2025 Roger Ebert’s Film Festival to kick off with ‘The Searchers,’ first-ever Western screened at Ebertfest; passes go on sale November 18

11/14/2024

The Searchers movie poster

Chaz Ebert and the University of Illinois College of Media announce that the opening night film of the 2025 Roger Ebert’s Film Festival will be a new 70mm print of the Western classic The Searchers (1956), starring John Wayne and Natalie Wood. The four-day festival, named for famed film critic Roger Ebert, will be held Wednesday, April 23, through Saturday, April 26, 2025. Festival passes will go on sale on Monday, Nov. 18.

John Wayne“We are pleased to bring the first Western to our Ebertfest audience, and it just so happens that a film from the Golden Age of Hollywood directed by John Ford was recently restored by Warner Bros. in collaboration with the Film Foundation,” said Chaz Ebert, CEO of the preeminent movie review site Rogerebert.com and cofounder of Ebertfest. “Roger gave the film four stars, but also acknowledged the racial attitudes of the time, asking whether the film sought to endorse them, or dramatize and regret them. We look forward to a vigorous post-screening discussion with film scholars and audiences about representation in film.” 

Passes to see all the films screened at Ebertfest can be purchased through the Virginia Theatre website, or at their box office by calling 217-356-9063 or visiting 203 W. Park Ave. in downtown Champaign. All films will be shown at the historic Virginia Theatre.

Individual festival passes cost $200. VIP Sponsorship packages start at $1,800 and include VIP seating for two, lunch and dinner with the filmmakers, invitations to all festival special parties and events, and much more. 

Roger Ebert was a Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, University of Illinois journalism alumnus, and Urbana native.

Chaz Ebert is also the author of the indie best seller It’s Time to Give A FECK: Elevating Humanity through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness.

Ebertfest is hosted by Chaz Ebert and Nate Kohn, the festival director since the very beginning, in collaboration with the College of Media at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Watch for announcements of films and filmmaker guests over the next few months. The full festival program will be announced in March. 

For the latest updates, please visit ebertfest.com and follow Ebertfest on social media:

Roger Ebert’s Film Festival relies on generous gifts from donors and sponsors. Gifts of all sizes are vital to the festival and can be made online through the College of Media by selecting “Roger Ebert's Film Festival Fund – 11331422.” For additional sponsorship options, visit the Ebertfest website: ebertfest.com/become-sponsor. 


PRESS CONTACT: 

Molly Cornyn, Festival Coordinator, mcornyn2@illinois.edu, 217-333-1590