Calendar: May 29-June 4, 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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THE BLOGFIDENTIAL TELETYPE | Film News You Can Use, C-U
What we’re seeing on our beat this week … Prompt-a-Palooza continues and we’ve decided to bump up the “mix-and-match” edition to today as the next Teletypes will involve even more concentrated time and effort to put together than what follows, which is no slouch of a filing by any means…
First, we’ll hint at the things to come. Theaters will be a topic, as they are wont to be here on CUBlog, and a couple of events touch upon that. If you happen to see this by late in the morning tomorrow, Saturday, May 30, then you will have enough time to get out the door and join the Champaign County History Museum’s walking tour of downtown Champaign in which the long history of theater spaces will be explored. Start time is 1 p.m. and tickets are still available as of this writing. Also, the visitor’s bureau for the county, Experience Champaign-Urbana, recently honored a few local business owners who’ve made an investment and difference in the community with what they do; “Brilliant Spirit” award winners for 2026 include our friends Anne and Chris Lukeman, UIUC alums and low-budget filmmakers who’ve found success and acclaim with their elaborate and immersive spaces in Urbana, CU Adventures in Time & Space (rotating escape rooms) and Parcadia (a ren faire-flavored indoor miniature golf course), as well as Steven Bentz, the director of the Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign (absolutely a stop on the walking tour) for the Champaign Park District. Congratulations to them for the well-deserved honors …
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Speaking of low-budget filmmakers, production as a viable local business opportunity is also a topic and we’ll investigate that separately. We have some related threads, however. Starting bright and early at 8 a.m. on Saturday is the latest intensive workshop to be offered through Flyover Film Studios in Rantoul; the two-day event, titled “Production Department Intensive: For Emerging Filmmakers,” will be held at the Rantoul Business Center adjacent to the Flyover campus and instruct on all the primary roles and expectations one might find on an active film set. Registration for this has probably been closed for some time, so those who are interested in future classes on this or other avenues that are related to serious participation in the making of movies should keep tabs on this website and sign up for any email lists they offer. (We’ve noticed they are going light with social media, including this barely-utilized Instagram account, so older contact methods are apparently preferred.) For those who like to keep copies of our locally-filmed output within easy reach, Diabolik DVD has been offering at a discount the fancy slipcover edition for REVEALER, one of the indies produced in Champaign County by Flyover folks during the height of COVID precautions and a bit prior to the formal launch of the sound stage; Shudder released it to DVD and streaming services a while back and more recently issued this Blu-ray version as a limited edition through OCN Distribution and the internet storefront of Vinegar Syndrome …
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Is anyone hungry for divergences related to the living dead? HOLLER, the Jacksonville-based zombie apocalypse Western that we talked about recently, has begun filming this week and may still be in need of extras, so it’s high time to hit up the folks at Subterranean Sound & Vision if you’re interested. We also just learned that our comrades at Acrostar Productions will be taking their third “corn zombies” movie on the road and past east central Illinois, but not so far out of reach that we can’t lend a severed hand or two. Whereas ATTACK OF… and RETURN OF THE CORN ZOMBIES were shot on location in various small towns adjacent to Champaign-Urbana and Bloomington-Normal, the bulk of REVENGE OF THE CORN ZOMBIES will be produced in the preserved structure of the former Indiana State Santorium, located on Route 36 not too far inside the Indiana state line; the grounds are in Rockville, which is a little bit closer to Terre Haute than Danville. The Acrostar team has their fundraising campaign live here, which includes sponsorships that can earn you placement in the film as a zombie or extra among other participatory perks, so take a look and see what looks good and grueling to you. The producers have been announcing over the past few days the actors who will appear in REVENGE and it looks to continue more directly from RETURN than the original. BayView Entertainment will distribute the trilogy’s concluding chapter …
Time to wind down the Teletype with the announcement that we’ll finally be able to watch on all of our personal devices THE FAWN, Jason Huls’ folk horror short that we’ve invoked in a couple of prior Calendars, when it premieres on YouTube at 4 p.m. Central time this Saturday at the Ten Wing Media channel. Huls also produces The Mythos Minute Podcast where he reads original stories by himself and contributors that only last a minute or so each; episodes 89 to 91 of the series have materialized just this week on Jason Huls Creative at Substack, featuring the work of Bote Thibeault, Imogene Nocturne, and Huls, while you can also read a new written entry about his inspirations for making THE FAWN, which was filmed near Pontiac with a small crew and actress Nora McKirdie … and that’s what we can reveal for today. Always remember – this is not just movies, it’s our lives.
LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers
@ The Literary, Champaign, IL
Film-Fanatic.Club presents THE FRENCH DISPATCH (6/4, 10:30 p.m.)
