| Status: | Active |
| Genre: | Film festival |
| Frequency: | Annually |
| Location: | Champaign, Illinois |
| Country: | United States |
| Years Active: | 1999–present |
| Founder Name: | Roger Ebert |
| Prev: | 25th Ebertfest April 17–20, 2024 |
| Next: | 26th Ebertfest April 23–26, 2025 |
| Capacity: | 1,463 (Virginia Theatre) |
| People: | Roger Ebert Chaz Ebert |
Ebertfest is an annual film festival held every April in Champaign, Illinois, United States, organized by the College of Media[1] at the University of Illinois. Roger Ebert, the TV and Chicago Sun-Times film critic, was a native of the adjoining town of Urbana, Illinois, and is an alumnus of the University.[2] Founded in 1999 as Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival, this event is the only long-running film festival created by a critic.[3] Despite Ebert's death in 2013, the festival continues to operate based on Ebert's notes and vision for the kinds of films he championed.[4] [5]
The 2020 festival was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.[6] The 22nd edition of the event was rescheduled three times, eventually opening on April 20, 2022.[7]
The festival is a direct descendant[8] of a program put on at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1997 called Cyberfest which used the supposed birthday of HAL (the computer in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey) to highlight the University's involvement in the history of computers and computing.[9] The film was to be shown as part of Cyberfest, Roger Ebert had agreed to host and actor Gary Lockwood was a special guest.[10]
It was suggested that the film should ideally be shown as it was originally, in 70 mm format. The original plan was to have the screening at the University's performing arts center but time constraints vs. the need to install projection equipment and elaborate six channel sound made this impossible. Someone suggested looking at the Virginia Theatre, as 70 mm films had been shown there in the past. At this point the theatre was in the hands of a local live theatre group and had not run films since sold by a theatre chain. All concerned were pleasantly surprised to learn the chain had left behind not only what is reputed to be the finest 35/70 mm projector made but also the screen and speakers. The rest of the equipment was brought in for the special showing which went perfectly.
Since its inception in 1999, Ebertfest has been held at the Virginia Theatre, an old-time movie palace in Champaign built in 1921 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[11] The theatre is now owned by the Champaign Park District. Ebert spoke of having attended films at the Virginia while growing up in Champaign-Urbana and attending the University.[12] It was Ebert's intention that all festival attendees see all of the films in a single theatre in order to create a sense of community among film lovers.[13]
In 2014, a bronze statue of Roger Ebert was unveiled outside of the Virginia Theatre as tribute to both Ebert and Ebertfest.[14]
Through donations, the Virginia has been able to fully equip its projection and sound system with a second projector, the latest in digital sound equipment and top quality lenses.[15] [16] The theatre's screen is 56 feet wide by 23 feet high, with a viewable image of up to 50 feet wide x 21½ feet high. The main speakers sit directly behind the screen during film presentations and are augmented by 36 surround sound speakers.[17]
Instrumental in these upgrades has been notable Chicago-based projection expert James Bond who doubles as one of the projectionists during the festival.[18]
Since 2013, the Virginia Theatre has a seating capacity of 1,463.[19] The theatre was closed from 2012 until April 2013 for renovations that included replacing all of the seats. Capacity dropped from about 1,550 to 1,463 but the new seats are more comfortable and the theatre offers wheelchair and companion access.[20]
In April 2007, it was announced that beginning in 2008 with the tenth festival "Overlooked" would be dropped from the name and subsequent events would be known as "Roger Ebert's Film Festival",[21] but commonly referred to as simply Ebertfest. This did not necessarily indicate any change in the philosophy or theme[22] but simply eliminated the need to explain when current or even unreleased films were included which had sometimes been the case. They had sometimes been jokingly referred to as "pre-overlooked."[23]
Unlike typical film festivals, Ebertfest does not accept submissions.[24] Roger Ebert selected films for the festival which in his opinion are excellent, but have been overlooked by the public or by film distribution companies. All films were selected from those that Ebert saw in the course of his normal reviewing work.[25] Since Ebert's death, all films have been selected by the Festival Committee.
The original purpose of the Overlooked Film Festival, as reflected in the name, was to showcase films that had not been given enough attention by the public, film critics, or even distributors.[26] Ebert had cheerfully admitted that he could bend the definition of "overlooked" to accommodate any film that he would like to include,[27] since entire genres and formats can be overlooked as well as individual films.[28] The selection philosophy is expected to continue, but with the name change there will no longer be a need to come up with a pretext for including any film.
For many years, the festival opened with a film in the 70 mm format.[29] The films may be major releases, like 2001: A Space Odyssey or Patton, or less well-known, like 2005's showing of the French film Playtime.[30] These films were all chosen primarily due to their use of the 70 mm process, which Ebert felt was overlooked.
Each year a silent film is shown with live orchestral accompaniment. The films selected are generally well-known (for example, Nosferatu), but Ebert felt that silent films in general are overlooked by the majority of moviegoers. The festival also strives to include a musical film for the same reason. Performers providing live accompaniment have included the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra and the Alloy Orchestra.
Twelve to fourteen films are presented at each festival, opening with a single film on a Wednesday night and concluding with a single movie the following Sunday. On each day during the interim three or four films are presented. As of 2019, the format excluded the Sunday screening.[31]
For the first eight festivals, before each screening Roger Ebert would make a few introductory remarks. After the film was shown he would have a discussion on stage with the filmmakers or others connected with the film,[32] sometimes hosting a brief panel discussion.
After Ebert lost his speaking voice due to cancer, starting with the ninth festival in 2007, his wife Chaz assumed many of the hosting duties.[33] Post-show panels are led by his "Far-Flung Correspondents" or other respected film professionals, such as film historian David Bordwell and film critic Christy Lemire.[34]
On April 4, 2013, Ebert died after a long battle with cancer.[35] Despite his death, the film festival went along as scheduled, simultaneously acting as a tribute to Ebert's legacy.[36] At the opening of the 15th annual Ebertfest, it was announced by Ebert's wife, Chaz, that his alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, will be establishing a new Film Studies program within the College of Media in honor of his legacy. The program will be funded in part by a $1 million grant from Ebert and his wife to the University. The non-degree program will be both a collection of film-related seminars and classes as well as a platform for Ebertfest to continue.[37]
Since its inception, many film directors, actors, producers, cinematographers and other crew members, as well as studio executives have been invited to participate in Ebertfest. Examples include Werner Herzog,[38] Spike Lee,[39] and Tilda Swinton.[40]
For the tenth Ebertfest in 2010, many of the international invited guests were unable to attend due to the volcanic eruptions in Iceland that disrupted air travel in Europe.[41]
For the 2022 festival, actor Gilbert Gottfried was scheduled to appear as a panelist to discuss the documentary film about him, Gilbert.[42] [43] In the aftermath of his death on April 12, 2022, Ebertfest announced it was dedicating the event to the memories of Gottfried and Sidney Poitier.[44]
As a non-competitive film festival,[45] Ebertfest does not have jury or audience awards. But beginning with the sixth festival in 2004, all invited guests have been given an award originally referred to by Ebert as the Order of the Silver Thumb, but subsequently known as the Golden Thumb Award.[46] The Golden Thumb trophy is a casting of Roger Ebert's thumb in the up position, made by the R.S. Owens & Company, which is the same business that makes the Oscar statuette.
The first Roger Ebert Humanitarian Award was presented in 2016 to co-directors Andrew Young and Stephen Apkon for their documentary film Disturbing the Peace.[47] The film focuses on the work of Combatants for Peace, a group of former Israeli soldiers and Palestinian fighters who put down their weapons and began working together for peace in the region.
In 2017, the second Ebert Humanitarian Award was presented to Norman Lear for "a lifetime of empathy".[48] Lear was the first person to receive the award, because the 2016 award was given to the film Disturbing the Peace. Lear was a special guest at the 2017 festival, to screen the documentary about his life.
