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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 THE BLOGFIDENTIAL TELETYPE | Film News You Can Use, C-U<\/strong><\/p>\n What we\u2019re seeing on our beat this week \u2026<\/em> Putting back on our reporter\u2019s cap just so<\/em>, we are embarking on a few consecutive outings of Prompt-a-Palooza in which we’ll plunk down a cache of headlines and stories for your consideration, dearest readers. The theme for this Teletype<\/strong> is \u201cstudents,\u201d now that the graduating class at the University of Illinois<\/strong> has completed their respective journeys on the Urbana<\/strong> campus and all the other young learners at area schools and colleges are about to head into the summertime \u2026<\/p>\n We gather that you already knew about UI College of Media<\/strong> alumnus Sean Evans<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, creator and host of the popular \u201cHot Ones<\/strong>\u201d YouTube<\/strong> program on the \u201cFirst We Feast<\/strong>\u201d channel, returning to give the Class of 2026 a commencement speech; here is the transcript of the upbeat and earnest words<\/a><\/span> he shared on Saturday, May 16<\/strong>. Just as admirable from a career-making perspective is that UI School of Information Sciences<\/strong> alumnus Daniel Kraus<\/strong>, already a best-selling and award-winning author with work published and translated the world over, was just awarded the fiction book Pulitzer Prize<\/strong><\/a><\/span> for his 2025 novel Angel Down<\/span><\/strong> (Atria Books<\/strong>)<\/a><\/span> and co-wrote the screenplay for the upcoming nautical thriller WHALEFALL<\/strong>, based on his previous novel of the same name, which was directed by Brian Duffield<\/strong> (UNDERWATER, NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU<\/strong>) and will be released in October by 20th Century Studios<\/strong>. As more of a feel-good, reach-for-the-stars note than anything, NASA<\/strong> has inducted a pair of retired space explorers into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame<\/strong> including Joe Tanner<\/strong>, a Danville<\/strong> native who earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering<\/strong> in the Seventies from what is now the UI Granger College of Engineering<\/strong><\/a><\/span> and flew aircraft while serving in the Navy <\/strong>before training for missions outside our atmosphere; he and Tom Akers<\/strong> were honored on May 16<\/strong> at the space shuttle Atlantis<\/span><\/strong> exhibit<\/a><\/span> in the John F. Kennedy Space Center<\/strong> in Florida<\/strong> \u2026<\/p>\n And there are the current and just-graduated students, what were they up to? The Daily Illini<\/span><\/strong> did them a solid by filing articles on both of the showcases hosted at the UI Spurlock Museum of World Cultures<\/strong> earlier this month \u2013 the Illinois Student Film Festival<\/strong>, a smorgasbord of shorts made by undergraduates from all corners of the campus<\/a><\/span> and organized by their peers taking the MACS 366<\/strong> \u201cFilm Festivals<\/strong>\u201d course, on Saturday, May 2<\/strong>, and the MACS Student Showcase<\/strong>, composed of pieces that were created as classwork by the majors enrolled in Media and Cinema Studies<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, College of Media, on Saturday, May 9<\/strong>. Broadcast reporters at WPGU-FM<\/strong> also earned an extra credit for the cause by producing a documentary segment about one team whose film was shown in the former event; Episode 4 of \u201cAmplified<\/strong>\u201d tells the story<\/a><\/span> of director Kris Modi<\/strong>, writer Joe Wilson<\/strong>, and their short, ITCH<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, about a woman with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). One twin cities over, The Vidette<\/span><\/strong> highlighted a film project that talks about using textiles and repurposed goods to design wearable fashions and confront the status quo<\/a><\/span>; NON-COMPLIANCE<\/strong> was premiered on the Illinois State University<\/strong> campus back on April 27<\/strong> and made by ISU students Zac Talbot<\/strong> and Brice Banning<\/strong>, covering the latter\u2019s efforts to echo the history of social justice and art in America<\/strong> through their original creations that were paraded by models during the spring semester fashion show. You can watch it on YouTube<\/a><\/span> \u2026<\/p>\n Let\u2019s close this jam-packed lesson with something that both children and teenagers can be involved with along with their college-aged neighbors! The annual \u201cShortcuts<\/strong>\u201d program, sponsored by the Illinois Film Office<\/strong> in association with 815HORTS<\/strong> and the Plus Seven Company<\/strong>, just opened their window for young folks to enter their films in the hopes of being selected to play the fifth annual 815HORTS Film Festival<\/strong> in Rockford<\/strong> this November; go here and then click the banner for more information<\/a><\/span> \u2026 and that\u2019s what we can reveal for today. Always remember \u2013 this is not just movies, it\u2019s our lives.<\/em><\/p>\n