Calendar: Dec. 26, ’25-Jan. 1, ‘26
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.
~~~~~
MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!
12/30: Jason Pankoke (editor/publisher, C-U Blogfidential + The MICRO-FILM Review, Mendota, IL)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
Just like the tinsel draped over the branches of your Xmas tree, catching the light and reflecting all sorts of colors in a unified whole, we present today’s Report in the spirit of shining our own light on the various dimensions of the movies of Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond. First and foremost, the growing number of working professionals in our area presumably rejoiced after the announcement a week ago that Illinois governor J. B. Pritzker had signed into law SB 1911, which improves several tenants of the Illinois Film Production Tax Credit Act in the hopes of continuing the upswing of film, television, and commercial business within the state; those who have money and skin in “the biz” can read over the amended bullet points here and crawl through the actual bill here. Of course, one can’t consider all this without also contemplating the fortunes of Flyover Film Studios in Rantoul, which absolutely needs to provide good service to out-of-the-area and out-of-state companies in order to thrive. This can only help them attract more clients, barring an industry-wide depression, and indirectly funnel spending to many other businesses in Champaign County, a win-win that will take time and hard work to manifest.
Projects with local roots keep springing up. Bloody Disgusting revealed a teaser trailer on Monday for THE FAIRFIELD COUNTY FOUR, the found footage werewolf thriller that was directed for Horror Dadz Productions by Joshua Brucker of Watseka; shot on location in Connecticut this past June with a cast of up-and-comers in indie horror and the television hosting legend Joe Bob Briggs; Brucker and his fellow Horror Dadz are seeking distribution for FOUR as they prep for their next collaboration, NIGHT TERROR. And then, Shea Kelly of A Thousand Yard Stare Productions in Decatur posted a virtual Xmas present yesterday – the third season finale of FILMWAR!, in which online and indie film talents compete for an hour to score points, land retro prizes, and lay claim to titles as they navigate Kelly’s trivia games, which range from “anybody’s guess” to “if you know, you know” in difficulty. Follow along with an episode and see how well you do! (We’re also puzzled as to how Kelly escaped his predicament at the end of Episode 19. Conspiracy? Aliens?!?) Episode 20 follows hot on the heels of Kelly’s compelling short, A MAN OF CHARACTER, which won a second-place award at the conclusion of the Big Picture Peoria Film Festival last month and can now be enjoyed on YouTube; set dynamics should not be this potentially volatile.
~~~~~
~~~~~
We can’t forget the influence that academia has on our culture. WCIA-TV reported last weekend that Kelly Goodwin, who served as the news director of WEIU-TV on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston for a quarter century, is stepping down from her role and retiring. Taking up the position at her alma mater after working as an anchor and producer elsewhere, Goodwin has taught the ins and outs of broadcast journalism to hundreds of students, many of whom went on to relevant and award-winning careers, and was recently inducted into the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences due to her lengthy career in the field. We also have to acknowledge that academia can have its limits, with apologies to our friends in places of higher knowledge; budget cuts forced upon universities across the United States by the current administration in Washington, D.C., tipped the budgetary scale at the College of Media at Illinois, which could not afford to move forward with a twenty-sixth Roger Ebert’s Film Festival. And yet, earlier this week, “Ebertfest” host and RogerEbert.com publisher Chaz Ebert confirmed with WCIA that, thanks to a vote of confidence from the fans and supporters that she and director Nate Kohn have received since the September 19 announcement, the show will go on for one final time at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign with a smaller program of movies on April 17 and 18 and a Steak ‘n’ Shake farewell on April 19, independent of the UIUC machine. The “thumbs’ up” have spoken!
To close this gift wrap-up for 2025 with a weird glint in our eye, we offer you THE TRAVIS WAYNE HURT CHRISTMAS SPECIAL THE 13TH, once a low-budget, locally-made staple that aired seasonally on Urbana Public Television and now a low-budget, locally-made staple that is shared with the community in public, like it was last weekend at the Channing-Murray Foundation, before making its way to YouTube. Backyard wrestling and fuzzy high-decibel indie rock are common threads in this installment, which has a unique homegrown charm on par with its predecessors and may be an acquired taste if you are not a regular in particular scenes du C-U. Erin Gillis and Travis Wayne Hurt host a podcast segment with their guest, Adani Sanchez, Blye & Shelby provide a “Santa Flow,” an outdoors interlude is collaged by MadHatchet, and “A Very Hunchville Xmas” erupts in song, dance, and a snowy three-way ladder challenge for the belt. “Ding, ding,” rings our jingle bells, and the fun begins when you press play. Pass the Faygo and bring the Hurt!
