25th Ebertfest film festival: first films, guests announced

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The 25th anniversary of Ebertfest, Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, will take downtown Champaign by storm this April. Some of the key films and guests were announced Wednesday afternoon.

The festival celebrates Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Robert Ebert and the movies he loved. Ebert, an Urbana native and University of Illinois journalism graduate, wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times. It comes as a collaboration between the U of I College of Media and Chaz Ebert, who is Ebert’s widow and CEO of Ebert Digital.

Ebertfest will run April 17 – 20 at The Virginia Theatre.

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It will open with a screening of Bob Fosse’s “Star 80” starring Eric Roberts and Mariel Hemingway, who will be in attendance. Roger praised performances by both actors over the years. He also praised the film with a glowing 4-star review, calling it “an important movie…Devastating, violent, hopeless, and important, because it holds a mirror up to a part of the world we live in, and helps us see it more clearly.”

Ebertfest is not the only thing celebrating its quarter-century anniversary this year. Romantic comedy “The Best Man” is also turning 25, and will be featured as the event’s centerpiece film. The film’s writer-director, Malcolm D. Lee, will be joining the festivities in-person. Lee has directed several other comedy films, as well, including Girls Trip and The Best Man Holiday.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lee with his first film, which was produced by his cousin Spike Lee in 1999, the same year as our inaugural festival,” said Ebertfest co-founder, producer and host, Chaz Ebert. “‘The Best Man’ has become a classic and introduced stars we all know today, including Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Terrence Howard and Regina Hall, among others.”

Short film “376 Days (Nick Cave: Keep It Moving)” will follow famed multimedia artist Nick Cave, who has an exhibit at the Krannert Art Museum. The film marks photographer Claudie Aline Miller’s directorial debut. The exhibit will be open to Ebertfest guests throughout the event.

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The festival won’t only emphasize the importance of film, but also the importance of music. Lisa Cortes, Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning producer and director, will talk about her documentary, “Little Richard: I Am Everything.” It is a documentary about rock-and-roll legend Little Richard, most known for his songs “Tutti Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally.”

Director Diane Moore and Maestro Roderick Cox will discuss another music-filled documentary, “Conducting Life,” which follows Cox on his journey to achieving a top position with a major orchestra. Cox will be flying in from Berlin, Germany to attend the event.

Chaz Ebert said Ebertfest carries on Roger’s conviction that movies allow people to empathize with others.

“That conviction has evolved to what I call my FECK Principles: Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion and Kindness. Movies, combined with music, can have a profound effect on encouraging more compassion in the world,” Ebert said. “The films and musical performances we have chosen for our 25^th anniversary are ones that would make Roger proud.”

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In tribute to that belief, she will introduce her new book, “It’s Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity Through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion and Kindness,” which will be released on May 7.

Ebertfest tickets can be purchased online or through the box office by calling 217-356-9063. It is $200 for individual festival passes to see all films, and includes reserved seating. Four-film passes are also available for the first time and cost $70. Four-film passes allow visitors to choose between an Evening Pass or a Saturday Pass.

For more Ebertfest updates and information, visit https://ebertfest.com/ and follow the festival on Facebook, or @ebertfest on Instagram and X.

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