In 2019, the third Ebert Humanitarian Award was presented to Morgan Neville for his film Won't You Be My Neighbor?.[49] That same year, Chaz Ebert presented the first-ever Ebertfest Icon Award to Rita Coburn Whack for the documentary film she co-directed about poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou, titled Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise.[50]
Co-sponsored by the University of Illinois College of Media, every Ebertfest since its inception has included panel discussions with invited festival guests and scholars from academia, covering a variety of film-related topics.[51] These discussions are free and open to the public, and are held in the mornings during the festival. From 1999 to 2016, the panels were held on the University of Illinois campus. Beginning in 2017, the panel discussions are held in a hotel close to the Virginia Theatre.[52]
Beginning in 2010, the panel discussions, film introductions, and post-film discussions/question and answer sessions with festival guests have been streamed live, and then archived on Ebertfest's YouTube channel.
Festival goers can purchase tickets to individual shows or full-festival passes. The number of passes sold is limited to 1,000 with the remainder of seats allotted for individual tickets or sponsors.[53] As passholders do not necessarily attend every show, it is often possible to obtain tickets at the last minute after empty seats are counted. At every festival since 2002, all patrons waiting in line for sold-out films were able to gain entry to the theatre.
Passes for the first Ebertfest in 1999 cost $30, and individual film tickets were $5. In 2016, passes cost $150, and individual film tickets were $15.[54] In 2023, passes cost $200 and individual film tickets were $20.
The first sell-out of passes was in 2004.[55]
Festival founder, programmer and host, 1999[56] –2012: Roger Ebert
Festival producer, 1999–2006:[57] Nancy Casey
Festival producer and host, 2007[58] –present: Chaz Ebert
Festival director, 1999–present: Nate Kohn
The following is a complete list of films presented at Ebertfest.
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star 80 | Bob Fosse | 1983 | Post-film Q&A included Roberts; Hemingway was scheduled to appear but was unable to attend | |
| The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt's Monument to Ida B. Wells (documentary) | Rana Segal | 2024 | Richard Hunt | Post-film Q&A included Segal |
| Conducting Life (short documentary) | Diane Moore | 2022 | Roderick Cox | Post-film Q&A included Moore and film subject Cox |
| Stony Island | Andrew Davis | 1978 | Richard Davis | Post-film Q&A included Andrew and Richard Davis, followed by a performance by Richard Davis' band |
| The Teacher's Lounge | İlker Çatak | 2013 | Leonie Benesch, Leonard Stettnisch, Eva Löbau | Post-film Q&A included Michael Barker, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics |
| Cookie's Fortune | Robert Altman | 1999 | Glenn Close, Julianne Moore, Liv Tyler, Chris O'Donnell, Charles S. Dutton, Patricia Neal | Post-film Q&A included a panel of film critics and scholars |
| Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | Michel Gondry | 2004 | Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson | Post-film Q&A included a panel of film critics and scholars |
| Lisa Cortés | 2023 | Little Richard | Post-film Q&A included director and producer Cortés | |
| The Best Man | Malcolm D. Lee | 1999 | Taye Diggs, Nia Long | Post-film Q&A included director and writer Lee |
| Blackmail (silent version) | Alfred Hitchcock | 1929 | Anny Ondra, John Longden, Cyril Ritchard | The Anvil Orchestra provided musical accompaniment; post-film Q&A included Orchestra musician Terry Donahue |
| Omoiyari: A Song Film by Kishi Bashi | Kishi Bashi, Justin Taylor Smith | 2022 | Kishi Bashi | Post-film Q&A included co-director and subject Bashi |
| Albany Road | Christine Swanson | 2024 | Renée Elise Goldsberry, Lynn Whitfield | World premiere; post-film Q&A included director and writer Swanson, producer Michael Swanson and actors Goldsberry and Whitfield |
| Man on the Moon | Miloš Forman | 1999 | Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito, Courtney Love, Paul Giamatti | Post-film Q&A included writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski |
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nine Days | Edson Oda | 2020 | Winston Duke, Benedict Wong, Zazie Beetz, Tony Hale and Bill Skarsgård | Post-film Q&A included Oda and Jason Michael Berman, producer |
| Tokyo Story | Yasujirō Ozu | 1953 | Chishū Ryū, Chieko Higashiyama, Setsuko Hara and Haruko Sugimura | Post-film Q&A included film critic Michael Phillips |
| The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari | Robert Wiene | 1920 | Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt | The Anvil Orchestra provided musical accompaniment; post-film Q&A included film critic Michael Phillips and professor Todd Rendleman |
| My Name is Sara | Steven Oritt | 2019 | Zuzanna Surowy, and Michalina Olszańska | Post-film Q&A included Oritt, executive producer Mickey Shapiro (son of the film's title character), and Holocaust survivor William Gingold |
| American Folk | David Heinz | 2017 | Joe Purdy, Amber Rubarth | Post-film Q&A included Heinz and Rubarth |
| To Leslie | Michael Morris | 2022 | Andrea Riseborough | Post-film Q&A included Morris |
| Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands | Rita Coburn | 2022 | Marian Anderson | Post-film Q&A included Coburn and producer Brenda Robinson; musical performance by student Viveca Richards |
| In & Of Itself | Frank Oz | 2020 | Theatrical premiere. Pre-taped introduction by executive producer Stephen Colbert; post-film Q&A included Oz, DelGaudio, and producers Jake Friedman and Vanessa Lauren | |
| Team Dream (short documentary) | Luchina Fisher | 2022 | Madeline Murphy Rabb, Ann E. Smith | Post-film Q&A included Fisher, Rabb, Smith and coach Derrick Q. Milligan |
| Club Alli (short) | Justen Turner and Julien Turner | 2020 | Post-film Q&A included the Turner Brothers and Max Libman, director of the CU International Film Festival | |
| Fresh | Boaz Yakin | 1994 | Sean Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson and N'Bushe Wright | Post-film Q&A included producer Lawrence Bender |
| Wings of Desire | Wim Wenders | 1987 | Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin | Post-film Q&A included Michael Barker, and Wenders via video call |
| Forrest Gump | Robert Zemeckis | 1994 | Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson and Sally Field | Post-film Q&A included Williamson |
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer of Soul | Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson | 2021 | various artists | Pre-film musical performance by Eef Barzelay performing his song "Roger Ebert"; post-film musical performance included Tammy McCann and local bands Aplustrodamus and Ther'Up.Y |
| The Phantom of the Open | Craig Roberts | 2021 | Mark Rylance, Sally Hawkins | Post-film Q&A included film executive Michael Barker and Champaign film critics Chuck Koplinski and Pam Powell |
| The 39 Steps | Alfred Hitchcock | 1935 | Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll | Post-film Q&A included Michael Barker, film critic Michael Phillips and Ramin Bahrani |
| Gilbert | Neil Berkeley | 2017 | Gilbert Gottfried | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Gottfried and Berkeley; as a result of Gottfried's death nine days prior, the post-film discussion included Berkeley, Terry Zwigoff, executive producer Chris Kelly, and Gottfried's wife Dara via video call |
| French Exit | Azazel Jacobs | 2020 | Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges | Post-film Q&A included Jacobs and Michael Barker |
| Lifeline (short) | Jason Delane Lee and Yvonne Huff Lee | |||