IMAGERY DU C-U | Picturing Our Scene on the Screen
~~~~~
In today’s “Images” department, we finally bring you exclusive details and visuals related to yet another short subject filmed in the area, although this one seemed to come from out of left (corn)field! Oakwood native Crystal Lee Hughes, a SAG-AFRA screen performer who lives and works in Los Angeles, will be premiering first looks at a pair of projects during a special program this coming Monday, December 29, at the Fischer Theatre in downtown Danville. The first is called CHILDREN OF THE CORNFIELD and is a proof-of-concept for an eventual full-length version, written by Mitch Yapko from a story by the duo. Second is a preview for a mini-series called HELLTHCARE (stylized as “HELLthcare” to get the point across) about the rampant pitfalls and inequalities faced by Americans when dealing with our health care system and interviews with a few of the physicians and activists who are attempting to affect positive change. Doors and a red-carpet photo op are at 6 p.m., the showing of both films is at 7 p.m., and a reception, raffle, and silent auction to raise funds for the CORNFIELD feature begin at 7:30 p.m. The Fischer will accept donations at the door to contribute to their own financial necessities.
~~~~~
~~~~~
For CORNFIELD, a crew descended upon Vermilion County the weekend of September 12-14 to shoot on location for this “hometown horror comedy,” co-produced and directed by Hughes, that “delivers eerie Midwest vibes and small-town suspense, with a nostalgic nod to the landscape and people that inspired it,” per an official press release. A large congregation of Hughes’ friends and relatives filled out the cast while the crew included cinematographer and editor Nick Talarico, sound mixer Blake Emerson, local casting director Owen Tiner, first assistant director Salena Jones, gaffer Sofie Verweyen, set photographer Christopher L. Hughes, whose work illustrates this article, and co-producer Yapko. Kickapoo State Park, a local Sport Clips salon, the Fischer itself, and the crops stretching around the Hughes family homestead served as locations. Their teamwork has already been noticed as the short received several awards last month during the LA Live Film Festival at the Regal Cinemas location on Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles, including “Best Director,” “Best Writer,” and “Best Actor.”
~~~~~
~~~~~
The events that unfold in CORNFIELD come from the opening act of the feature screenplay in which Zella, played by Hughes as an adult and Molly Wagoner as a teen, returns to the Midwest and feels something amiss with all the things that haven’t changed, yet have: the people, the locations, the ambience, and maybe most alarmingly, the land itself. A sense of cynicism and alienation comes over her, despite the fact she grew up in this environment, and leads to her reading between the lines of corn and witnessing the deviousness afoot. According to an artist’s statement at The Gotham Film & Media Institute, where folks can support the feature by making a tax-deductible contribution, Hughes describes their storytelling approach as “heightened but intimate, unnerving but funny, stylized but deeply human.”
~~~~~
~~~~~
A preview for HELLTHCARE, not necessarily what will be presented at the Fischer, can be watched at Hughes’ YouTube channel as well as several previous shorts for which the filmmaker wore a stack of hats as producer, director, writer, and actress. They include SOLUS, an expression of a woman’s mental health struggles in a single day of her life, SPACE CASTLE, a wry sci-fi vignette with power dynamics at play, and PHARMACOPEIA, a dark comedy about a would-be actress who tries to sell pharmaceuticals in the meantime. You can read more about her credits and experience at Actors Access and keep up with her endeavors at both Instagram and Facebook. Although the initial plan was for her team to return to the Oakwood area at this time to produce the expanded CHILDREN OF THE CORNFIELD, Hughes has confirmed with CUBlog the new goal is to line up personnel and resources for a spring 2026 filming schedule. You may contact crystalhughes03 [at] gmail [dot] com to inquire how you can help out and click below to enlarge the flier and scan the QR codes to learn more about CORNFIELD and HELLTHCARE.
