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Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday\/Saturday on <\/em>C-U Blogfidential<\/span><\/strong> and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.<\/em><\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!<\/strong><\/p>\n 10\/13: Alaric S. Rocha (director, THE TONE OF EMMA ZANN\u2019S VIOLA, Blue Bassoon Pictures, Los Angeles, CA) \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said<\/strong><\/p>\n It was bad luck to think I could knock out a Calendar<\/strong> in time as well as get ready to visit Champaign-Urbana<\/strong> this week. Guess which one won out. Cheers.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History<\/strong><\/p>\n 30 Years Ago<\/strong> \u2026 Saturday, October 16, 1993:<\/em> A former Champaign<\/strong> resident who carved out a unique twin career of university teaching and film promotion, Ron Epple<\/strong>, is found deceased at age 51 in his Chicago<\/strong> home. The obituary by Melissa Merli<\/strong> that would appear in the October 20<\/strong> edition of the News-Gazette<\/span><\/strong> tells of a much-respected man whose efforts in propagating the arts had enriched Champaign-Urbana for more than two decades. During his collegiate studies up north at Elmhurst College<\/strong> and Roosevelt University<\/strong> in the 1960s, Epple wrote for underground student magazines such as Aardvark<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> that gleefully bucked the status quo and attracted the ire of academic superiors. He continued to be productive with his side projects after moving downstate and enrolling at the University of Illinois<\/strong> to pursue a doctorate in English, becoming ubiquitous with cinema in the community. Ventures during schooling included Aardvark Films<\/strong>, a booking entity, Champaign-Urbana Film Group<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, a filmmaking club, and The Depot<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, a performance space in downtown Urbana<\/strong> that hosted original stage productions and local film premieres. Epple graduated and remained in Champaign, operating a pair of companies out of his West John Street<\/strong> residence that doubled as an office and private screening room: Expanded Cinema Group<\/strong>, an agency launched with the photographer Scott Mutter<\/strong><\/span><\/a> that presented non-mainstream and foreign films on campus, and Picture Start<\/strong>, a short film distributor specializing in animation and women-directed pieces that booked non-theatrical showings of prints across the United States<\/strong>. He also served as an adjunct professor at UI to teach English and film, wrote for myriad journals and newsletters, and participated in film festivals outside the area such as the first Big Muddy Film Festival<\/strong><\/span><\/a> at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale<\/strong> in 1979. Even though UI audiences dwindled for his fare in the late 1970s and 1980s<\/span><\/a> due to lacking interest in the esoteric and the rise of home video, Epple played a role in reviving Champaign\u2019s Art Theater<\/strong><\/span><\/a> when it opened anew in early 1987 as the New Art Theatre<\/strong> and continued Picture Start into the early 1990s. Above all, he was a mentor and inspiration to many dozens of UI students and C-U citizens, some of whom went on to work in the industry like Warrior Films<\/span><\/strong>\u2019 Frederick Marx<\/strong><\/span><\/a>. Per the News-Gazette<\/span>, Epple sold his stake in Picture Start to his business partner, Jeff Hellyer<\/strong>, after returning to Chicago and was operating a similar distributor called Short Form Releasing<\/strong> at the time of his death. The Picture Start inventory was acquired by Chicago Filmmakers<\/strong> in 1991 and eventually formed the core of their Film Distribution Project<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, a collection of key and rare short subjects on 16mm and 35mm. [R]<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers<\/strong><\/p>\n @ Dreamscape Cinema, 403 S. Water St., Champaign, IL<\/strong> @ Esquire Lounge, Champaign, IL<\/strong> NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area<\/strong><\/p>\n @ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL<\/strong> @ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL<\/strong> @ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL<\/strong>
\n10\/18: Mike Everleth (publisher, Underground Film Journal<\/span>, Los Angeles, CA)<\/p>\n
\nAnnual costume and prop sale (10\/13 (2-6 p.m.) and 10\/14 (8 a.m.-12 p.m.))<\/p>\n
\nChampaign Movie Makers* mixer (10\/16, 7 p.m.)<\/p>\n
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\nTAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR (concert film) (10\/13-10\/15), THE CREATOR, DUMB MONEY, THE EQUALIZER 3, THE EX-FILES 4: MARRIAGE PLAN (in Mandarin with English sub), THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER, A HAUNTING IN VENICE, THE NUN II, PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE (animation), SAW X, SOUND OF FREEDOM, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM (animation) (10\/13 on), LEO: BLOODY SWEET (in Tamil\/Hindu with English sub) (10\/18 on), KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, UNDER THE LIGHT (in Mandarin with English sub) (10\/19 on)<\/p>\n
\nTAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR (concert film) (10\/13-10\/15), WHEN EVIL LURKS (in Spanish with English sub), BARBIE, THE BLIND (faith film), THE CREATOR, THE EQUALIZER 3, THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER, A HAUNTING IN VENICE, HOCUS POCUS 30th anniversary (re-release), THE NUN II, PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE (animation), SAW X, STOP MAKING SENSE (concert film; re-release) (10\/13 on), THE HUNGER GAMES (10\/15, 3 & 7 p.m.; 10\/18, 7 p.m.), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (10\/15, 10\/18, 3 & 7 p.m.), DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS 10th anniversary extended edition (anim\u00e9) (10\/17-10\/18, 7 p.m.), BHAGAVANTH KESARI (in Telugu with English sub) (10\/18 on), ONYX THE FORTUITOUS AND THE TALISMAN OF SOULS (10\/19, 7 & 10 p.m.), KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (10\/19 on)<\/p>\n
\nIllini Union Board presents \u201cFall 2023 Weekend Films\u201d feat. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM, Pine Lounge, 1st floor (10\/13-10\/14, 7 p.m.; free w\/i-card)<\/p>\n