Welcome back to Ebertfest! Every year, fans of Roger (and the movies) flock to the Virginia Theater at the College of Media at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign for Roger Ebert’s official film festival. And we’ve got quite the lineup for you in this 26th year!
You can find all the information (including where to buy tickets) at ebertfest.com. We’ll be giving you daily dispatches of what to expect from the fest each day, including the full panel of filmmakers, scholars, and critics who will follow each screening.
Read on to learn more about what exciting titles and guests you can expect at the fest today:
FRIDAY, APRIL 25
10:30 AM: A LITTLE PRAYER — “Junebug” writer Angus MacLachlan arrives with an underappreciated festival gem, starring David Strathairn as a man who finds himself in the uncomfortable position of advising his daughter-in-law (Jane Levy) through his son’s infidelity.
Panel (l-r): Angus MacLachlan, Writer/Producer/Director; Nate Kohn, Director of Ebertfest; Brian Tallerico, Managing Editor, RogerEbert.com; Brandon Ferry, Film Producer/Podcaster.
2:30 PM: I’M STILL HERE — Walter Salles’ latest, most political work yet features a searing, Oscar-nominated performance from Fernanda Torres as a resolute woman searching for her long-missing husband, kidnapped by Brazil’s military dictatorship.
Panel (l-r): Michael Barker, Co-President and Founder, Sony Pictures Classics; Richard Roeper, former Film Critic, Chicago Sun-Times; Matt Zoller Seitz, Editor-at-Large, RogerEbert.com; Brenda Butler, former Senior Features Editor, Chicago Sun-Times.
7:30 PM: RUMOURS — Guy Maddin (along with co-directors Evan and Galen Johnson) poke mirthfully at the vagaries of international politics, with an international cast headlined by Cate Blanchett and a heaping helping of weird.
Panel (l-r): Guy Maddin, Director/Writer/Producer (via satellite); Nate Kohn, Director of Ebertfest; Chaz Ebert, Founder and Co-Director of Ebertfest; Brian Tallerico, Managing Editor, RogerEbert.com.
