independent feature MOSES THE BLACK, filmed partly in Chicagoland and partly in Rantoul and adjacent municipalities, which is currently in post-production after wrapping in late September at Flyover. Surprisingly, the trade website Deadline reported on Wednesday that Fathom Entertainment has already negotiated theatrical rights for the piece, an urban gang drama with religious and repentance leanings that stars Omar Epps, Wiz Khalifa, and Chukwudi Iwuji and is directed by Yelena Popovic (MAN OF GOD), and will release it to its network of partner theaters in North America on Friday, January 30. It’s possible to get it shaped up in time, we suppose. Unlike with all the candids floating about the socials earlier this year, taken by area townsfolk with the cast and locations of the John Goodman fast-food satire CHILI FINGER, very little has appeared to give us a covert look at MOSES.
~~~~~
~~~~~
Clues on the development of projects can also be gleaned from those on the inside who elect to share their doings with the outside world in the moment. Our friend Niccole Powers, who now applies her stage-honed art and costume design talents to the film sets at Flyover and elsewhere, shared a few behind-the-scenes photos from a show called OPEN ME UP. A slate shows the director is Andrew Laudone, the Chicago-based owner of Consumer Grade Film Company and a creator of distinctly designed long-form shorts that have played in festivals such as the dark high-society farce CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY and the science fiction-tinged dramas DEEP LEARNING and SWEET DREAMING. It looks like Powers may have been on a pick-up shoot in October, for we see that frequent C-U film collaborator Kevin Lau had previously reported from the set via Facebook back in July. The result should be interesting, as always.
And, for one more trimming in our banquet of regional film flavor, we turn to our friend John Isberg of Swede Films who is using an apparent low tide in the schedules for his features BIG MUDDY and FINAL SUMMER 2 to revise and finish a different project. Isberg has recently been sharing some cool vintage photographs on Facebook and Instagram from indie rock shows and venues of Champaign-Urbana’s past and asking for more contributions like them to put towards his scene documentary, WHERE IT BEGINS: 1977-2000, which we first mentioned on CUBlog almost a full decade ago. Considering the art of succinctly telling an expansive story of stories in a feature film run time and doing it as an independent creator unlike, say, a well-funded Ken Burns, we have to understand the labor-of-love aspect in Isberg’s endeavor and applaud that he’s still committed to the cause while making bread elsewhere and taking care of his family and friends. He just finished working on the crew of MOSES THE BLACK, for instance, so let’s encourage him to roll past the finish line of WHERE IT BEGINS and help along where we can, including the lending of precious ephemera and memories to a C-U music epic writ large. We should also acknowledge that Isberg’s foresight helped point the path forward for Flyover, in particular this blue-hued music video for the Night Dreamer song “The Taste” staged in a vacant Octave Chanute hanger. Fin.
IMAGERY DU C-U | Picturing Our Scene on the Screen
~~~~~
Our previous “Images of the Week” touched on a pair of locally-made narrative shorts, MARA and THE FAWN, which took slippery routes around a traditional structure and utilized cinematic technique to envelop their respective protagonists with an unknowable dread. The focus today will send us in a rather different direction. GOLDEN MEADOW, a new music video for the performer Jill Greenlee, is full of warmth, spitfire, and cautious wonder as it cushions the viewer in a loving amber embrace. Matched with an original song by Greenlee that was derived from a story she used to read to her children at bedtime, including daughter Leila who is her co-star here, GOLDEN MEADOW was conceived by “The Sarahs” – filmmaker/casting director Sarah Cayce and producer/Flyover Film Studios co-founder Sarah Sharp – and received the splashiest debut of all the locally-tied film projects that were set free on October 17-19.
Seemingly filmed just yesterday (well, September) on lush private property in Champaign County, the concept put into words is straightforward and doesn’t do justice to something we’re meant to feel in our hearts and bones. Greenlee alternately plays her piano in the middle of a meadow and goes exploring on foot with Leila as the song builds to a powerful crescendo, enabled by an equally lush background arrangement put together by Greenlee’s studio engineer, Eric “Dubz” Gross, in its rapturous pledge of protection and understanding. Illuminated by a hazy sun, the Golden Meadow is a nurturing safe space that gives and dares not forget. A project of Cayce’s Chicago-based company, PWM Films, GOLDEN MEADOW is simply lovely with a clear vision to showcase its central “rockstar,” as the director refers to Greenlee. Short videos posted to YouTube take us through the process of developing and executing this piece, funded by avid fans of the charismatic musician who is a regular presence on the stages of C-U.
~~~~~
~~~~~
According to The Sarahs, making a music video that showcased Greenlee came to mind after they saw her perform “Golden Meadow” solo at a gig, quieting the house with its sheer might. Coming full circle, GOLDEN MEADOW was given a nice launch by the duo, starting with a private premiere in downtown Champaign at Kayla Brown’s boutique candle store, Fire Doll Studio, on Wednesday, October 15, and followed by big-screen showings before the main features at the Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in of Gibson City the next two nights and its concurrent debut on YouTube, where it has resonated and received more than two thousand views as of this writing. Greenlee is offering the song on Bandcamp and apparently has more new recorded music on the way. We’d like to think a future collaboration between these women and their team is a given, so be sure to follow Greenlee’s Instagram and Facebook for developments.
