Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, also known as Ebertfest, was founded in 1999 by the late Roger Ebert, University of Illinois journalism alum (BS ’64), Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, co-host of numerous televised movie review shows, and Urbana native.
Ebertfest brought together film producers, writers, actors, directors, and critics who participated in post-screening Q&A discussions at the historic Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign. Ebertfest was hosted by Roger Ebert until his passing in 2013, as well as by Chaz Ebert, co-founder and producer, and Nate Kohn, festival director, in collaboration with the College of Media at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 2025 marked the festival’s last year in Champaign-Urbana.
See past Ebertfest programming below. Many of the film introductions and post-screening discussions with filmmaker guests can be viewed on the Ebertfest YouTube channel.
Ebertfest Films & Guests
1999
Dance Me To My Song, with Heather Rose
A Tale of Autumn
Surrender Dorothy, with Kevin Di Novis
Hamsun
Maborosi
Battleship Potemkin, with Concrete Orchestra
Household Saints, with Richard Guay and Nancy Savoca
Shiloh, with Carl Borack, Dale Rosenbloom, and Scott Wilson
Thirteen, with David D. Williams
Tron, with Steven Lisberger and David Warner
Other guests: James Berardinelli
2000
Sidewalk Stories, with Charles Lane
Grave of the Fireflies, with Richard Leskosky and Greg Dean Schmitz
American Movie, with Chris Smith, Sarah Price, Mark Borchardt, and Mike Shank
Legacy, with Tod S. Lending and Nickcole Collins
The Terrorist, with Mark Burton and Ayesha Dharker
The Castle, with Rob Sitch and Michael Hirsh
A Woman’s Tale, with Paul Cox
Children of Heaven, with Godfrey Cheshire
The Last Laugh, with Concrete Orchestra and Edwin Jahiel
Dark City, with Alex Proyas
Oklahoma!, with Tim Zinnemann
Déjà Vu, with Henry Jaglom and Victoria Foyt
Other guests: Carl Borack, Rita Nachtamann, and Larry Meistrich
2001
2001: A Space Odyssey, with Keir Dullea, Frederick Ordway, and Sir Arthur C. Clarke
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, with Jan Harlan
Maryam, with Ramin Serry and Shauna Lyon
Such a Long Journey, with Sturla Gunnarsson
Songs From the Second Floor, with Lars Nordh and Stefan Larsson
Panic, with Henry Bromell
Girl On the Bridge
Dragonflies, the Baby Cries, with Jane Gillooly
Nosferatu, with Alloy Orchestra
3 Women, with Janice Rule
The King of Masks, with Wu Tian Ming
On the Ropes, with Brett Morgen, George Walton, and Tyrene Manson
Jesus’ Son, with Billy Crudup, Allison Maclean, Elizabeth Cuthrell, and Davit Urrutia
A Simple Plan, with Bill Paxton
Everyone Says I Love You, with Billy Crudup and Jean Doumanian
Other guests: Holly Sorenson and Pamela Godfrey
2002
Patton, with Dr. Richard Vetter
Hyenes
George Washington, with David Gordon Green and Curtis Cotton III
Wonder Boys
A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries, with Kaylie Jones and Kris Kristofferson
Kwik Stop, with Michael Gilio and Rachel Tenner
Two Women, with Tahmineh Milani
Innocence, with Paul Cox, Terry Norris, and Paul Grabowsky
Grand Canyon
Paperhouse, with Bernard Rose
Diamond Men, with Dan Cohen and Robert Forster
Metropolis, with Alloy Orchestra
Metropolis (Japanese Anime), with Drew “Moriarity” McWeeny
Say Amen, Somebody, with George T. Nierenberg and The Barrett Sisters
Other guests: Michael Barker, Clifford Parker Robertson III, Paul Speaker, Lorr Kramer, Brand Fortner, George Walton, Tyrene Walton, Tom Holman, Dusty and Joan Cohl, Mitra Sen, James Berardinelli, David Poland
2003
The Right Stuff, with Scott Wilson, Veronica Cartwright, and Donald Moffat
Stone Reader, with Dow Mossman, Mark Moskowitz, Jeff Lipsky, and Robert Goodman
The Grey Automobile, with Claudio Valdes Kuri, Irene Akiko Iida, Enrique Arreola, Ernesto Gomez Santana, and Igor Lozada
Your Friends and Neighbors, with Neil LaBute
Blood and Wine, with Bob Rafelson
Medium Cool, with Haskell Wexler
What’s Cooking?
