CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Film-related panel discussions have been announced for the 17th annual Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, coming April 15-19 to Champaign-Urbana, along with an added guest and a special event on the final day.
The recently added guest for “Ebertfest” is actor Stephen Dorff, who plays one of the leads in “The Motel Life,” which will be screened at 5 p.m. April 18. Among recent roles, Dorff starred in Sofia Coppola’s “Somewhere,” and opposite stars Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in the gangster drama “Public Enemies.”
Also added to the schedule: a master class with pianist Seymour Bernstein, which will be conducted on stage with University of Illinois students following the festival’s last film, “Seymour: An Introduction,” being shown at 11 a.m. April 19.
Bernstein, an accomplished concert pianist who gave up performing at the height of his career to focus on teaching and composing, is the subject of the documentary and was previously announced as a guest.
The schedule of 12 feature films for this year’s festival, all screened at the Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign, was previously announced and can be found at ebertfest.com, along with festival updates, reviews of the films and information about guests.
The 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 16
9-10 a.m. – “Challenging Stigma Through the Arts”
10:15-11:15 a.m. – “Ebert Center @ Illinois: Storytelling Meets Engineering”
Friday, April 17
9-10 a.m. – “Filmmaking in the Digital Age”
10:15-11:15 a.m. – “Criticism Forum”
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