CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Festival passes will go on sale Nov. 1 for the 13th annual Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, or “Ebertfest,” to be held April 27 to May 1 at the Virginia Theater in Champaign, Ill., and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The festival will feature films selected by Ebert that he believes have been overlooked by audiences, critics or distributors.
The passes, which cover all 12 screenings during the five-day event, are $135. They can be purchased starting Nov. 1 through TicketWeb, by way of the festival website, or at the Bresnan Meeting Center, 706 Kenwood Road, Champaign (217-398-2550). (The theater box office will be closed for renovations.)
Tickets for individual films will be available April 4. Admission is $13 ($11 for students and seniors).
A thousand festival passes will be available. Last year’s passes sold out within about two months, according to Mary Susan Britt, festival associate director.
Ebert, a U. of I. journalism graduate, adjunct professor and Pulitzer Prize-winner, will again host the event, along with his wife, Chaz Hammelsmith Ebert.
The lineup of films, along with additional information on guests and other festival events, will be announced several weeks before the festival. Updates on the festival, an event of Illinois’ College of Media, will be posted on the festival website.
Sponsors and volunteers for the festival are being sought. Those interested should get in touch with Britt at 217-244-0552, or by e-mail atmarsue@illinois.edu.