GOLDEN MEADOW is directed by Sarah Cayce, produced by Sarah Sharp, and photographed by Robert Patrick Stern, while Chris “Scuba” Parker served as underwater camera operator. Bekah Douglas was production coordinator and costume design flourished under Halley Claudio. Brian Nowak handled the editing. Francis Claudio was first assistant camera and Kal Kociss was second assistant camera. Connor Vyce, Rick Wojnar, and Gavin Schroeder filled the roles of gaffer, key grip, and grip, respectively. It stars Leila and Jill Greenlee. 2025, color, 5 minutes.
~~~~~
LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers
@ Lincoln Hall, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Film & Video* meeting & game night (11/21, 4:30 p.m., Room 1002)
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Chambana Film Society* presents “The Found Footage Festival – Volume 11” (11/21, 7 p.m.)
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
120 BAHADUR* (in Hindi with English sub), RENTAL FAMILY, SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE, WICKED: FOR GOOD, BUGONIA*, CHAINSAW MAN THE MOVIE: REZE ARC (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), KEEPER*, NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T, PREDATOR: BADLANDS, REGRETTING YOU, THE RUNNING MAN (11/21 on), ETERNITY, ZOOTOPIA 2 (animation) (11/25 on) *single screenings daily
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
RENTAL FAMILY, SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE, WICKED: FOR GOOD, BLACK PHONE 2, BUGONIA, CHAINSAW MAN THE MOVIE: REZE ARC (animé) (in Japanese with English sub or English dub), KEEPER, NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T, NUREMBERG, PREDATOR: BADLANDS, REGRETTING YOU, THE RUNNING MAN, SARAH’S OIL* (faith film) (11/21 on), Indian cinema: 120 BAHADUR* (in Hindi with English sub; 11/21-11/25), PREMANTE* (in Telugu with English sub; 11/21), RAJU WEDS RAMBAI* (in Telugu with English sub; 11/21), MASTIII 4* (in Hindi with English sub; 11/21-11/25), EKO* (in Malayalam with English sub; 11/22-11/25), and MIDDLE CLASS* (in Tamil with English sub; 11/22, 11/24-11/25), WICKED/WICKED: FOR GOOD double feature (11/21-11/22, 11 a.m.), The Metropolitan Opera: Arabella (11/22, 12 p.m., simulcast), THE POLAR EXPRESS (animation) (11/23, 3 & 7 p.m.; 11/26, 7 p.m.), ETERNITY, ZOOTOPIA 2 (animation) (11/25 on) *single screenings daily
@ Pine Lounge, 1st floor, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents HIM (11/21-11/22, 7 p.m., free w/i-card)
Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!
~~~~~
NOW PLAYING | The Cities Beyond
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
“Bad Moms Night Out” feat. stand-up by Queen Quaymo, Regan Shute, and Kristen Unakis, A BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS (11/21, 6 p.m.)
@ Golden Ticket Cinemas Ale House, Bloomington, IL
WICKED: FOR GOOD, NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T, PREDATOR: BADLANDS, REGRETTING YOU, THE RUNNING MAN, SARAH’S OIL* (faith film) (11/21 on), JAY KELLY (11/21), WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (11/25-11/26), ZOOTOPIA 2 (animation) (11/25 on) *single screenings daily
BACK OPEN! @ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
ELF (Screen 1), NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (Screen 2) (11/21-11/22)
@ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL
WICKED: FOR GOOD (11/21-11/23, 11/27 on)
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES (11/21-11/23)
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
Closed for the week.
@ Peoria Riverfront Museum, Peoria, IL
2025 Big Picture Peoria Film Festival (11/20-11/22)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE (11/21-11/23)
NOW PLAYING | Midwest
@ Chicago Filmmakers Firehouse Cinema, Chicago, IL
PLAYMOVIE (11/22, 7 p.m.)
For detailed and curated listings of Chicago-area film presentations and related events, please visit the fine folks at Cine-File and subscribe to their definitive “Cine-List” weekly blast. And for northern Illinois industry news, be sure to read Reel Chicago, Screen Magazine, and the Chicago Reader.
COMING SOON | Area-wide Events
11/28
‘Reel Talk with Chuck and Pam’ presents “Remembering [Robert] Redford”
feat. THE STING, THE WAY WE WERE, THE NATURAL w/Chuck Koplinski & Pam Powell
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL, 12-9 p.m.
12/6
FischerFest presents “Celebrating the Life & Legacy of Dick Van Dyke”
feat. national premiere of DICK VAN DYKE: 100 CELEBRATION
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL, 5 p.m. doors, 6:30 p.m. program
12/7
FischerFest presents “Celebrating the Life & Legacy of Dick Van Dyke”
feat. BYE BYE BIRDIE, THE COMIC, MARY POPPINS w/Chuck Koplinski
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
NEW! 4/3-4/10, 2026
28th annual Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI
NEW! 4/9-4/12, 2026
36th Onion City Experimental Film Festival, Chicago, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
Chambana Film Society presents “The Savoy Arthouse”
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL, 3 p.m. unless noted otherwise
11/30: THE LADDER; 12/7: HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS; 12/14: SONG SUNG BLUE (2008); 12/21: LOCKE; 12/28: “Short Docs” program
Illini Union Board presents “Fall 2025 Weekend Films”
@ Pine Lounge, 1st floor, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m. Fri. & Sat, free w/i-card
12/5-12/6: CAUGHT STEALING
~~~~~
Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
~~~~~
“Calendar du C-U”
© 2025 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential
[T −91]