Previewing the 25th Anniversary of Ebertfest with Chaz Ebert

April 16, 2024

Join us in celebrating the 25th year of Ebertfest with Chaz Ebert as she shares a bit about this year's films and guests.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Ebertfest, Urbana-Champaign's film festival founded by the late Roger Ebert. Roger was a University of Illinois Journalism graduate and Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic. The festival began in 1999 as a celebration of films that hadn't received the recognition they deserved during their original runs. Today, Ebertfest continues to give these films and their filmmakers a well-deserved second look. Even after Roger's passing in April of 2013, the festival has continued under the direction of Chaz Ebert and Nate Kohn who both worked closely with Roger for fifteen years to program the festival.

Bringing together audiences, producers, writers, actors, and directors, Ebertfest screenings are followed by an in-depth, on-stage Q&A. All of the films are screened in the Virginia Theatre, a restored 1920s movie palace.

Film introductions and Q&A sessions will be livestreamed on YouTube.

For more information and tickets, visit ebertfest.com.

2024 Film Schedule:

Wednesday, April 17

6:30pm -- Star 80

Special Guests: Eric Roberts (actor), Mariel Hemingway (actor)

Thursday, April 18

9:30am -- Little Indian Girl Collective Panel

Special Guests: Gingger Shankar (panelist), Tara Houska (panelist)

11:00am -- Conducting Life

Special Guests: Diane Moore (Producer-Director), Roderick Cox (conductor)

11:00am -- The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt's Monument to Ida B. Wells

Special Guests: Rana Segal (Producer-Director)

3:00pm -- Stony Island

Special Guests: Andrew Davis (Director), Richard Davis (Actor-Musician), Isaiah Robinson (Musician), Larry Gray (Musician), Steve Eisen (Musician), Tony Cazeau (Musician), Wayne Stewart (Musician)

8:00pm -- The Teacher's Lounge