A little behind-the-scenes: This year, instead of making the couple mile commute to and from my hotel and the Virginia Theatre, I rented an apartment two blocks away for the week. So far, it makes the experience so much more...
Another year, another Ebertfest! I have now attended and covered four straight festivals, and thus have written four introductions that described my history with the festival and the history of the festival itself. So, why don’t I skip all that...
Saturday at Roger Ebert’s Film Festival is the most jam-packed day, with four screenings and filmmaker Q&As over more than 12 hours, so (to borrow a phrase) let’s get into it shall we?
Taking a look at the Ebertfest schedule in advance, day three was without question what I was looking forward to the most. Featuring two classic films I had never seen before and one I hadn’t seen in years, this day...
The first full day of Ebertfest didn’t start off too well for me, when the campus parking lot that I typically use (because it takes credit cards) suddenly didn’t exist. So, I spent time away from the first academic panel...
In her opening statements, Chaz Ebert, the face and soul of the Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, told a brief story about the unveiling of Roger’s statue, which is happening on the second day of this year’s festival. Roger and Chaz’s...
After two long days and an earlier start for the fourth day of the 2013 Roger Ebert Film Festival, Tilda Swinton had a plan. By this point, I’m sure you’ve read about the events or seen the video but there...
If it hadn’t already become clear that loss was particularly on the mind of the 2013 Roger Ebert Film Festival schedule, the third day sealed that thought. Obviously, the recent loss of Roger was already on the minds of all...
The second day of Ebertfest is when things get busy — instead of one screening, the day’s schedule is pretty full, with three screenings and two morning panels (basically a 9-to-midnight day). By viewing multiple films in one day, themes...
Standing in line wrapped around the Virginia Theater in Champaign, Illinois, waiting for the doors to open, I was quickly reminded of one of the many reasons why Ebertfest is so special. As the line kept growing with people passing...