| Passing | Rebecca Hall | 2021 | Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga | Post-film Q&A included Chaz Ebert, executive producer Brenda Robinson, and Yvonne Huff Lee |
| Golden Arm | Maureen Bharoocha | 2020 | Mary Holland, Betsy Sodaro, Dot-Marie Jones | Post-film Q&A included screenwriters Anne Marie Allison and Jenna Milly |
| The White Tiger | Ramin Bahrani | 2021 | Post-film Q&A included Bahrani and film critics Brian Tallerico and Nick Allen | |
| Ghost World | Terry Zwigoff | 2001 | Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson | Post-film Q&A included Zwigoff and Birch |
| Siren of the Tropics | 1927 | Josephine Baker | Renee Baker and 10 members of the Chicago Modern Orchestra played live accompaniment; post-film Q&A included scholar Douglas A. Williams, Baker, Michael Phillips and Chaz Ebert | |
| Krisha | Trey Edward Shults | 2015 | Krisha Fairchild, Robyn Fairchild, Bill Wise | Post-film Q&A included Fairchild, film critic Nell Minow, Joseph Omo-Osagie and Eric Pierson |
| Soy Cubana | Jeremy Ungar, Ivaylo Getov | 2021 | Vocal Vidas | Post-film Q&A included Ungar and producer Robin Ungar; post-film performance by Tito Carillo and the University of Illinois Latin Jazz Ensemble |
| Nightmare Alley | Guillermo del Toro | 2021 | Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include del Toro but he was unable to attend in person; a pre-taped introduction and post-film Q&A with del Toro and co-writer Kim Morgan with Chaz Ebert and Nate Kohn followed |
Festival schedule[65]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazing Grace | Sydney Pollack
| 2018 | Aretha Franklin | Post-film Q&A included Elliott, Tirrell D. Whittley (producer), and a performance by The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir of Champaign-Urbana |
| Cœur fidèle | Jean Epstein | 1923 | Gina Manès, Léon Mathot, Edmond Van Daële | Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A included two members of the Alloy Orchestra, and Michael Phillips (film critic) |
| Rachel Getting Married | Jonathan Demme | 2008 | Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, Debra Winger | Post-film Q&A included Michael Barker, Stephen Apkon, and Nell Minow (film critic) |
| Bound | The Wachowskis | 1996 | Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano | Post-film Q&A included Tilly and Gershon |
| Cold War | Paweł Pawlikowski | 2018 | Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot | Post-film Q&A included Michael Phillips and Carla Renata (film critics) |
| Cane River | Horace B. Jenkins | 1982 | Richard Romain, Tommye Myrick | Post-film Q&A included Myrick and Sacha and Dominique Jenkins (children of director) |
| A Year of the Quiet Sun | Krzysztof Zanussi | 1984 | Maja Komorowska, Scott Wilson | Post-film Q&A included Komoroska and Heavenly Wilson (widow of lead male actor) |
| Romy and Michele's High School Reunion | David Mirkin | 1997 | Mira Sorvino, Lisa Kudrow | Post-film Q&A included Mirkin |
| Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise | Bob Hercules, Rita Coburn Whack | 2016 | Maya Angelou | Post-film Q&A included Coburn |
| Won't You Be My Neighbor? | Morgan Neville | 2018 | Fred Rogers | Post-film Q&A included Neville |
| Almost Famous | Cameron Crowe | 2000 | Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson | Post-film Q&A included Richard Roeper (film critic) |
| Sideways | Alexander Payne | 2004 | Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen | Post-film Q&A included Richard Roeper and Madsen via video call |
Festival schedule[66]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Fugitive | Andrew Davis | 1993 | Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward | Post-film Q&A included Davis |
| Interstellar | Christopher Nolan | 2014 | Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain | Post-film Q&A included scientists Miguel Alcubierre and Brand Fortner |
| Selena | Gregory Nava | 1997 | Jennifer Lopez, Edward James Olmos | Post-film Q&A included Nava |
| Belle | Amma Asante | 2013 | Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Sam Reid, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson | Post-film Q&A included Asante |
| Columbus | Kogonada | 2017 | John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey | Post-film Q&A included Kogonada and producers Bill Harnisch, Andrew Miano, Ruth Ann Harnisch, and Danielle Renfrew Behrens |
| A Page of Madness | Teinosuke Kinugasa | 1926 | Masao Inoue, Ayako Iijima, Yoshie Nakagawa | Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A included two members of the Alloy Orchestra |
| American Splendor | Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini | 2003 | Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis, Judah Friedlander | Post-film Q&A included Berman, Pulcini, and producer Ted Hope |
| 13th | Ava DuVernay | 2016 | documentary film | Post-film Q&A included DuVernay |
| Daughters of the Dust | Julie Dash | 1991 | Cora Lee Day, Barbara O, Alva Rogers | Post-film Q&A included Dash |
| Rambling Rose | Martha Coolidge | 1991 | Laura Dern, Robert Duvall, Diane Ladd | Post-film Q&A included Coolidge |
| The Big Lebowski | Joel and Ethan Coen | 1998 | Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi | Post-film Q&A included film subject Jeff Dowd |
| Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana | 2017 | documentary film | Post-film Q&A included Maiorana and Pura Fé. Live performance by Pura Fé followed the discussion. | |
Festival schedule[67]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hair | Miloš Forman | 1979 | John Savage, Treat Williams, Beverly D'Angelo | Post-film Q&A included Michael Hausman (first assistant director) and Michael Butler (producer) | |
| Hysteria (2011 film) | Tanya Wexler | 2011 | Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy, Rupert Everett | Post-film Q&A included Wexler and Dancy | |
| To Sleep with Anger | Charles Burnett | 1990 | Danny Glover, Paul Butler, Mary Alice | Post-film Q&A included Burnett and special guest Robert Townsend | |
| The Handmaiden | Park Chan-wook | 2016 | Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong | Post-film Q&A included a panel of film critics | |
| July and Half of August (short) | Brandeaux Tourville | 2017 | Annika Marks, Robert Baker | Pre-film introduction included Sheila O'Malley (writer) | |
| They Call Us Monsters | Ben Lear | 2016 | Post-film Q&A included Lear and Sasha Alpert (producer) | ||
| Varieté | Ewald Andre Dupont | 1924 | Emil Jannings, Maly Delschaft, Lya De Putti | Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A included film historian Richard Neupert | |
| Elle | Paul Verhoeven | 2016 | Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny | Post-film Q&A included Huppert | |
| Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw | Rick Goldsmith | 2015 | Chamique Holdsclaw, Ron Artest, Glenn Close | Post-film Q&A included Goldsmith | |
| Pleasantville | Gary Ross | 1998 | Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, Jeff Daniels | Post-film Q&A included Ross | |
| Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You | Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady | 2016 | Norman Lear, John Amos, Bea Arthur | Post-film Q&A included Lear, Grady, and Brent Miller (producer). Ewing was scheduled to appear but she was unable to attend. | |
| Being There | Hal Ashby | 1979 | Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas | Post-film Q&A included Caleb Deschanel (cinematographer) | |
| De-Lovely | Irwin Winkler | 2004 | Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd | Post-film Q&A included Winkler, his son Charles Winkler (producer) plus special musical guests Jimmy Demers and Donnie Demers |
Festival schedule[68]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everybody Wants Some!! | Richard Linklater | 2016 | Blake Jenner, Tyler Hoechlin, Ryan Guzman | Free student screening on University of Illinois campus. Post-film Q&A included Stephen Feder (executive producer), Glen Powell (actor), and Juston Street (actor) | |