The Black Pirate, with Alloy Orchestra
L.627, with Bernard Tavernier
The Golden Age of Silent Comedy, with Charlie Lustman and Dena Mora
Shall We Dance, with David Bordwell
Charlotte Sometimes, with Eric Byler, Jaqueline Kim, Michael Idemoto, John Manulis
13 Conversations About One Thing, with Jill Sprecher and Karen Sprecher
Singin’ in the Rain
Other guests: Michael Barker, Lorr Kramer, Brand Fortner, Dusty & Joan Cohl, Steve Garfinkel, Scott Foundas, Chris Gore, Larry Meistrich, and Lisa Nesselson
2004
Lawrence of Arabia
Tarnation, with Jonathan Caouette
The Son, with Dan Talbot
Once Upon a Time…When We Were Colored, with Tim Reid
Tully, with Anson Mount
The General, with Darren Ng and Jeffrey Vance
The Scapegoat, with Darren Ng and Jeffrey Vance
El Norte, with Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas
My Dog Skip, with Jay Russell
Gates of Heaven, with Errol Morris
People I Know, with Daniel Algrant and Bobby Zarem
Invincible, with Werner Herzog
Sweet Old Song/Louie Bluie, with Leah Mahan and Barbara Ward Armstrong
2005
Playtime, with Jonathan Rosenbaum
Murderball, with Joe Soares, Mark Zupan, Dana Adam Shapiro, Henry Alex Rubin, and Jeff Mandel
The Saddest Music in the World
The Heart of the World (short), with Guy Maddin
After Dark, My Sweet, with Jason Patric
Yesterday, with Anant Singh, Darrell Roodt, and Leleti Khumalo
The Phantom of the Opera, with Alloy Orchestra
Baadasssss!, with Mario Van Peebles
The Secret of Roan Inish, with John Sayles and Maggie Renzi
Primer, with Shane Curruth
Map of the Human Heart, with Vincent Ward and Jason Scott Lee
Me and You and Everyone We Know, with Miranda July and Jonathan Sehring
Taal, with Uma da Cunha and Subhash Ghai
Other guests: Michael Wiese, Jean Firstenberg, Doc Erickson, Jim Emerson, David Poland, Eric Pierson, John Cary, and Mickey Cottrell
2006
My Fair Lady, with Marni Nixon, Robert Harris, Jim Katz
Man Push Cart, with Ramin Bahrani and Ahmed Razvi
Duane Hopwood, with Matt Mulhern
Spartan
Somebodies, with Hadjii, Kaira Whitehead, Nate Kohn, and Pam Kohn
The Eagle, with Alloy Orchestra
Ripley’s Game, with Russell Smith and John Malkovich
Millions
Claire Dolan, with Lodge Kerrigan
Junebug, with Phil Morrison, Michael Barker, Amy Adams, and Scott Williams
Bad Santa, with Terry Zwigoff and Robert Hoffman
U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha, with Pauline Malefane and Mark Dornford -May
2007
Gattaca, with Michal Shamberg
The Weather Man, with Steven Conrad and Gil Bellows
Moolaade, with Fatoumata Coulibaly and Samba Gadjigo
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, with Alan Rickman
Sadie Thompson, with CU Symphony, David Bordwell, Steven Larsen, and Joseph Turrin
Come Early Morning, with Joey Lauren Adams and Scott Wilson
La Dolce Vita, with Michael Barker and Jacqueline Reich
Freddie Mercury, the Untold Story, with Rudi Dolezal
Holes, with Andy Davis
Man of Flowers, with Paul Cox and Werner Herzog
Stroszek, with Werner Herzog
Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus, with Andrew Douglas and Jim White
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, with Marcia McBroom, Peter Sobczynski, and Strawberry Alarm Clock
2008
Hamlet, with Timothy Spall and Rufus Sewell
Delirious, with Tom DiCillo
Yes, with John Penotti
Canvas, with Joey Pantoliano, Adam Hammel, Bill Erfurth, Joseph Greco, and Barry Avrich
Citizen Cohl: The Untold Story (short)
Shotgun Stories, with Jeff Nichols
