Saturday, April 18, 2009 7:40 PM CDT
Roger Ebert's Film Festival uncovers 'overlooked' films,
shows them in Champaign
BY DAWN SCHABBING, Features Writer
dschabbing@jg-tc.com
Not all movies make it out of the gates in the race for a box office smash.
Roger Ebert has been critiquing movies for decades and this spring has come up with 12 of what he believes have been passed up by audiences, critics and distributors.
The 11th annual Roger Ebert’s Film Festival opens Wednesday and closes April 26 at the historic 1,500-seat Virginia Theatre, located at 203 W. Park, Champaign. An estimated 18,000 people will attend the five-day event, organizers reported.
Looking at his picks this year, Ebert said, it was difficult to choose just one as his favorite.
“A wise parent has no favorite child. I do think many people will never have seen the visual equals of ‘Baraka’ and ‘The Fall,’” Ebert said.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic each April pulls together a selection of those films he says were “overlooked.” He offers movie buffs a chance to not only see the movie, but also to rub elbows, or at least interact with, some of the stars, the directors, the producers, the composers and others who played a part in its making.
Among those scheduled to attend this year’s festival is actor Matt Dillon, who was in one of Ebert’s picks, “Nothing But The Truth,” scheduled to be screened at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Virginia Theatre.
Ebert said the success of the festival in Champaign-Urbana is multi-faceted.
“(It brings) the opportunity to see good, less-known films or formats, and the incredible volunteer effort from the community that makes it all possible,” Ebert said.
Organizers working behind the scenes to bring movie-goers Ebert’s 2009 line-up of 12 picks said the event is also about “friendships and bringing the community together.”
After Ebert hosted a screening in 1997 at the Virginia Theatre of the film, “2001: A Space Odyssey,” the talk about a film fest began.
This showing was a part of the university’s birthday celebration for HAL the computer, said Nate Kohn, Ebert’s Film Festival director.
“We agreed that movies are best seen on a really large screen. And watching a movie is not something to be done alone — it is a communal activity, bringing together friends and strangers in a mutual emotional adventure,” Kohn said.
The film event is casual and special guests are accessible, officials said. Passes to view all movies are sold out, but individual showings are still possible.
“Mr. Ebert brings together the films, producers, writers, actors and directors to help showcase these films,” said Mary Susan Britt, associate director of the film festival.
“(He) leads on-stage Q&A sessions with the guests for general audiences and critics. In addition, the festival hosts a number of academic panel discussions featuring Mr. Ebert, festival guests and academic scholars,” she said.
The festival is a non-profit event of the College of Media at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Ebert is a 1964 graduate of the U of I, with a degree in journalism, she added.
Kohn said: “When we sit in the darkened Virginia, both alone and together, we enter another world, transported for a couple of hours from the routines of our everyday lives into the wondrous dreamscapes of shared imagination.”
“That is what this festival is all about — about sharing, and community, and Roger Ebert, and the love of great films,” he added.
Tickets for individual films being shown are still available through the box office by calling 356-9063. Tickets are $12 or $10 for students or senior citizens. Those screenings that are sold out will open a “rush ticket line” at the Virginia Theatre box office 30 minutes before show time.
Shortly before the film begins, empty seats are counted and sold on a first-come, first-served basis at the box office. In the past, patrons were still able to see the film they wanted, using this method, according to Britt.
Films included in this year’s fest include “Baraka,” selected in part for its musical score. At least one silent film, “The Last Command,” was chosen, and Alloy Orchestra performs with it at the Virginia Theatre.
A horror film, “Let the Right One In,” also will be featured. A documentary, “Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music, The Director’s Cut,” is among the 12 picks.
The event includes a post-festival screening of “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” and a book signing, in addition to academic panel discussions.
“Together at this festival, we are seeing, we are celebrating — movies that Roger considers worthy,” Kohn said.
Contact Dawn Schabbing at dschabbing@jg-tc.com or at 238-6864.
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