| Crimson Peak | Guillermo del Toro | 2015 | Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston | Post-film Q&A included del Toro | |
| Grandma | Paul Weitz | 2015 | Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden | Post-film Q&A included Weitz and Andrew Miano (producer) | |
| Northfork | Michael Polish | 2003 | James Woods, Nick Nolte, Daryl Hannah, Anthony Edwards | Post-film Q&A included Polish | |
| The Third Man | Carol Reed | 1949 | Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Alida Valli | Post-film Q&A included Angela Allen (script supervisor) | |
| Disturbing the Peace | Stephen Apkon, Andrew Young | 2016 | Chen Alon, Sulaiman Khatib | Special premiere. Post-film Q&A included Apkon, Young, Alon, Khatib, and Marcina Hale (story consultant) | |
| L'Inhumaine | Marcel L'Herbier | 1924 | Georgette Leblanc, Jaque Catelain, Philippe Hériat | Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A included two members of the Alloy Orchestra | |
| Eve's Bayou | Kasi Lemmons | 1997 | Samuel L. Jackson, Lynn Whitfield, Jurnee Smollett | Post-film Q&A included Lemmons | |
| Force of Destiny | Paul Cox | 2015 | David Wenham, Shahana Goswami, Jacqueline McKenzie | USA Premiere. Post-film Q&A included Cox | |
| Radical Grace | Rebecca Parrish | 2015 | Sister Simone Campbell, Sister Jean Hughes, Sister Chris Schenk | Post-film Q&A included Parrish, Nicole Bernardi-Reis (producer), Heather McIntosh (composer), and Father Michael Pfleger (social activist) | |
| Love & Mercy | Bill Pohlad | 2014 | John Cusack, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Elizabeth Banks | Post-film Q&A included panel of film critics | |
| Blow Out | Brian De Palma | 1981 | John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow | Post-film Q&A included Allen | |
| Body and Soul | Oscar Micheaux | 1925 | Paul Robeson, Mercedes Gilbert, Julia Theresa Russell | Renee Baker and the Chicago Modern Orchestra Project played live accompaniment, composed by Baker. Post-film Q&A included Baker | |
Festival schedule[69]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodbye to Language | Jean-Luc Godard | 2014 | Héloise Godet, Kamel Abdeli, Richard Chevalier | Post-film Q&A included Godet |
| A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence | Roy Andersson | 2014 | Holger Andersson, Nils Westblom, Viktor Gyllenberg | Post-film Q&A included Johan Carlsson (producer) |
| Moving Midway | Godfrey Cheshire | 2008 | Godfrey Cheshire, Robert Hinton | Post-film Q&A included Cheshire, plus Hinton via video call |
| The End of the Tour | James Ponsoldt | 2015 | Jason Segel, Jesse Eisenberg, Ron Livingston | Post-film Q&A included Ponsoldt and Segel |
| Girlhood | Céline Sciamma | 2014 | Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh | Post-film Q&A included Héloise Godet |
| The Son of the Sheik | George Fitzmaurice | 1926 | Rudolph Valentino, Vilma Bánky, George Fawcett | Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A included two members of the Alloy Orchestra |
| A Bronx Tale | Robert De Niro | 1993 | Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Lillo Brancato, Jr. | Post-film Q&A included Palminteri, Jon Kilik (producer), Richard Roeper (critic) and Leonard Maltin (critic) |
| Wild Tales | Damián Szifrón | 2014 | Darío Grandinetti, María Marull, Julieta Zylberberg | Post-film Q&A included Zylberberg, Javier Braier (casting director), plus Szifrón via video call |
| Ida | Paweł Pawlikowski | 2013 | Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik | Post-film Q&A included panel of film critics |
| The Motel Life | Alan Polsky, Gabe Polsky | 2012 | Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, Dakota Fanning, Kris Kristofferson | Post-film Q&A included Alan Polsky |
| 99 Homes | Ramin Bahrani | 2014 | Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern | Post-film Q&A included Bahrani and Noah Lomax (actor) |
| Seymour: An Introduction | Ethan Hawke | 2014 | Seymour Bernstein, Jiyang Chen, Ethan Hawke | Post-film Q&A included Bernstein, Andrew Harvey (activist), and Leonard Maltin (critic) |
Festival schedule[70]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three | Joseph Sargent | 1974 | Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam | Free student screening on University of Illinois campus. Post-film Q&A included Patton Oswalt |
| Life Itself | Steve James | 2014 | Roger Ebert, Chaz Ebert, Gene Siskel | Post-film Q&A included James and Chaz Ebert |
| Museum Hours | Jem Cohen | 2012 | Mary Margaret O’Hara, Bobby Sommer, Ela Piplits | Post-film Q&A included Cohen |
| Short Term 12 | Destin Cretton | 2013 | Brie Larson, John Gallagher, Jr., Frantz Turner | Post-film Q&A included Larson |
| Young Adult | Jason Reitman | 2011 | Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson | Post-film Q&A included Oswalt |
| He Who Gets Slapped | Victor Sjöström | 1924 | Lon Chaney, Norma Shearer, John Gilbert | 2011 restoration. Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A included two members of the Alloy Orchestra |
| Capote | Bennett Miller | 2004 | Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins, Jr. | Pre-film introduction included Michael Barker (distributor) |
| Do The Right Thing | Spike Lee | 1989 | Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Spike Lee | Post-film Q&A included Lee |
| Wadjda | Haifaa Al-Mansour | 2012 | Waad Mohammed, Reem Abdullah, Abdullrahman Al Gohani | Post-film Q&A included Al-Mansour |
| A Simple Life | Ann Hui | 2011 | Andy Lau, Deanie Ip, Paul Chun, Fuli Wang | Post-film Q&A included Hui |
| Goodbye Solo | Ramin Bahrani | 2008 | Souleymane Sy Savane, Red West, Diana Franco Galindo | Post-film Q&A included Bahrani |
| Born on the Fourth of July | Oliver Stone | 1989 | Tom Cruise, Willem Dafoe, Raymond J. Barry, Caroline Kava | Post-film Q&A included Stone |
| Bayou Maharajah | Lily Keber | 2013 | James Booker, Dr. John, Harry Connick, Jr. | Post-film Q&A included Keber, Henry Butler |
Festival schedule[71]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days of Heaven | Terrence Malick | 1978 | Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, Linda Manz | Post-film Q&A included Haskell Wexler (cinematographer) |
| I Remember (short) | Grace Wang | 2012 | Lily Huang, Chris Chang | Pre-film introduction included Wang and June Kim (director of photography) |
| Vincent: The Life and Death of Vincent Van Gogh | Paul Cox | 1989 | John Hurt, Marika Rivera, Gabriella Trsek | |
| To Music (short) | Sophie Kohn, Feike Santbergen | 2013 | Paul Cox, Roger Glanville-Hicks, Henriett Tunyogi, Tamás Vásáry | Pre-film introduction included Kohn and Santbergen |
| In the Family | Patrick Wang | 2012 | Sebastian Banes, Patrick Wang, Trevor St. John | Post-film Q&A included Wang and St. John |
| Bernie | Richard Linklater | 2011 | Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey | Post-film Q&A included Linklater and Black (via conference call) |
| Oslo, August 31st | Joachim Trier | 2011 | Anders Danielsen Lie | Post-film Q&A included Trier |
| The Ballad of Narayama | Keisuke Kinoshita | 1958 | Kinuyo Tanaka, Teiji Takahashi, Yūko Mochizuki | Post-film Q&A included David Bordwell (film historian) |
| Julia | Erick Zonca | 2008 | Tilda Swinton, Aidan Gould, Saul Rubinek, Kate del Castillo | Post-film Q&A included Swinton |
| Blancanieves | Pablo Berger | 2012 | Maribel Verdú | Post-film Q&A included Berger |
| Kumaré | Vikram Gandhi | 2011 | Vikram Gandhi | Post-film Q&A included Gandhi |
| Escape from Tomorrow | Randy Moore | 2013 | Roy Abramsohn, Elena Schuber, Katelynn Rodriguez, Annet Mahendru, Danielle Safady, Alison Lees-Taylor | Post-film Q&A included Moore, Soojin Chung (producer), Abramsohn, Schuber, Mahendru |
| The Spectacular Now | James Ponsoldt | 2013 | Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kyle Chandler | Post-film Q&A included Ponsoldt and Woodley |