~~~~~
CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History
25 Years Ago … Thursday, November 2, 2000: With the sights of the sex-curious block “Bitter Swallow” still in mind and the electropop sounds of Salaryman ringing in their ears, both from the night before, a crowd gathers one last time for the “Best of Fest” screening and awards ceremony at the New Art Theatre in downtown Champaign, Illinois, to close the fourth annual Freaky Film (and Music) Festival. Created in 1997 by Grace Giorgio and Eric Fisher, the independent showcase has grown this year to hosting events in several locations over a seven-day schedule and ultimately programming more than seventy features and shorts from around the world to be shown. Titles that have made waves in the non-traditional festival circuit and continue to do so in Champaign include timely documentaries like 30 FRAMES A SECOND: THE W.T.O. IN SEATTLE and BUTTERFLY, personal journeys like RESCULPTING VENUS, offbeat comedies like ROCK OPERA and TERROR FIRMER, reflexive takes on the filmmaking process like THE PENNY MARSHALL PROJECT, underground live wires like DEEP AFRICA and HOT BROADS, and undeniable sensations like REJECTED. An opening meet-and-greet, a Halloween costume party, and concurrent bookings with the likes of Wesley Willis, Evil Beaver, The Waco Brothers, and DJ Lyle the Electrician have also figured into this expanded Freaky Films, which would turn out to be its swan song as an attempt by Fisher to reestablish the program in the Pacific Northwest would not pan out. Many of the open-minded businesses that threw key support behind this homegrown banquet of alternative cinema – Boltini, Mike ‘n Molly’s The Octopus, Boneyard Pottery, The Highdive, the New Art, and national sponsor Insound – have since become defunct as well. C-U Blogfidential editor Jason Pankoke contributed to the cause as he did every year, this time as a juror and a liaison who coordinated Freaky coverage in The Octopus. As reported on 6/7/19, 11/3/20 at CUBlog.
LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Chambana Film Society* presents “The Savoy Arthouse” feat. “Short Docs” program (12/28, 3 p.m.)
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
ANACONDA, GEZHI TOWN* (in Mandarin with English sub), MARTY SUPREME, SONG SUNG BLUE, AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, DAVID (faith animation), FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S 2, HAMNET*, THE HOUSEMAID, THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS (animation), WICKED: FOR GOOD, ZOOTOPIA 2 (animation) (12/26 on), STRANGER THINGS 5: THE FINALE (concluding Netflix episode) (12/31-1/1) *single screenings daily
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
ANACONDA, CHAMPION (in Telugu with English sub), MARTY SUPREME, SONG SUNG BLUE, AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, DAVID (faith animation), FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S 2, HAMNET, THE HOUSEMAID, THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS (animation), WICKED: FOR GOOD, ZOOTOPIA 2 (animation) (12/26 on), SHAMBHALA (in Telugu with English sub) (12/28, 10 a.m.)
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
Red-carpet premiere of CHILDREN OF THE CORNFIELD short* and HELLTHCARE series sneak preview with producer/director Crystal Hughes (12/29, 6 p.m. doors, 7 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. reception, 8 p.m. raffle and silent auction to benefit CORNFIELD feature film) (free or donation to the Fischer)
@ Golden Ticket Cinemas Ale House, Bloomington, IL
ANACONDA, MARTY SUPREME, SONG SUNG BLUE, AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, DAVID (faith animation), THE HOUSEMAID, THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS (animation), WICKED: FOR GOOD, ZOOTOPIA 2 (animation) (12/26 on)
@ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH (12/26-12/28)
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
Closed for the week.
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS (animation) (12/26-12/28)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
WICKED: FOR GOOD (12/26-12/28)
NOW PLAYING | Midwest
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
1/16-1/18, 2026
Champaign Movie Makers* “48-Hour Film Competition”
@ Lincoln Square, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m.
4/3-4/10, 2026
28th annual Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI
4/9-4/12, 2026
36th Onion City Experimental Film Festival, Chicago, IL
4/17-4/19, 2026
26th Roger Ebert’s Film Festival*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
~~~~~
Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
~~~~~
“Calendar du C-U”
© 2025 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential
[T −86]