Calendar: Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 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
We’ve added several listings to the Calendar, including the most current details for Chambana Film Society’s first-ever “Doctoberfest” series and their maiden voyage as a co-presenter during the Pygmalion festival later in September. Also added are this semester’s movies at the Illini Union for University of Illinois students (sorry, general public) and what little we could find for both the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies, which includes a showing and discussion of Steven Spielberg’s A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE from 2001 (of course, released in that year) on Thursday, September 3, at the UI Spurlock Center for World Cultures, and the UI Center for East Asian & Pacific Studies’ “AsiaLENS” curated series. A lot has come to our attention otherwise in the last couple of months, so we’ll start taking stock of it all next week. Carry on, film friends.
LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
Chambana Film Society presents “2026 CineSonic Music Film Festival” feat. RADIOHEART: THE DRIVE & TIMES OF DJ KEVIN COLE (documentary) (8/30, 2 p.m.)
@ Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies welcome event and screening feat. A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE introduced by Issac Feldberg (6 p.m. concessions, 7 p.m. program)
@ Watson’s Shack & Rail, Champaign, IL
Film-Fanatic.Club presents OFFICE SPACE introduced by Chuck Koplinski (8/28, 9:30 p.m.)
@ WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign, IL
“Frame Noise” film music program hosted by Przemek (9/2, 7-8 p.m.) Streaming | Archive
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
BUDDY, COYOTE VS. ACME, THE DOG STARS, IDIOTS, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY 35th anniversary, TONY, THE END OF OAK STREET, THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 25th anniversary*, INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER, MUTINY, THE ODYSSEY, PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE (animation), SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA* (8/28 on), HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE 25th anniversary (8/28-8/30), AMC “Screen Unseen” (mystery movie) (8/31, 7 p.m.), THE HUNGER GAMES (9/3, 7 p.m.), BY ANY MEANS, ONSLAUGHT (9/3 on) *single screenings daily
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
BUDDY, COYOTE VS. ACME, THE DOG STARS, IDIOTS, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY 35th anniversary, THE END OF OAK STREET, INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER, THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE*, MUTINY, THE ODYSSEY, PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE (animation), SPA WEEKEND, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA, TONY (8/28 on), Indian cinema: BETHLEHEM KUDUMBA UNIT* (in Malayalam with English sub; 8/28-9/2), IRUMUDI* (in Telugu with English sub; 8/28-9/2), and TOXIC (in Kannada with English sub; 8/28-9/2), HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE 25th anniversary (8/29, 7 p.m.; 8/30, 3 & 7 p.m.; 9/2, 7 p.m.), THE HUNGER GAMES (9/3, 12, 3 & 7 p.m.), BY ANY MEANS (9/3 on) *single screenings daily
@ Courtyard Cafe, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Fall 2026 Weekend Films” feat. MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (animation) (8/29-8/30, 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
@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE 25th anniversary (Screen 1), HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (Screen 2) (8/28), HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE 25th anniversary (Screen 1), HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (Screen 2) (8/29), HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 (Screen 1), HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (Screen 2) (8/30)
@ The Lorraine Theatre, Hoopeston, IL
THE END OF OAK STREET (8/28-8/30)
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (8/28, 7 p.m.; 8/29, 3 p.m.), BONNIE AND CLYDE (8/29, 7 p.m.; 8/30, 3 p.m.), “Your Normal LGBTQ Film Festival” presents PARIAH (8/30, 7 p.m.), HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (9/3, 7 p.m.)
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
MINIONS & MONSTERS (8/28-8/30)
@ The Route 66 Drive-in Theater, Springfield, IL
COYOTE VS. ACME, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY (Screen 1), MUTINY, INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER (Screen 2) (8/21-8/22)
COMING SOON | Area-wide Events
NEW! 9/14
UI Center for East Asian & Pacific Studies presents
“AsiaLENS” feat. OUR MR. MATSURA w/filmmaker Beth Harrington
@ Spurlock Center for World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 5:30-8 p.m.
9/7-9/17
44th Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival
@ Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema + Chicago Filmmakers, Chicago, IL
9/19
DARK SOUL RIVER* feature film “workprint premiere” w/discussion
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7:30 p.m.
