<\/p>\n
~~~~~<\/p>\n
It\u2019s that<\/em> time of year again, friends and former neighbors, when the siren call of Roger Ebert\u2019s Film Festival<\/strong> attracts thousands of filmgoers to Park Avenue<\/strong> in downtown Champaign<\/strong> to enjoy a particular kind of cinema community at the venerable Virginia Theatre<\/strong>. Commiserate with friendly faces you haven\u2019t seen in a long while? Check<\/em>. Compare notes with the armchair movie maven sitting next to you in your favorite section? Check<\/em>. Purchase concessions and collectibles from the friendly and dependable \u2018Ebertfest<\/strong>\u2019 volunteers who always return to help out? Check<\/em>. Step outside for a breather and sneak in a snack from a food tent or truck camped out on the block? Check<\/em>. Get in a photo op under the marquee or with the Roger Ebert<\/strong> \u201cthumbs up\u201d statue that is a permanent fixture out front? Check<\/em>. Walk away satisfied and grateful the College of Media at Illinois<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, Chaz Ebert<\/strong>, and Nate Kohn<\/strong> still put on a good show? Check<\/em>. Turning out is the best policy to ensure an event like this can continue in the C-U every spring, dearest viewers, especially given all of the lumps the exhibition industry and festival circuit have endured recently.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n Our traditional \u201cshort form\u201d version of the \u2018Ebertfest\u2019 schedule is below, but you should always visit the official event website for much more about the selections, their guests, and other details<\/a><\/span>. You can also visit this Media subsite for information about the annual Ebert Symposium<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, which is facilitated in part by the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies<\/strong> and begins tonight, Tuesday, April 22<\/strong>, as a direct lead-in to \u2018Ebertfest\u2019 itself. Individual tickets, bundles, and festival passes are still available through the Virginia\u2019s box office during business hours at (217) 356-9063 as well as on their website<\/a><\/span>. Enjoy your experience and make your memories, \u2018Ebertfest\u2019 faithful, as coming together for something artful is an honorable act in the current cultural climate of America. Opportunities to do so freely should never be taken for granted.<\/p>\n ~ Jason Pankoke<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n 2025 Ebert Symposium schedule<\/strong> Tuesday, April 22<\/em> Wednesday, April 23<\/em> ~~~~~<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n 2025 Roger Ebert\u2019s Film Festival schedule<\/strong> Wednesday, April 23<\/em> Thursday, April 24<\/em> Friday, April 25<\/em> Saturday, April 26<\/em> Special guests who are scheduled to appear include Susan Seidelman<\/strong> and Rosanna Arquette<\/strong> (DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN), Barbara Koppel<\/strong> (HARLAN COUNTY U.S.A.), Azazel Jacobs<\/strong> (HIS THREE DAUGHTERS), Guy Maddin<\/strong> (RUMORS), Michael Barker<\/strong> of Sony Pictures Classics<\/strong> (I\u2019M STILL HERE), and via remote, the great Francis Ford Coppola<\/strong> (MEGALOPOLIS). Film critics and personalities who are also scheduled to participate include Brenda Butler, Brian Tallerico, Dion Metzger, Eric Pierson, Lauren Morton, Matt Zoller Seitz, Michael Phillips, Nell Minow, Omer Mozaffar<\/strong>, and Richard Roeper<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n@ Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, UIUC, Urbana, IL<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n7:00 p.m. screening and discussion: HER (2013, 126 min., Dir. Spike Jonze)<\/p>\n
\nSymposium topic: \u201cArtificial Intelligence Imagined and Realized\u201d
\n9:30 a.m. keynote address by Scott Bukatman, Stanford University
\n11:00 a.m. roundtable discussion with UI faculty Alison Duncan Kerr, Ben Grosser, Heng Ji, and Robert Markley<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n@ The Virginia Theatre, 203 W. Park Ave., Champaign, IL<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n6:30 p.m. THE SEARCHERS<\/strong> (1956, 119 min., 70 mm, Dir. John Ford)<\/p>\n
\n9:00 a.m. MEGALOPOLIS<\/strong> (2024, 138 min., Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
\n1:30 p.m. DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN<\/strong> (1985, 104 min., Dir. Susan Seidelman)
\n5:00 p.m. HARLAN COUNTY U.S.A.<\/strong> (1977, 103 min., 35 mm, Dir. Barbara Kopple)
\n9:30 p.m. HIS THREE DAUGHTERS<\/strong> (2024, 105 min., 35 mm, Dir. Azazel Jacobs)<\/p>\n
\n10:30 a.m. A LITTLE PRAYER<\/strong> (2023, 91 min., Dir. Angus MacLachlan)
\n2:30 p.m. I\u2019M STILL HERE<\/strong> (2024, 136 min., Dir. Walter Salles)
\n7:30 p.m. RUMOURS<\/strong> (2024, 104 min., Dir. Guy Maddin)<\/p>\n
\n9:00 a.m. THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED<\/strong> (1926, 80 min., Dir. Lotte Reiniger) Accompanied by the Anvil Orchestra
\n11:30 a.m. COLOR BOOK<\/strong> (2024, 96 min., Dir. David Fortune)
\n4:00 p.m. TOUCH<\/strong> (2024, 121 min., Dir. Baltasar Korm\u00e1kur)
\n9:00 p.m. THE HANGOVER<\/strong> (2009, 100 min., Dir. Todd Phillips)<\/p>\n