Calendar: Jan. 30-Feb. 5, 2026
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.
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PASSINGS | You Will Be Missed
12/30: Dean E. Williams, 84 (founder/executive director, Central Illinois Film Commission, Springfield, IL)
FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said
Vintage news items from “The Confidential Teletype” feature in MICRO-FILM have enhanced our knowledge of the movies of Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond for the last three weeks, but today it’s time to be present in the here and now before we relax the Report for a few weeks more. One paragraph of weird whimsy will be followed by another graf of cinema du C-U and then a sign-off until we pipe back up for the occasion of our twentieth anniversary, which lands on Wednesday, February 25.
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Behind the scenes in Ye Ed’s personal activity involving indie films, the topic of one of the very first local productions to be highlighted here on C-U Blogfidential has come back up and, with it, a sprig of fresh-to-the-taste context that is courtesy of our friend and the project’s co-editor and co-star, Paul A. Brooks. It’s time for six degrees of LATE AFTERNOON OF THE LIVING DEAD! The 2007 horror-comedy, filmed in various Illinois locations like Bloomington-Normal, Decatur, and Chicago by writer/director Jason Huls and his team, is available in a shortened and spiffed-up edition on YouTube if you need a refresher or a belated first look, and we’ll connect a few dots between it and what’s happening now. We recently talked about Huls’ newest film, THE FAWN, and it will be featured at the Normal Theater tomorrow night, Saturday, January 31, in a program sponsored by the boutique label Severin Films; FAWN plays before the 1984 feature EYES OF FIRE, which Severin restored as part of their massive “All the Haunts be Ours” revival of international folk horror cinema. Also, we confirmed that LATE AFTERNOON actress Ashley O’Neil went on to be a screenwriter and script editor in Hollywood with at least a dozen film credits, according to IMDb, which include the Steve Guttenberg sci-fi duo, LAVALANTUA and 2 LAVA 2 LANTUA, produced by University of Illinois alumnus Paul Hertzberg for CineTel Films and shown in back-to-back years at the UI Insect Fear Film Festival at Foellinger Auditorium. And, in the “no part is too small” arena, we’ve learned that area alum Britt Lower, who was awarded a prime time Emmy last year for her performance in the hit television series SEVERANCE, provided overdubbing for one of the lady leads in LATE AFTERNOON while she was an undergraduate at Northwestern University. How about that!
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Last week, we also touched on a few imminent happenings in the C-U that local film supporters and our community-at-large would be wise to attend … but, wait, there’s more! Sunday at Savoy 16 are the Champaign Movie Makers 48-hour films, starting at 12:30 p.m., to be followed by a de facto group viewing and talkback of MOSES THE BLACK at 3 p.m., to be followed on Tuesday night at the Orpheum Champaign by a CMM-curated local film block at 7 p.m. as we already shared. Not long after, Dance at Illinois will have their biennial Flatlands Dance Film Festival coming up on Friday, February 6, at the UI Spurlock Museum at 7 p.m.; this is the “short film competition” program. As well, Paul Young’s Film Fanatic Movie Nights returns for its sophomore outing with Francis Ford Coppola’s recut of his fantastical ONE FROM THE HEART, starring Teri Garr, Raul Julia, Frederic Forrest, Harry Dean Stanton, and Nastassja Kinski, at 6 p.m. in the heart of Urbana’s Gallery Art Bar the following night, Saturday, February 7. And finally, we guess it’s true that “Ebertfest” will get its “Last Dance” as the Virginia Theatre has begun selling festival passes as of today, Friday, January 30, the traditional week/end for them to be made available to filmgoers everywhere; hit this link to reserve yours for the April coda. Over the course of cross-checking all that we’ve packed into our Report, we noticed it was one year ago to a tee when we had previously noticed a pre-spring glut of goodness to choose from in our film culture. Maybe this is the new trend in the C-U, “Our Film February.” Yes?
Now, we say a brief adieu to Report-ing while your humble editor begins the extended slog of figuring out how to live the stable life in the house on the edge of an American small town while courting gainful employment and starting in earnest the exodus of excess material goods that are clogging up the home front we’ve come to know as Momkoke Manor. Still, expect to see a few editorial bonuses and whims making their way onto CUBlog as we continue with a dependable and stripped-down Calendar. Onward.
LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers
@ Orpheum Champaign, Champaign, IL
Champaign Movie Makers* presents “Local Movie Showcase” (2/2, 7 p.m., free)
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Chambana Film Society* presents The Champaign Movie Makers* 2026 48-Hour Film Competition Screening (2/1, 12:30 p.m.), MOSES THE BLACK* w/filmmaker discussion (2/1, 3 p.m.)