| Not Yet Begun to Fight | Sabrina Lee, Shasta Grenier | 2012 | Navy SEAL Elliott Miller, Sgt. Erik Goodge, Col. Eric Hastings | Post-film Q&A included Lee and Goodge |
Festival schedule[72]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Versus the Volcano | John Patrick Shanley | 1990 | Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Lloyd Bridges, Abe Vigoda | Post-film Q&A included Stephen Goldblatt (director of photography) |
| The Truth About Beauty & Blogs (short) | Rosalyn Coleman Williams | 2011 | Kelechie Ezie | Post-film Q&A included Kelechie Ezie, also writer and co-producer |
| Phunny Business: A Black Comedy | John Davies | 2011 | Raymond Lambert | Post-film Q&A included John Davies, Reid Brody (producer), Raymond Lambert (also writer and producer), Ali LeRoi (comedian featured in film) |
| Big Fan | Robert Siegel | 2009 | Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Michael Rapaport | Post-film Q&A included Robert Siegel. Patton Oswalt was scheduled to attend, as well as introduce a public screening of Kind Hearts and Coronets, but was detained by filming commitments |
| Kinyarwanda | Alrick Brown | 2011 | Hassan Kabera, Edouard Bamporiki, Cassandra Freeman | Post-film Q&A included Alrick Brown, Ishmael Ntihabose (actor and executive producer), Darren Dean (producer), Tommy Oliver (producer), Deatra Harris (producer) |
| Terri | Azazel Jacobs | 2011 | Jacob Wysocki | Post-film Q&A included Azazel Jacobs and Jacob Wysocki |
| On Borrowed Time | David Bradbury | 2011 | Paul Cox | Paul Cox |
| Wild AND Weird: The Alloy Orchestra Plays 10 Fascinating and Innovative Films 1906–1926 | 1906–1926 | Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment | ||
| A Separation | Asghar Farhadi | 2011 | Peyman Mouadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat, Shahab Hosseini, Sarina Farhadi | Peyman Mouadi was scheduled to attend but did not. The post-film Q&A, moderated by blogger Nell Minow, included Paul Cox, blogger Omer Mozaffar and distributor Michael Barker |
| Higher Ground | Vera Farmiga | 2011 | Vera Farmiga, Joshua Leonard, Norbert Leo Butz, Donna Murphy | Post-film Q&A included writer Carolyn S. Briggs, who based the film on her memoir This Dark World, with blogger Nell Minow |
| Patang (The Kite) | Prashant Bhargava | 2011 | Seema Biswas, Nawazuddin Siddiqui | Post-film Q&A included Prashant Bhargava, Vijay Bhargava (executive producer), James Townsend (writer), Seema Biswas, Nawazuddin Siddiqui |
| Take Shelter | Jeff Nichols | 2011 | Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain | Post-film Q&A included Jeff Nichols, Michael Shannon and distributor Michael Barker |
| Citizen Kane | Orson Welles | 1941 | Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Ruth Warrick | The film was shown using Roger Ebert's commentary track, recorded in 2006 (before Ebert lost his voice). The post-show Q&A featured scholar David Bordwell with audio commentary producer Jeffrey Lerner. Chaz Ebert was visibly moved, stating that although she had seen the film, she had never heard the commentary track, and felt lucky to hear her husband's voice again in the Virginia Theatre |
Festival schedule[73]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolis | Fritz Lang | 1927 | Brigitte Helm, Gustav Fröhlich, Alfred Abel, Rudolf Klein-Rogge | 2010 restoration. Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment |
| Natural Selection | Robbie Pickering | 2010 | Rachael Harris | Post-film Q&A included Robbie Pickering and Rachael Harris |
| Umberto D | Vittorio De Sica | 1952 | Carlo Battisti | Post-film Q&A included Ignatiy Vishnevetsky and Omer Mozaffar |
| My Dog Tulip | Paul Fierlinger and Sandra Schuette Fierlinger | 2010 | Christopher Plummer (narrator) | Post-film Q&A included Paul Fierlinger and Sandra Schuette Fierlinger |
| Tiny Furniture | Lena Dunham | 2010 | Lena Dunham, Laurie Simmons, Grace Dunham, Alex Karpovsky, David Call | Post-film Q&A included David Call and distributor Ryan Werner |
| 45365 | Turner Ross and Bill Ross IV | 2009 | Townspeople of Sidney, Ohio | Post-film Q&A included Turner Ross and Bill Ross IV |
| Me & Orson Welles | Richard Linklater | 2009 | Christian McKay, Claire Danes, Zac Efron | Post-film Q&A included Richard Linklater |
| Only You | Norman Jewison | 1994 | Robert Downey, Jr., Marisa Tomei, Bonnie Hunt | Post-film Q&A included Norman Jewison |
| A Small Act | Jennifer Arnold | 2010 | Chris Mburu, Jane Wanjiru Muigai, Hilde Back | Post-film Q&A included Jennifer Arnold, Hilde Back and producer Patti Lee |
| Life Above All | Oliver Schmitz | 2010 | Khomotso Manyaka, Keaobaka Makanyane, Harriet Lenabe | Post-film Q&A included Oliver Schmitz, Khomotso Manyaka and Michael Barker |
| Leaves of Grass | Tim Blake Nelson | 2009 | Edward Norton, Tim Blake Nelson, Susan Sarandon | Post-film Q&A included Tim Blake Nelson |
| I Am Love | Luca Guadagnino | 2010 | Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti, Edoardo Gabbriellini, Marisa Berenson | Post-film Q&A included Tilda Swinton and Michael Barker |
| Louder Than a Bomb | Jon Siskel and Greg Jacobs | 2010 | Kevin Coval, Adam Gottlieb, Elizabeth Graf, Kevin Harris and other students | Post-film Q&A included Jon Siskel, Greg Jacobs, founder and artistic director Kevin Coval and Steinmetz High School poets Lamar Jorden, Charles Smith, She'Kira McNight, Kevin Harris and Jésus Lark |
Festival schedule[74]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pink Floyd – The Wall | Alan Parker | 1982 | Bob Geldof, Christine Hargreaves, James Laurenson | Post-film Q&A included panel of film critics. Roger Ebert spoke using computer voice software after the showing. | |
| You, the Living | Roy Andersson | 2007 | Elisabeth Helander, Jugge Nohall, Jessika Lundberg | Lundberg and Johan Carlsson (production manager) were scheduled to appear but did not due to travel problems. Post-film Q&A included panel of film critics | |
| Munyurangabo | Lee Isaac Chung | 2007 | Jeff Rutagengwa, Eric Ndorunkundiye, Jean Marie Vianney Nkurikiyinka | Post-film Q&A included Chung, Sam Anderson (co-writer & producer), Jenny Lund (co-producer) | |
| The New Age | Michael Tolkin | 1994 | Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Patrick Bauchau | Post-film Q&A included Tolkin | |
| Apocalypse Now/Redux | Francis Ford Coppola | 2001 | Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall | Extended version of the 1979 film. Walter Murch (sound design & film editor) was scheduled to appear but did not due to travel problems. Post-film Q&A included panel of film critics | |
| Departures | Yōjirō Takita | 2008 | Masahiro Motoki, Ryōko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki | Post-film Q&A included Takita | |
| Man with a Movie Camera | Dziga Vertov | 1929 | Mikhail Kaufman | 2010 restoration. Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A included two members of the Alloy Orchestra | |
| Synecdoche, New York | Charlie Kaufman | 2008 | Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams | Pre-film introduction by Roger Ebert using speech software on computer. Post-film Q&A included Kaufman and Anthony Bregman (producer) | |
| I Capture the Castle | Tim Fywell | 2003 | Romola Garai, Rose Byrne, Bill Nighy | Nighy was scheduled to appear but did not due to travel problems. Post-film Q&A included panel of film critics | |
| Vincent: A Life In Color | Jennifer Burns | 2008 | Vincent P. Falk | Post-film Q&A included Burns and Falk | |
| Trucker | James Mottern | 2008 | Michelle Monaghan, Nathan Fillion, Benjamin Bratt | Post-film Q&A included Mottern and Monaghan | |
| Barfly | Barbet Schroeder | 1987 | Mickey Rourke, Faye Dunaway, Alice Krige | Post-film Q&A included Schroeder | |
| Song Sung Blue | Greg Kohs | 2008 | Mike Sardina, Claire Sardina | Post film Q&A included Kohs and Claire Sardina | |
