CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Three additional guests and the schedule of film-related panel discussions have been announced for the 15th annual Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, also known as “Ebertfest,” taking place April 17-21 at the Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign and at the University of Illinois.
The additional guests are all actors coming with festival films in which they appear. Shailene Woodley, known for her roles in the TV series “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” and as the teenage daughter in the film “The Descendants,” will be a guest with the film “The Spectacular Now.” Trevor St. John, known for a long-running role in the daytime TV series “One Life to Live,” will be a guest with the film “In the Family.” Roy Abramsohn, whose credits include a recurring role in 2011 in the TV series “Weeds,” will be a guest with the film “Escape From Tomorrow.”
The schedule of 12 feature films and two shorts for this year’s “Ebertfest,” all screened at the Virginia, was previously announced and can be found at ebertfest.com, along with festival updates, Ebert’s reviews of the films and information about guests.
Panel discussions about film and the film industry, featuring many of the directors, actors, critics and other festival guests, will be held in the Pine Lounge of the Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana, and are free and open to the public.
The schedule:
Thursday, April 18
9-10:15 a.m. – “Sustaining a Career in Film”
10:30-11:45 a.m. – “Reality or Illusion: A False Dichotomy?”
Friday, April 19
9-10:15 a.m. – “Creative Independence in the Digital Age – How Real is It?”
10:30-11:45 a.m. – “Challenging Stigma Through the Arts”
Saturday, April 20
9-10:30 a.m. – “The Art of the Video Essay: How to Speak Through Movies”