9/23-9/27
33rd Chicago Underground Film Festival
@ ACX Harper Theater – Hyde Park, etc., Chicago, IL
NEW! 9/23
Danville Library Foundation, etc., present
“How to Sell Out a Haunted Theater: An Evening with Grady Hendrix”
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL, 6 p.m. doors, 6:30 p.m. show, free
NEW! 9/24
UI Center for East Asian & Pacific Studies and
Ui Mortenson Center for International Library Programs present
“AsiaLENS”/Mortenson screening feat. ONE BIG HAPA FAMILY w/filmmaker Jeff Chiba Stearns
@ School of Information Sciences, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 5:45-8:15 p.m.
10/8-10/18
35th Heartland Film Festival
@ various venues, Indianapolis, IN
10/23
“Behind the ‘Scream’: A Live Conversation with David Arquette”
feat. 30th anniversary screening of SCREAM (1996)
@ Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts, Bloomington, IL, 7 p.m.
10/27
An evening with ‘Partially Devoured’ author Daniel Kraus
feat. screening of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.
11/5-11/15
Cinema St. Louis presents
35th Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival
@ The Hi-Pointe Theatre, St. Louis, MO
NEW! 11/13
Inter-Pygmalion presents
David Cross
@ The City Center, Champaign, IL, 8 p.m.
11/20-11/22
25th anniversary Route 66 Film Festival*
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL
4/8-4/11, 2027
37th Onion City Experimental Film Festival
@ Chicago Filmmakers Firehouse, Chicago, IL
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
NEW! Chambana Film Society presents “2026 Doctoberfest”
@ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL
HANGING BY A WIRE (10/2, 7 p.m.), THE LAST MOVIE CRITIC* (10/8, 7 p.m.), ALL SKATE (10/9, 7 p.m.), COOKIE QUEENS (10/10, 1:30 p.m.), JOYBUBBLES (10/10, 3:30 p.m.), THE LAST PICTURE SHOWS (10/10, 6 p.m.), PINBALL: BEYOND THE BUMPERS (10/10, 8 p.m.), SILVER SCREAMERS (10/11, 12 p.m.), A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHASING STORMS (10/11, 2 p.m.), more TBA
NEW! Illini Union Board presents “Fall 2026 Weekend Films”
@ Courtyard Café, 1st floor, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m. Sat. & Sun, free w/i-card
9/5-9/6: PROJECT HAIL MARY; 9/12-9/13: CARS; 9/19-9/20: SUPERGIRL; 9/26-9/27: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU; 10/3-10/4: OBSESSION; 10/10-10/11: MINIONS & MONSTERS; 10/17-10/18: HOCUS POCUS; 10/24-10/25: THE SHEEP DETECTIVES; 10/31-11/1: COCO; 11/7-11/8: THE END OF OAK STREET; 11/14-11/15: SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY; 11/21-11/22: TOY STORY 5; 12/5-12/6: THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
NEW! Pygmalion 2026 x Chambana Film Society collab
@ Old Tiernan Hall, Urbana, IL, free to the public (unless otherwise noted)
STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE! feat. filmmaker Carl Deal via Zoom (9/25, 6:30-8:30 p.m., $10 + fees advance, $15 door, Knight Auditorium, UI Spurlock Museum, Urbana, IL), THE GREEN MILL: A REAL CHICAGO JOINT feat. filmmaker Paul L. Carr in person (9/26, 6 p.m.), “Animation After Dark” (9/26, 8 p.m.), DEATH OF A ROCKSTAR (9/26, 10 p.m.), “Shorts: Jewish-American” (9/27, 4 p.m.), “Shorts: Homegrown” (9/27, 6 p.m.), SLOUCHING TOWARDS BRANSON (9/27, 8:30 p.m.)
NEW! Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies* event series
@ Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Center for World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m., free to the public (unless otherwise noted)
9/3: Ebert Center welcome event and screening feat. A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (6 p.m. concessions, 7 p.m. program); 10/29: “DCP inauguration” screening feat. SUSPIRIA (1977)
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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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