CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Film fans who want the whole experience of the 18th annual Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, or “Ebertfest,” can purchase festival passes starting Nov. 2.
The passes cover all 12 or more screenings during the five-day event, coming April 13-17 at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign, Ill. Related talks and panel discussions will be held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The festival presents cinematic works overlooked by audiences, critics or distributors. It was founded by Ebert, an Urbana native, U. of I. journalism graduate and Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, who died in 2013.
Chaz Ebert, Roger’s widow, is the festival host and executive producer; Nate Kohn is the festival director.
The passes are $150, plus processing. One thousand passes will be available.
Passes can be purchased through the festival website, the theater website, or the theater box office, 203 W. Park Ave., Champaign, 217-356-9063.
The lineup of films, guests and other events will be announced several weeks before the festival, which is sponsored by the U. of I. College of Media. Updates will be posted on the festival website. Tickets for individual movies will be available April 1. Admission is $15, or $13 for students and seniors.
Those interested in being a festival sponsor or volunteer should contact Casey Ludwig, assistant director of the festival, at 217-300-1375 or ludwig2@illinois.edu.
