U of Ideas of General Interest -- April 2000
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Contact: Andrea Lynn, Humanities/Social Sciences Editor (217) 333-2177; [email protected]
AT THE MOVIES
Roger Ebert's festival to feature films he thinks deserve 'second look'
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Judging by last year's turnout, Roger Ebert's upcoming -- and ironically named -- "Overlooked Film Festival" promises to be anything but overlooked.
Last year some 8,000 film aficionados from Boston to Los Angeles jammed the inaugural festival at the University of Illinois and the historic Virginia Theatre in Champaign.
This year's festival of films the Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic describes as "important but overlooked by audiences, critics and distributors" is set for April 26-30. Twelve films will be featured, and at least as many producers, directors and actors will take part in the offbeat, off-the-beaten path festival created by Ebert, a UI journalism graduate, TV host, newspaper columnist and author.
Ebert said he believes the films "deserve a second look and a second chance." Four academic panel discussions, moderated by Ebert and featuring festival filmmakers and scholars, are scheduled: Digital vs. Films: The War for the Soul of Cinema; The Feature-Length Documentary Film; Looking at Looking in Overlooked Films; and Women and Film. The films, as described by festival organizers:
"Sidewalk Stories" (USA, 1989), a modern-day silent movie.
"Grave of the Fireflies" (Japan, 1988), a brilliant, deeply moving animated indictment of war.
"American Movie" and "Coven" (two films, USA, 1999), the first is a very funny, sometimes very sad, feature-length documentary about the making of the second movie "Coven."
"Legacy" (USA, 1999), filmed over five years, the documentary captures the lives of three generations of African-America women as they recover from three crises.
"The Terrorist" (India, 1998), an independent Indian film, exquisitely photographed and beautifully acted, that tells the compelling story of a young revolutionary suicide bomber.
"The Castle" (Australia, 1997), a comic treasure that, like "The Full Monty," shows its characters in the full-bloom of glorious eccentricity.
"A Woman's Tale" (Australia, 1991), portrays several days in the life of an old lady of great wit and character, who faces death as she has faced everything else -- on her own terms.
"Children of Heaven" (Iran, 1997), a very nearly perfect movie for children -- and adults -- about a boy who loses his sister's shoes and the consequences.
"The Last Laugh" (Germany, 1924) and "Un Chien Andalou" (France, 1929), classic silent films. The first is considered F.W. Murnau's most powerful and polished movie, the second, perhaps the most inventive 15 minutes of film ever shot. Live musical accompaniment by the Concrete Orchestra.
"Deja Vu" (USA, 1997), a sophisticated love story about smart people.
"Dark City" (USA, 1998), a great visionary achievement that is so original and exciting that it shakes the imagination.
"Oklahoma" (USA, 1955), the cinematic version of the Broadway musical homage to the American West. The landmark movie musical will be screened in its original 70 mm format.
Tickets, which are $6 for each screening or $40 for the entire festival (panels are free of charge), are available at the theater box office at (217) 356-9063; the Springer Recreation Center, (217) 398-2376 and the Bresnan Meeting Center, (217) 398-2550. The festival is a non-profit production of the UI College of Communications, and is funded by a host of sponsors. For more information, see the Web site (www.ebertfest.com) or contact Melissa McKillip at [email protected].
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