Festival schedule[75]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music, The Director's Cut | Michael Wadleigh | 1994 | Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez | Extended version of the 1970 film. Post-film Q&A included Wadleigh, Dale Bell (producer), Jocko Marcellino (musician) | |
| My Winnipeg | Guy Maddin | 2007 | Darcy Fehr, Ann Savage, Louis Negin | Post-film Q&A included Maddin | |
| Chop Shop | Ramin Bahrani | 2007 | Alejandro Polanco, Isamar Gonzales, Rob Sowulski | Post-film Q&A included Bahrani | |
| Trouble the Water | Tia Lessin, Carl Deal | 2008 | Kimberly Rivers Roberts, Scott Roberts | Post-film Q&A included Lessin, Deal, K. Roberts, and S. Roberts | |
| Begging Naked | Karen Gehres | 2007 | Elise Bainbridge Hill, Sally Roth | Post-film Q&A included Gehres | |
| The Last Command | Josef von Sternberg | 1928 | Emil Jannings, Evelyn Brent, William Powell | Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A included all three members of the Alloy Orchestra | |
| Frozen River | Courtney Hunt | 2008 | Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott | Post-film Q&A included Hunt and Upham | |
| The Fall | Tarsem Singh | 2006 | Lee Pace, Catinca Untaru, Justine Waddell | Post-film Q&A included Untaru | |
| Sita Sings The Blues | Nina Paley | 2008 | Sanjiv Jhaveri, Nina Paley, Deepti Gupta | Post-film Q&A included Paley | |
| Nothing But The Truth | Rod Lurie | 2008 | Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Vera Farmiga | Post-film Q&A included Lurie and Dillon | |
| Let The Right One In | Tomas Alfredson | 2008 | Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar | Post-film Q&A included Carl Molinder (producer) | |
| Baraka | Ron Fricke | 1992 | n/a | Post film Q&A included Fricke and Mark Magidson (producer) | |
Festival schedule[76]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamlet | Kenneth Branagh | 1996 | Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi | Post-film Q&A included actors Timothy Spall and Rufus Sewell | |
| Delirious | Tom DiCillo | 2006 | Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt, Alison Lohman | Post-film Q&A included DiCillo | |
| Yes | Sally Potter | 2004 | Joan Allen, Simon Abkarian, Sam Neill | Post-film Q&A included John Penotti (executive producer) | |
| Citizen Cohl: The Untold Story (short) | Barry Avrich | 2008 | Barry Avrich, Dusty Cohl, Michael Cohl | Post-film Q&A included Avrich | |
| Canvas | Joseph Greco | 2006 | Joe Pantoliano, Marcia Gay Harden, Devon Gearhart | Post-film Q&A included Greco, Pantoliano, Adam Hammel (producer), Bill Erfurth (producer) | |
| Shotgun Stories | Jeff Nichols | 2007 | Michael Shannon, Douglas Ligon | Post-film Q&A included Nichols | |
| Underworld | Josef von Sternberg | 1927 | Clive Brook, Evelyn Brent, George Bancroft, Larry Semon | Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include members of the Alloy Orchestra | |
| The Real Dirt on Farmer John | Taggart Siegel | 2005 | John Peterson, Anna Nielsen, John Edwards | Post-film Q&A included Siegel and Peterson | |
| Paul Schrader | 1985 | Ken Ogata, Masayuki Shionoya | Post-film Q&A included Schrader and Eiko Ishioka (costume designer) | ||
| Hulk | Ang Lee | 2003 | Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott | Post-film Q&A included Lee | |
| The Band's Visit | Eran Kolirin | 2007 | Sasson Gabai, Ronit Elkabetz, Saleh Bakri | Post-film Q&A included Kolirin | |
| Housekeeping | Bill Forsyth | 1987 | Christine Lahti, Sara Walker, Andrea Burchill | Post-film Q&A included Forsyth and Lahti | |
| The Cell | Tarsem Singh | 2000 | Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D’Onofrio | Post film Q&A included Singh, Eiko Ishioka (costume designer), and Nico Soultanakis (producer) | |
| Romance & Cigarettes | John Turturro | 2005 | James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet | Post film Q&A Aida Turturro (actor) and Tricia Brouk (choreographer) | |
Festival schedule[77]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gattaca | Andrew Niccol | 1997 | Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman | Post-film Q&A included Michael Shamberg (producer) | |
| The Weather Man | Gore Verbinski | 2005 | Nicolas Cage, Hope Davis, Michael Caine | Post-film Q&A included Steven Conrad (writer) and Gil Bellows (actor) | |
| Moolaadé | Ousmane Sembène | 2004 | Fatoumata Coulibaly, Maimouna Hélène Diarra, Salimata Traoré | Post-film Q&A included Coulibaly and Samba Gadjigo (professor) | |
| Perfume: The Story of a Murderer | Tom Tykwer | 2006 | Ben Whishaw, Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Dustin Hoffman | Post-film Q&A included Rickman | |
| Sadie Thompson | Raoul Walsh | 1928 | Gloria Swanson, Lionel Barrymore | Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A included David Bordwell (film scholar), Steven Larsen (conductor), and Joseph Turrin (composer) | |
| Come Early Morning | Joey Lauren Adams | 2006 | Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Donovan | Post-film Q&A included Adams and Scott Wilson (actor) | |
| La Dolce Vita | Federico Fellini | 1960 | Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimée | Post-film Q&A included Michael Barker (producer & distributor) and Jacqueline Reich (professor) | |
| Freddie Mercury: the Untold Story | Rudi Dolezal, Hannes Rossacher | 2000 | Freddie Mercury, Jer Bulsara, Kashmira Cooke | Post-film Q&A included Dolezal | |
| Holes | Andrew Davis | 2003 | Shia LaBeouf, Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight | Post-film Q&A included Davis | |
| Man of Flowers | Paul Cox | 1983 | Norman Kaye, Alyson Best, Chris Haywood | Post-film Q&A included Cox and Werner Herzog (actor) | |
| Stroszek | Werner Herzog | 1977 | Bruno S., Eva Mattes, Clemens Scheitz | Post-film Q&A included Herzog | |
| Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus | Andrew Douglas | 2003 | Jim White, Harry Crews, Johnny Dowd | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Douglas and White | |
| Beyond the Valley of the Dolls | Russ Meyer | 1970 | Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom | Post film Q&A included Strawberry Alarm Clock (band) and was scheduled to include McBroom and Peter Sobcynski (critic) | |
Festival schedule[78]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Fair Lady | George Cukor | 1964 | Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison | 1994 restoration. Post-film Q&A included Marni Nixon (singing voice), Robert A. Harris (film restorer), Jim Katz (restorer/producer) |
| Man Push Cart | Ramin Bahrani | 2005 | Ahmad Razvi, Leticia Dolera, Charles Daniel Sandoval | Post-film Q&A included Bahrani and Razvi |
| Duane Hopwood | Matt Mulhern | 2005 | David Schwimmer, Janeane Garofalo | Post-film Q&A included Mulhern |
| Spartan | David Mamet | 2004 | Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, William H. Macy, Kristen Bell | Post-film Q&A included David Bordwell (film scholar) |
| Somebodies | Hadjii | 2006 | Kaira Whitehead, Tyler Craig, Patt Brown, Nard Holston | Post-film Q&A included Hadjii, Whitehead, Nate Kohn (co-producer), Pam Kohn (co-producer) |
| The Eagle | Clarence Brown | 1925 | Rudolph Valentino, Vilma Bánky, Louise Dresser | Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A included a panel of film professors |
| Ripley's Game | Liliana Cavani | 2002 | John Malkovich, Dougray Scott, Ray Winstone, Lena Headey | Post-film Q&A included Malkovich and Russell Smith (executive producer) |
| Millions | Danny Boyle | 2004 | Alex Etel, Lewis McGibbon, James Nesbitt, Daisy Donovan | Post-film Q&A included a panel of local children |
| Claire Dolan | Lodge Kerrigan | 1998 | Katrin Cartlidge, Vincent D’Onofrio, Colm Meaney | Post-film Q&A included Kerrigan |
| Junebug | Phil Morrison | 2005 | Embeth Davidtz, Amy Adams, Benjamin McKenzie, Scott Wilson | Post-film Q&A included Morrison, Wilson, and Michael Barker (distributor) |
| Bad Santa | Terry Zwigoff | 2003 | Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham | Director's personal print of the film that included unreleased material. Post-film Q&A included Zwigoff |