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
IRON LUNG, MELANIA (documentary), PARIS HILTON: INFINITE ICON – A VISUAL MEMOIR* (music documentary), SEND HELP, SHELTER, ANACONDA, AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, THE HOUSEMAID, MARTY SUPREME*, MERCY, PRIMATE*, RETURN TO SILENT HILL, ZOOTOPIA 2 (animation) (1/30 on), THE LEGO MOVIE (animation) (1/30, 2/1, 1:45 & 4:30 p.m.; 1/31, 1:45 p.m.; 2/2-2/4, 4:30 p.m.), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING* (re-release) (1/30, 2/2), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS* (re-release) (1/31, 2/3), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING* (re-release) (2/1, 2/4), MOSES THE BLACK (1/31, 2/4, 7 p.m.), AMC “Scream Unseen” (mystery movie) (2/2, 7 p.m.), BUFFALO KIDS (animation), DRACULA, SOLO MIO, THE STRANGERS: CHATPER 3 (2/5 on) *single screenings daily
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
IRON LUNG, MOSES THE BLACK, SEND HELP, SHELTER, 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE, AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, HAMNET, THE HOUSEMAID, MARTY SUPREME, MERCY, NO OTHER CHOICE (in Korean with English sub), PRIMATE, RETURN TO SILENT HILL, SONG SUNG BLUE, ZOOTOPIA 2 (animation) (1/23 on), Indian cinema: OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTIHI* (in Telugu with English sub; 1/30, 2/1-2/2), BORDER 2 (in Hindi with English sub; 1/30-2/4), ANAGANAGA OKA RAJU* (in Telugu with English sub; 1/31, 2/4), and MANA SHANKARAVARAPRASAD GURY (in Telugu with English sub; 2/3), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (re-release) (1/30, 2/2), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS* (re-release) (1/31, 2/3), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING* (re-release) (2/1, 2/4), UFC 325: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes, more (mixed martial arts) (1/31, 8 p.m., simulcast), TITANIC (2/1, 3 & 7 p.m.; 2/4, 7 p.m.), STILL HOPE (2/5 on) *single screenings daily
@ Pine Lounge, 1st floor, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2025 Weekend Films” feat. BLACK PHONE 2 (1/30-1/31, 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!
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NOW PLAYING | The Cities Beyond
@ AMC Classic 12, Springfield, IL
Springfield Art Association presents Molly Schlich Independent | International Film Series feat. LEE (2/1, 1 & 4 p.m.; 2/3, 7 p.m.)
@ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL
SEND HELP (1/30-2/1, 2/5 on)
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
NO OTHER CHOICE (in Korean with English sub) (1/30-2/1), Severin Films presents “A Folk Horror Double Feature” feat. EYES OF FIRE, THE FAWN* (1/31, 7 p.m.), ISU African American Studies Program presents BECOMING THURGOOD: AMERICA’S SOCIAL ARCHITECT (documentary) (2/2, 7 p.m., free), Community Players Theatre presents “The CPT Concert Revue” (live performance) (2/5-2/8)
LAST LISTING! @ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
Closed for the week.
Click this link to keep up with showtimes for the venue above.
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
THE HOUSEMAID (1/30-2/1)
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.
2/6
2026 Flatlands Dance Film Festival*
@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m.
2/7
Film Fanatic Movie Nights* presents ONE FROM THE HEART: REPRISE
@ Gallery Art Bar, Urbana, IL, 6 p.m.
2/16
Champaign Movie Makers* meeting
@ Esquire Lounge, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
2/28
43rd Insect Fear Film Festival*
@ Foellinger Auditorium, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m., free
4/3-4/10
28th annual Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI
4/9-4/12
36th Onion City Experimental Film Festival, Chicago, IL
4/17-4/19
26th Roger Ebert’s Film Festival*
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
9/7-9/17
44th Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival
@ Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema + Chicago Filmmakers, Chicago, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
UPDATE! Chambana Film Society presents “The Savoy Arthouse”
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL, 3 p.m. unless noted otherwise
2/8: THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB; “2026 Oscar-Nominated Short Films” series: 2/20: Live Action (7 p.m.), 2/21: Animation (7 p.m.), 2/22: Documentary (3 p.m.), 2/27: Animation (7 p.m.), 2/28: Documentary (7 p.m.), and 3/1: Live Action (3 p.m.)
Illini Union Board presents “Spring 2025 Weekend Films”
@ Pine Lounge, 1st floor, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m. Fri. & Sat, free w/i-card
2/6-2/7: TRON: ARES; 2/13-2/14: REGRETTING YOU; 2/20-2/21: ZOOTOPIA 2; 2/27-2/28: FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S 2; 3/6-3/7: THE RUNNING MAN; 3/13-3/14: THE HOUSEMAID; 3/27-3/28: WICKED: FOR GOOD; 4/3-4/4: ANACONDA; 4/10-4/11: MERCY; 4/17-4/18: 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE
Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies events
@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m. (unless noted otherwise)
2/12: THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG screening; 3/5: ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER screening; 3/30: THE WIZ screening
Springfield Art Association presents the 31st annual Molly Schlich Independent | International Film Series
@ AMC Classic Springfield 12, Springfield, IL, 1 & 4 p.m. Sunday + 7 p.m. Tuesday
2/8, 2/10: SANTOSH; 2/15, 2/17: HOW TO MAKE MILLIONS BEFORE GRANDMA DIES; 2/22, 2/24: TERRESTRIAL VERSES; 3/1, 3/3: NIGHT CALL; 3/8, 3/10: THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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“Calendar du C-U”
© 2026 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential
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