Underworld, with Alloy Orchestra
The Real Dirt on Farmer John, with John Peterson and Taggart Siegel
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, with Paul Schrader and Eiko Ishioka
Hulk, with Ang Lee
The Band’s Visit, with Eran Kolirin
Housekeeping, with Bill Forsyth and Christine Lahti
The Cell, with Tarsem Singh, Eiko Ishioka, and Nico Soultanakis
Romance and Cigarettes, with Aida Turturro and Tricia Brouk
2009
Woodstock, with Michael Wadleigh, Dale Bell, and Jocko Marcellino
My Winnipeg, with Guy Maddin
Chop Shop, with Ramin Bahrani
Trouble the Water, with Tia Lessin, Carl Deal, and Kimberly & Scott Roberts
Begging Naked, with Karen Gehres
The Last Command, with Alloy Orchestra
Frozen River, with Courtney Hunt and Misty Upham
The Fall, with Catinca Untaru
Sita Sings the Blues, with Nina Paley
Nothing But the Truth, with Rod Lurie and Matt Dillon
Let the Right One In, with Carl Molinder
Baraka, with Mark Magidson and Ron Fricke
2010
Pink Floyd The Wall
You, The Living, with Jessica Lundberg and Johan Carlsson
Munyurangabo, with Lee Isaac Chung, Sam Anderson, and Jenny Lund
The New Age, with Michael Tolkin
Apocalypse Now/Redux, with Walter Murch
Departures, with Yojiro Takita
Man with a Movie Camera, with Alloy Orchestra
Synecdoche, New York, with Charlie Kaufman and Anthony Bregman
I Capture the Castle, with Bill Nighy
Vincent: A Life in Color, with Jennifer Burns and Vincent P. Falk
Trucker, with James Mottern and Michelle Monaghan
Barfly, with Barbet Schroeder
Song Sung Blue, with Greg Kohs and Claire Sardina
2011
Metropolis, with Alloy Orchestra
Natural Selection, with Robbie Pickering and Rachael Harris
Umberto D
My Dog Tulip, with Paul Fierlinger and Sandra Schuette Fierlinger
Tiny Furniture, with David Call and Ryan Werner
45365, with Turner Ross and Bill Ross
Me and Orson Welles, with Richard Linklater
Only You, with Norman Jewison
A Small Act, with Patti Lee, Jennifer Arnold, and Hilde Back
Life, Above All, with Oliver Schmitz, Khomotso Manyaka, and Michael Barker
Leaves of Grass, with Tim Blake Nelson
I Am Love, with Tilda Swinton
Louder Than a Bomb, with Jon Siskel, Greg Jacobs, Kevin Coval, Lamar Jorden, Charles Smith, She’Kira McNight, Kevin Harris, and Jesus Lark
2012
Joe Versus the Volcano, with Stephen Goldblatt
The Truth About Beauty & Blogs, with Kelechie Ezie
Phunny Business: A Black Comedy, with John Davies, Raymond Lambert, Reid Brody, Ali LeRoi
Big Fan, with Robert Siegel
Kinyarwanda, with Alrick Brown, Ishmael Ntihabose, Darren Dean, Tommy Oliver, Deatra Harris, Cassandra Freeman, and Hadidja Zaninka
Terri, with Azazel Jacobs and Jacob Wysocki
On Borrowed Time, with Paul Cox
Wild AND Weird, with Alloy Orchestra
A Separation, with Peyman Moadi
Higher Ground, with Carolyn S. Briggs
Patang (The Kite), with Prashant Bhargava, Jaideep Punjabi, Vijay Bhargava, Ranjana Bhargava, Thomas Jobe, Seema Biswas, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Take Shelter, with Jeff Nichols, Michael Shannon, and Michael Barker
Citizen Kane, with David Bordwell and Jeffrey Lerner
2013
Days of Heaven, with Haskell Wexler
I Remember, with Grace Wang, June Kim, and Lily Huang
Vincent: The Life and Death of Vincent Van Gogh, with Paul Cox
To Music (short), with Sophie Kohn and Feike Santbergen
In The Family, with Patrick Wang and Trevor St. John
Bernie, with Richard Linklater and Jack Black
Oslo, August 31st, with Joachim Trier
The Ballad of Narayama, with David Bordwell
Julia, with Tilda Swinton