| U-Carmen eKhayelitsha | Mark Dornford-May | 2005 | Pauline Malefane, Andile Tshoni, Lungelwa Blou | Post-film Q&A included Dornford-May and Malefane |
Festival schedule[79]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playtime | Jacques Tati | 1967 | Jacques Tati, Barbara Dennek | Post-film Q&A included Jonathan Rosenbaum (film critic) |
| Murderball | Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro | 2005 | Joe Soares, Keith Cavill, Mark Zupan | Post-film Q&A included Rubin, Shapiro, Zupan, Soares, and Jeff Mandel (producer) |
| The Heart of the World (short) | Guy Maddin | 2000 | Leslie Bais, Caelum Vatnsdal, Shaun Balbar | Post-film Q&A included Maddin and Jonathan Sehring (producer) |
| The Saddest Music in the World | Guy Maddin | 2003 | Isabella Rossellini, Mark McKinney, Maria de Medeiros | Post-film Q&A included Maddin and Jonathan Sehring (producer) |
| After Dark, My Sweet | James Foley | 1990 | Jason Patric, Rachel Ward, Bruce Dern | Post-film Q&A included Patric |
| Yesterday | Darrell Roodt | 2004 | Leleti Khumalo, Lihle Mvelase, Kenneth Khambula | Post-film Q&A included Roodt |
| The Phantom of the Opera | Rupert Julian | 1925 | Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry | Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A included members of the Alloy Orchestra and Jonathan Rosenbaum (film critic) |
| Baadasssss! | Mario Van Peebles | 2003 | Mario Van Peebles, Nia Long, Joy Bryant | Post-film Q&A included Van Peebles |
| The Secret of Roan Inish | John Sayles | 1994 | Jeni Courtney, Eileen Colgan, Richard Sheridan | Post-film Q&A included Sayles and Maggie Renzi (producer) |
| Primer | Shane Carruth | 2004 | Shane Carruth, David Sullivan | Post-film Q&A included Carruth |
| Map of the Human Heart | Vincent Ward | 1993 | Jason Scott Lee, Anne Parillaud, Patrick Bergin | Post-film Q&A included Ward and Lee |
| Me and You and Everyone We Know | Miranda July | 2005 | John Hawkes, Miranda July, Miles Thompson | Post-film Q&A included July and Jonathan Sehring (producer) |
| Taal | Subhash Ghai | 1999 | Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan | Post-film Q&A included Ghai and Gerson da Cunha (film journalist) |
Festival schedule[80]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence of Arabia | David Lean | 1962 | Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn | 1989 restoration. Pre-film introduction included Jack Valenti (head of MPAA). Post-film Q&A included Robert Harris (film restorer) and Anne Coates (film editor) |
| Tarnation | Jonathan Caouette | 2003 | Jonathan Caouette, Renee Leblanc, Adolph Davis | Post-film Q&A included Caouette |
| The Son | Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne | 2002 | Olivier Gourmet, Morgan Marinne, Isabella Soupart | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Dan Talbot (art film distributor) |
| Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored | Tim Reid | 1995 | Al Freeman Jr., Phylicia Rashad, Leon | Post-film Q&A included Tim Reid |
| Tully | Hilary Birmingham | 2000 | Glenn Fitzgerald, Anson Mount, Bob Burrus, Julianne Nicholson | Post-film Q&A included Birmingham and Mount |
| The Scapegoat (short) | Darren Ng | 2003 | Darren Ng, Scott Honey, Cassandra Chan | Post-film Q&A included Ng and Jeffrey Vance (film historian) |
| The General | Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton | 1926 | Buster Keaton, Marion Mack | Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A included Darren Ng and Jeffrey Vance (film historian) |
| El Norte | Gregory Nava | 1983 | Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez, David Villalpando | Post-film Q&A included Nava and Anna Thomas (producer) |
| My Dog Skip | Jay Russell | 2000 | Frankie Muniz, Diane Lane, Kevin Bacon, Luke Wilson | Post-film Q&A included Russell, Enzo (dog actor), and Larry Madrid (dog trainer) |
| Gates of Heaven | Errol Morris | 1978 | Floyd McClure, Cal Harberts, Florence Rasmussen | Post-film Q&A included Morris |
| People I Know | Dan Algrant | 2002 | Al Pacino, Kim Basinger, Téa Leoni | Post-film Q&A included Algrant, Bobby Zarem (publicist), and Pacino via telephone |
| Invincible | Werner Herzog | 2001 | Tim Roth, Jouko Ahola, Anna Gourari | Post-film Q&A included Herzog |
| Louie Bluie | Terry Zwigoff | 1985 | Howard Armstrong, Ted Bogan, Jay Lynch | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Barbara Ward Armstrong (wife of subject) |
| Sweet Old Song | Leah Mahan | 2002 | Howard Armstrong, Ray DeForest, Bob Frank | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Mahan and Barbara Ward Armstrong (wife of subject) |
Festival schedule[81]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Right Stuff | Philip Kaufman | 1983 | Sam Shepard, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn | Post-film Q&A included Scott Wilson, Veronica Cartwright, and Donald Moffat (actors) |
| Stone Reader | Mark Moskowitz | 2002 | Carl Brandt, Frank Conroy, Bruce Dobler | Post-film Q&A included Moskowitz, Dow Mossman (film subject), and Jeff Lipsky (film distributor) |
| The Grey Automobile | Enrique Rosas | 1919 | Joaquin Coss, Juan de Homs, Manuel de los Rios | Performance based on the Japanese Benshi tradition of live actors narrating silent films. Post-film Q&A included Claudio Valdés Kuri (theatre director), Irene Akiko Iida (actress), and Ernesto Gómez Santana (pianist) |
| Your Friends and Neighbors | Neil LaBute | 1998 | Amy Brenneman, Aaron Eckhart, Catherine Keener | Post-film Q&A included LaBute |
| Blood and Wine | Bob Rafelson | 1996 | Jack Nicholson, Stephen Dorff, Jennifer Lopez | Post-film Q&A included Rafelson |
| Medium Cool | Haskell Wexler | 1969 | Robert Forster, Verna Bloom, Peter Bonerz | Post-film Q&A included Wexler |
| What's Cooking? | Gurinder Chadha | 2000 | Joan Chen, Juliana Margulies, Mercedes Ruehl, Kyra Sedgwick, Alfre Woodard | Post-film Q&A included Chaz Ebert |
| The Black Pirate | Albert Parker | 1926 | Douglas Fairbanks, Billie Dove, Tempe Pigott | Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment. |
| L.627 | Bertrand Tavernier | 1992 | Didier Bezace, Jean-Paul Comart, Charlotte Kady | Post-film Q&A included Tavernier |
| The Golden Age of Silent Comedy | Presented by the Silent Movie Theatre Co. | n/a | Harold Lloyd in Never Weaken, The Little Rascals in Saturday's Lesson, Buster Keaton in The Scarecrow, Charley Chase in Mighty Like a Moose, Charlie Chaplin in Kid Auto Races, and the Felix the Cat cartoon Felix Finds ‘Em Fickle | Presentation included a vaudeville opening act, followed by six comedy short films. Dena Mora played organ and piano. Post-film Q&A included Charlie Lustman (theatre owner) and Mora |
| Shall We Dance? | Masayuki Suo | 1996 | Kōji Yakusho, Tamiyo Kusakari, Naoto Takenaka | Post-film Q&A included David Bordwell (film historian) |
| Charlotte Sometimes | Eric Byler | 2002 | Jacqueline Kim, Eugenia Yuan, Michael Idemoto | Launch festival release. Post-film Q&A included Byler, Kim, Idemoto, and John Manulis (executive producer) |
| 13 Conversations About One Thing | Jill Sprecher | 2001 | Alan Arkin, John Turturro, Matthew McConaughey, Clea DuVall | Post-film Q&A included Jill Sprecher and Karen Sprecher (writer) |
| Singin' in the Rain | Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly | 1952 | Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds | Post-film Q&A included O'Connor |
Festival schedule[82]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patton | Franklin J. Schaffner | 1970 | George C. Scott, Karl Malden | Post-film Q&A included Dr. Richard Vetter (developer of optical system for 70 mm photography and projection) |
| Hyènes | Djibril Diop Mambéty | 1992 | Ami Kiakhate, Djibril Diop Mambéty, Mansour Diouf | |
| George Washington | David Gordon Green | 2000 | Candace Evanofski, Donald Holden, Damian Jewan Lee | Post-film Q&A included Green and Curtis Cotton III (actor) |