@ Shake It Up Cocktail Lounge & Eatery, Bloomington, IL
“B-Movie Bingo” hosted by Paul A. Brooks* feat. THE RUINS, TURISTAS (6/4, 7 p.m.)
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
BACKROOMS, THE BREADWINNER, PRESSURE, I LOVE BOOSTERS*, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2, MICHAEL, MORTAL KOMBAT II, OBSESSION, PASSENGER, THE SHEEP DETECTIVES, STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (5/29 on), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (6/1, 7 p.m.), MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE sneak preview (6/3, 7 p.m.), THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS: THE LAST ACT (animation), MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, POWER BALLAD, SCARY MOVIE (6/4 on) *single screenings daily
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
BACKROOMS, THE BREADWINNER, PRESSURE, I LOVE BOOSTERS, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2, MICHAEL, MORTAL KOMBAT II, OBSESSION, PASSENGER, PROJECT HAIL MARY, THE SHEEP DETECTIVES, STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU, THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE (animation) (5/29 on), The Metropolitan Opera: El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego (5/30, 12 p.m., simulcast; 6/3, 1 & 6:30 p.m., recorded), BATMAN (5/30, 7 p.m.; 5/31, 3 & 7 p.m.; 6/3, 7 p.m.), REVOLUTIONARY AMERICA (documentary) (5/31, 4 & 7 p.m.; 6/1-6/2, 7 p.m.), THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS: THE LAST ACT (animation), MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, SCARY MOVIE (6/4 on)
@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad” feat. HOPPERS (animation) (6/4, 9 p.m., free)
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
@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
“Pickle Fest 2026” feat. TWISTER, TWISTERS (Screen 1), STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU, BACKROOMS (Screen 2) (5/29-5/31), STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (Screen 1), BACKROOMS (Screen 2) (6/1-6/3), SCARY MOVIE (Screen 1), TBD (Screen 2) (6/4)
@ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL
STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (5/29-5/31)
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (5/29, 5/31, 7 p.m.), M*A*S*H (5/30, 7 p.m.; 5/31, 3 p.m.), THE IRON GIANT (animation) (6/1, 1 p.m.; 6/3, 7 p.m.), ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (6/2, 7 p.m.), THE CHRISTOPHERS (6/4, 7 p.m.)
@ Peoria Riverfront Museum, Peoria, IL
Film Society of the Giant Screen Theater presents “Art of Film: American Realism” curated by A. S. Hamrah feat. HUSTLE (5/29, 6:30 p.m.; 5/31, 2:30 p.m.)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (5/29-5/31)
@ The Route 66 Drive-in Theater, Springfield, IL
THE SHEEP DETECTIVES, STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (Screen 1), BACKROOMS, OBSESSION (Screen 2) (5/29-5/31, 6/3-6/4)
NOW PLAYING | Midwest
@ Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
Midwest Film Festival presents the Film Fair Expo (5/31, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Claudia Cassidy Theater/GAR Hall) and the 2025 BMA Winners Showcase Screening” (5/31, 3 p.m., Claudia Cassidy Theater)
COMING SOON | Area-wide Events
NEW! 7/21-7/26
Heartland Film presents
9th Indy Shorts Film Festival
@ Living Room Theaters, etc., Indianapolis, IN
8/22
Halloran Family Foundation presents
FischerFest* “Big Stories, Short Films”
@ Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL, 3-10 p.m., free
9/7-9/17
44th Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival
@ Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema + Chicago Filmmakers, Chicago, IL
9/23-9/27
33rd Chicago Underground Film Festival
@ ACX Harper Theater – Hyde Park, etc., Chicago, IL
10/8-10/18
35th Heartland Film Festival
@ various venues, Indianapolis, IN
NEW! 11/5-11/15
Cinema St. Louis presents
35th Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival
@ The Hi-Pointe Theatre, St. Louis, MO
11/20-11/22
25th anniversary Route 66 Film Festival*
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
Film Society presents “Art of Film: American Realism” curated by A. S. Hamrah
@ Giant Screen Theater, Peoria Riverfront Museum, Peoria, IL
6/12, 6/14: DANCER IN THE DARK; 6/19, 6/21: STROSZEK; 6/26, 6/28: KAJILLIONAIRE; 7/3, 7/5: LEAVE NO TRACE
Illini Union Board presents “Summer Films on the Quad”
@ Main Quad, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 9 p.m. Thursdays, free
6/11: JURASSIC PARK; 6/18: ZOOTOPIA 2; 6/25: JAWS; 7/2: GREASE; 7/9: MICHAEL; 7/16: WICKED; 7/23: COCO; 7/30: POWER BALLAD; 8/6: PROJECT HAIL MARY; 8/13: STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU
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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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