Posted by chicagomedia.org on April 27, 2009 at 09:46:24:
Ebert's Champaign wishes
EBERTFEST | Critic again brings overlooked movies -- and their makers -- Downstate
April 27, 2009
BY LAURA EMERICK | Chicago Sun-Times
CHAMPAIGN -- In the words of a milestone American musical, it's great to have Roger back where he belongs.
That's at the center of his annual film festival, now called Ebertfest, which celebrates movies ignored, lost or not widely seen after their original release.
The dean of American film critics was especially buoyed to return this week to his hometown of Urbana and his alma mater, the University of Illinois. Last year, he had to skip the fest's 10th annual edition because he had broken his hip a few weeks beforehand. Though he cannot speak, due to complications from cancer-related surgery, he gleefully presided over the sold-out event, which concluded Sunday at the historic Virginia Theatre.
"We can't tell you enough how grateful Roger is that you had faith that he would be back this year," said his wife, Chaz, who once again served as emcee.
Sponsored by the University of Illinois' College of Media and programmed by Ebert, festival director Nate Kohn and associate director Mary Susan Britt, the five-day event featured the usual Ebertfest complement of independent ("The Fall," 2006), foreign ("Let the Right One In," 2008), silent ("The Last Command," 1928) and documentary titles ("Trouble the Water," 2008).
Among the filmmakers attending were writer-directors Courtney Hunt of "Frozen River" (2008), Guy Maddin of "My Winnipeg" (2008), Ramin Bahrani of "Chop Shop" (2007), and director-writer-producer Rod Lurie and actor Matt Dillon of "Nothing But the Truth" (2008).
Dillon recalled that he and Ebert go way back. "The first review I ever got was from Roger Ebert, for one of my first films, 'My Bodyguard' [1980]," he said. "I'll never forget how we were riding to a set, and someone threw a Sun-Times at me and said, 'Hey, kid, you got a good review.' "
Many others talked about receiving similar encouragement. "I wouldn't have been able to make another movie after my first film, 'Man Push Cart' [2004], if not for the support of people like Roger Ebert," Bahrani said. "And for my latest film, 'Goodbye Solo,' so many people have come up to me and said, 'I'm here to see the movie because I read the reviews by A.O. Scott [of the New York Times] and Roger Ebert.' "
Lurie, who started out as a film critic, first while in the Army and later for KABC radio in Los Angeles, called Ebert one of his all-time heroes. "When I was growing up, I loved movies and decided that I wanted to get involved in film somehow," he said. "So I wrote to a bunch of film critics for advice and just three wrote me back: Pauline Kael, Judith Crist -- and Roger Ebert."
Though Ebert's review of "The Fall" helped the film find a larger audience in the United States, "nobody knows this movie in Romania," said Catinca Untaru, the young Romanian star of "The Fall," who explained why her classmates still treat her like a normal student, and charmed the crowd with her poise and candor. (Later she mentioned she was looking forward to the Swedish teen vampire film "Let the Right One In" that evening at Ebertfest, "because we know a lot about vampires in my home country.")
Other Ebertfest guests spoke of sharing a hometown bond. Carl Deal, who co-directed the Oscar-nominated "Trouble the Water" with Tia Lessin, grew up in Urbana. "It's such a thrill to be here," he said. "To get a stamp of approval from Roger and be back in your hometown theater, it's overwhelming."
Nina Paley, daughter of former Urbana mayor Hiram Paley, appeared at Ebertfest with her animated feature "Sita Sings the Blues" (2009). "This is the coolest way to come home," she said. "This theater is too small to contain all my joy. Thank you for giving me so much love."
"Sita Sings the Blues," which begins a weeklong run Friday at the Gene Siskel Film Center, falls into a category that Ebert likes to call "pre-overlooked": movies not yet picked up for distribution. Paley created "Sita," which reworks the Indian epic poem Ramayana as a commentary on modern love, on her home computer; she also has made the film available for free online.
Other pre-overlooked movies at Ebertfest '09 included "Nothing But the Truth," which opened briefly in December but then was pulled when its distributor went bankrupt. (It comes out Tuesday on DVD.)
"Begging Naked," another orphaned title, chronicles the saga of Elise Hill, a former runaway who became a sex worker, stripper and then an artist who created paintings, sculptures and other works while living for two decades in a converted airshaft near Carnegie Hall and struggling with mental illness. After being evicted, Hill found herself homeless and camped out in Central Park. Despite her plight, Hill still manages to produce art; an exhibit of her works organized for Ebertfest quickly sold out after "Begging Naked" screened.
Karen Gehres, who began shooting "Begging Naked" in 1996, often with little support, said she couldn't believe that her film had been invited to Ebertfest. "When I got the e-mail from Roger, I was at my lowest. I had worked on this film for so long. To get that e-mail, it was a sign that I needed to show what I was doing is worthy."
Using a voice simulator on his laptop, Ebert reminded the crowd that "Begging Naked" reflects a common theme among his festival selections. "Like 'Trouble the Water' and 'Chop Shop,' it documents the human spirit," he said. "The film gives voice to Elise's story."
Expanding on her husband's comments, Chaz Ebert mentioned that Ebertfest movies share the philosophy of this year's opening night film, "Woodstock" (1970). "The message of 'Woodstock' is the same as Ebertfest: peace, love and understanding," she said. "Ebertfest is such a mood elevator, we're hoping the FDA could give us a sticker that says 'Ebertfest is good for your health.' "