Blancanieves, with Pablo Berger
Kumare, with Vikram Gandhi and Stephen Feder
Escapes From Tomorrow, with Randy Moore, Soojin Chung, and Roy Abramsohn
The Spectacular Now, with James Ponsoldt and Shailene Woodley
Not Yet Begun To Fight, with Sabrina Lee, Shasta Grenier, Elliott Miller, and Erik Goodge
2014
The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three, with Patton Oswalt
Life Itself, with Steve James
Museum Hours, with Jem Cohen
Short Term 12, with Brie Larson and LaKeith Stanfield
Young Adult, with Patton Oswalt
He Who Gets Slapped, with Alloy Orchestra
Capote, with Bennett Miller
Do the Right Thing, with Spike Lee
Wadjda, with Haifaa Al-Mansour
A Simple Life, with Ann Hui
Goodbye Solo, with Ramin Bahrani
Born on the Fourth of July, with Oliver Stone
Bayou Maharajah, with Lily Keber, Nate Kohn, Henry Butler, Tim Watson
2015
Goodbye to Language, with Heloise Godet
Harold Ramis Tribute, with Erica Ramis, Trevor Albert, and Laurel Ward
A Pidgeon Sat on a Branch Reflection on Existence, with Johan Carlsson
Moving Midway, with Godfrey Cheshire
The End of the Tour, with James Ponsoldt and Jason Segel
Girlhood
The Son of the Sheik, with Alloy Orchestra
A Bronx Tale, with Chazz Palminteri and Jon Kilik
Wild Tales, with Julieta Zylberberg and Javier Braier
Ida
The Motel Life, with Alan Polsky and Stephen Dorff
99 Homes, with Ramin Bahrani and Noah Lomax
Seymour: An Introduction, with Seymour Bernstein and Andrew Harvey
2016
Everybody Wants Some!!, with Stephen Feder, Glen Powell, and Juston Street
Crimson Peak, with Guillermo del Toro
Grandma, with Paul Weitz and Andrew Milano
Northfork, with Michael Polish
The Third Man, with Angela Allen
Disturbing the Peace, with Stephan Apkon, Andrew Young, Chen Alon, Sulaiman Khatib, and Marcina Hale
L’Inhumaine, with Alloy Orchestra
Eve’s Bayou, with Kasi Lemmons
Force of Destiny, with Paul Cox
Radical Grace, with Rebecca Parrish, Nicole Bernardi-Reis, Heather McIntosh, and Father Michael Pfleger
Love and Mercy
Blow Out, with Nancy Allen
Body and Soul, with Renee Baker and Chicago Modern Orchestra Project
2017
Hair, with Michael Hausman
Hysteria, with Tanya Wexler and Hugh Dancy
To Sleep With Anger, with Charles Burnett and Robert Townsend
The Handmaiden
July and Half of August
They Call Us Monsters, with Ben Lear and Sasha Alpert
Variete, with Alloy Orchestra
Elle, with Isabelle Huppert
Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw, with Rick Goldsmith
Pleasantville, with Gray Ross
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, with Norman Lear, Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, and Brent Miller
Being There, with Caleb Deschanel
De-Lovely, with Irwin Winkler
2018
The Fugitive, with Andy Davis
Interstellar, with Miguel Alcubierre and Brand Fortner
Selena, with Gregory Nava
Belle, with Amma Asante
Columbus, with Bill Harnisch, Andrew Miano, Kogonada, Ruth Ann Harnisch, and Danielle Renfrew Behrens
A Page of Madness, with Alloy Orchestra
American Splendor, with Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, and Ted Hope
13th, with Ava DuVernay
Daughters of Dust, with Julie Dash
Rambling Rose, with Martha Coolidge
The Big Lebowski, with Jeff Dowd
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World, with Pura Fe and Alfonso Mairoana
2019
Amazing Grace, with Alan Elliott, Terrell D. Whittley, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir of Champaign-Urbana
Coeur Fidele, with Alloy Orchestra and Michael Phillips