| Wonder Boys | Curtis Hanson | 2000 | Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand | Post-film Q&A included Michael Chabon (novelist) |
| A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries | James Ivory | 1998 | Kris Kristofferson, Barbara Hershey, Leelee Sobieski | Post-film Q&A included Kristofferson and Kaylie Jones (novelist) |
| Kwik Stop | Michael Gilio | 2001 | Michael Gilio, Lara Phillips, Rich Komenich | Post-film Q&A included Gilio |
| Two Women | Tahmineh Milani | 1999 | Niki Karimi, Mohammad Reza Forutan, Merila Zarei | Post-film Q&A included Milani |
| Innocence | Paul Cox | 2000 | Julia Blake, Bud Tingwell, Kristine Van Pellicom | Post-film Q&A included Cox and Paul Grabowsky (composer) |
| Grand Canyon | Lawrence Kasdan | 1991 | Danny Glover, Kevin Kline, Steve Martin | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Alfre Woodard (actor) |
| Paperhouse | Bernard Rose | 1988 | Charlotte Burke, Ben Cross, Glenne Headly | Post-film Q&A included Rose |
| Diamond Men | Dan Cohen | 2000 | Robert Forster, Donnie Wahlberg | Post-film Q&A included Cohen and Forster |
| Metropolis | Fritz Lang | 1927 | Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich | Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment |
| Metropolis | Rintaro | 2001 | Yuka Imoto, Kei Kobayashi, Kōsei Tomita, | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Drew McWeeny (film critic) |
| Say Amen, Somebody | George T. Nierenberg | 1982 | Willie Mae Ford Smith, Thomas A. Dorsey, DeLois Barrett Campbell | Post-film Q&A included Nierenberg and The Barrett Sisters |
Festival schedule[83]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001: A Space Odyssey | Stanley Kubrick | 1968 | Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood | Post-film Q&A included Dullea and Sir Arthur C. Clarke (writer, via telephone from Sri Lanka) |
| Jan Harlan | 2001 | Katharina Kubrick, Malcolm McDowell, Stanley Kubrick | U.S. premiere. Post-film Q&A included Harlan | |
| Maryam | Ramin Serry | 2002 | Mariam Parris, David Ackert, Shaun Toub | Post-film Q&A included Serry and Shauna Lyon (producer) |
| Such a Long Journey | Sturla Gunnarsson | 1998 | Roshan Seth, Soni Razdan, Om Puri | Post-film Q&A included Gunnarsson |
| Songs from the Second Floor | Roy Andersson | 2000 | Lars Nordh, Stefan Larsson, Bengt C.W. Carlsson | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Nordh |
| Panic | Henry Bromell | 2000 | William H. Macy, Neve Campbell, Donald Sutherland | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Bromell, but he was unable to attend due to illness |
| Girl on the Bridge | Patrice Leconte | 1999 | Vanessa Paradis, Daniel Auteuil | Post-film Q&A included Edwin Jahiel (film critic) |
| Dragonflies, the Baby Cries (short) | Jane Gillooly | 2000 | Jillian Wheeler, Jessy Rowe | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Gillooly |
| Nosferatu | F. W. Murnau | 1922 | Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder | Alloy Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A included members of the Alloy Orchestra |
| 3 Women | Robert Altman | 1977 | Shelley Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Janice Rule | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Rule |
| The King of Masks | Wu Tianming | 1996 | Zhu Xu, Zhou Renying, Zhao Zhigang | Post-film Q&A included Wu |
| On the Ropes | Nanette Burstein, Brett Morgen | 1999 | Sam Doumit, Martin Goldman, Harry Keitt | Post-film Q&A included Morgen and Tyrene Manson (subject, via telephone) |
| Jesus' Son | Alison Maclean | 1999 | Billy Crudup, Samantha Morton, Denis Leary, Holly Hunter, Dennis Hopper | Post-film Q&A included Crudup, and was scheduled to include Maclean, Elizabeth Cuthrell (producer and writer), and David Urrutia (producer and writer) |
| A Simple Plan | Sam Raimi | 1998 | Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda | Post-film Q&A included Paxton |
| Everyone Says I Love You | Woody Allen | 1996 | Alan Alda, Goldie Hawn, Julia Roberts | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Jean Doumanian (producer) and Billy Crudup |
Festival schedule[84]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sidewalk Stories | Charles Lane | 1989 | Charles Lane, Nicole Alysia, Tom Alpern | Post-film Q&A included Lane |
| Grave of the Fireflies | Isao Takahata | 1988 | Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Richard J. Leskosky and Greg Dean Schmitz (film critics) |
| American Movie | Chris Smith | 1999 | Mark Borchardt, Mike Schank, Tom Schimmels | Post-film Q&A included Smith, Sarah Price (producer), and Borchardt |
| Coven (short) | Mark Borchardt | 2000 | Mark Borchardt, Tom Schimmels, Miriam Frost | Post-film Q&A included Borchardt |
| Legacy | Tod Lending | 2000 | Alaissa Collins, Marquis Collins, Nickcole Collins | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Lending and Nickcole Collins (film subject) |
| The Terrorist | Santosh Sivan | 1998 | Ayesha Dharker, K. Krishna, Sonu Sisupal | Post-film Q&A included Dharker and Mark Burton (executive producer) |
| The Castle | Rob Sitch | 1997 | Michael Caton, Anne Tenney, Stephen Curry | Post-film Q&A included Sitch and Michael Hirsh (producer) |
| A Woman's Tale | Paul Cox | 1991 | Sheila Florance, Gosia Dobrowolska, Norman Kaye | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Cox |
| Children of Heaven | Majid Majidi | 1997 | Amir Farrokh Hashemian, Bahare Seddiqi | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Godfrey Cheshire (film critic) |
| The Last Laugh | F. W. Murnau | 1924 | Emil Jannings, Maly Delschaft, Max Hiller | Concrete Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Edwin Jahiel (film critic) |
| Un Chien Andalou | Luis Buñuel | 1929 | Pierre Batcheff, Simone Mareuil, Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dalí | Concrete Orchestra played live accompaniment. Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Edwin Jahiel (film critic) |
| Déjà vu | Henry Jaglom | 1997 | Stephen Dillane, Victoria Foyt, Vanessa Redgrave | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Jaglom and Foyt |
| Dark City | Alex Proyas | 1998 | Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Proyas (via telephone) |
| Oklahoma! | Fred Zinnemann | 1955 | Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Gloria Grahame | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Tim Zinnemann (son of film director) |
Festival schedule[85]
| Title | Director | Year | Starring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dance Me to My Song | Rolf de Heer | 1998 | Heather Rose, John Brumpton, Joey Kennedy | Post-film Q&A included Rose |
| Thirteen | David D. Williams | 1997 | Hermine Douglas, Brandon Flynn Wells, Alan Douglas | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Williams |
| Household Saints | Nancy Savoca | 1993 | Tracey Ullman, Vincent D'Onofrio, Lili Taylor | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Savoca and Richard Guay (producer and co-writer) |
| Battleship Potemkin | Sergei Eisenstein | 1925 | Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barsky, Grigori Aleksandrov | Concrete Orchestra played live accompaniment |
| Maborosi | Hirokazu Koreeda | 1995 | Makiko Esumi, Takashi Naitō, Tadanobu Asano | |
| Surrender Dorothy | Kevin DiNovis | 1998 | Peter Pryor, Kevin DiNovis, Jason Centeno | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include DiNovis |
| Shiloh | Dale Rosenbloom | 1996 | Michael Moriarty, Scott Wilson, Blake Heron | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Rosenbloom, Wilson, and Carl Borack (producer) |
| Hamsun | Jan Troell | 1996 | Max von Sydow, Ghita Nørby | |
| Autumn Tale | Éric Rohmer | 1998 | Béatrice Romand, Marie Rivière, Alain Libolt | |
| Tron | Steven Lisberger | 1982 | Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner | Post-film Q&A was scheduled to include Lisberger and Warner |