Rachel Getting Married, with Michael Barker, Jenny Lumet, and Stephen Apkon
Bound, with Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon
Cold War
Cane River, with Sandra Schulberg, Dominique Jenkins, Tommye Myrick, and Sacha Jenkins
A Year of the Quiet Sun, with Heavenly Wilson, Maja Komorowska, and Jerzy Tyszkiewicz
Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, with David Mirkin
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, with Rita Coburn
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, with Morgan Neville
Almost Famous, with Richard Roeper
Sideways, with Richard Roeper and Virginia Madsen
2022
Summer of Soul, with Ther’Up.Y, Tammy McCann, and Clem Snide
The Phantom of the Open, with Michael Barker
The 39 Steps, with Michael Barker, Michael Phillips, and Ramin Bahrani
Gilbert, with Dara Kravitz and Neil Berkeley; while Gilbert Gottfried was a confirmed guest, he unfortunately passed away shortly before Ebertfest
French Exit, with Michael Barker and Azazel Jacobs
Passing, with Jason Delane Lee, Yvonne Huff Lee, and Brenda Robinson
Golden Arm, with Anne Marie Allison, Jenna Milly, Olivia Stambouliah, and Betsy Sodaro
The White Tiger, with Rahmin Bahrani
Ghost World, with Terry Zwigoff and Thora Birch
Siren of the Tropics, with Renee Baker and Douglas A. Williams
Krisha, with Eric Pierson, Nell Minow, Joseph Omo-Osagie, and Krisha Fairchild
Soy Cubana, withJeremy Ungar and Robin Miller Ungar
Nightmare Alley (B&W Cinematic Version), with Guillermo del Toro and Kim Morgan
2023
Nine Days, with Jason Michael Berman and Edson Oda
Tokyo Story, with Michael Phillips
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, with Anvil Orchestra
My Name Is Sara, with Steven Oritt, Mickey Shapiro, William Gingold, and Eric Pierson
American Folk, with Amber Rubarth and David Heinz
To Leslie, with Michael Morris
Marian Anderson: The Whole World In Her Hands, with Brenda Robinson, Rita Coburn, Viveca Richards, and Katie Barr
In & Of Itself, with Frank Oz, Derek DelGaudio, Jake Friedman, and Vanessa Lauren
Club Alli (short), with Justen Turner, Julien Turner, and Max Libman
Team Dream (short), with Luchina Fisher, Madeline Murphy Rabb, Ann E. Smith, and Derrick Q. Milligan
Fresh, with Lawrence Bender
Wings of Desire, with Michael Barker and Wim Wenders
Forrest Gump, with Mykelti Williamson
2024
Star 80, with Eric Roberts
Conducting Life, with Roderick Cox and Diane Moore
The Light of Truth, with Rana Segal
Stony Island, with Andy Davis, Richie Davis, and Chicago Catz
The Teachers’ Lounge, with Michael Barker
Cookie’s Fortune
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Little Richard: I Am Everything, with Lisa Cortes
The Best Man, with Malcolm D. Lee
Blackmail, with Anvil Orchestra
Omoiyari, with Kishi Bashi
Albany Road, with Christine Swanson, Michael Swanson, Brett Hayes, and Lynn Whitfield
Man on the Moon, with Larry Karasewski and Scott Alexander
2025
The Searchers, with Eric Pierson
Megalopolis, with Michael Barker and Francis Ford Coppola
Desperately Seeking Susan, with Susan Seidelman and Rosanna Arquette
Harlan County U.S.A., with Barbara Kopple
His Three Daughters, with Azazel Jacobs
A Little Prayer, with Angus MacLachlan
I’m Still Here, with Michael Barker
Rumours, with Guy Maddin
The Adventures of Prince Achmed, with Anvil Orchestra
Color Book, with David Fortune, Kiah Clingman, William Catlett, and Jeremiah Daniels
Touch
The Hangover, with Scott Budnick