Roger Ebert, a 1964 Journalism graduate of the University of Illinois and a Pulitzer Prize-winning acclaimed film critic, comes to Urbana-Champaign each spring for a week and hosts the festival. He selects a total of 12-14 films that represent a cross-section of important cinematic works “overlooked” by audiences, critics and distributors. The films are screened in the 1,500-seat Virginia Theatre, a restored movie palace built in the 1920s. Mr. Ebert brings together the films, producers, writers, actors and directors from around the world to help showcase these films. Following each screening, Mr. Ebert leads on-stage Q&A sessions with the guests for general audiences and critics. In addition to the screenings, the festival hosts a number of academic panel discussions featuring Mr. Ebert, filmmaker guests, scholars and students. These are held on campus at the Illini Union; also where all festival guest stay. The festival is a non-profit event of the College of Media at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The festival is accessible to students, senior citizens and the general public by consistently offering low prices for festival passes and individual tickets. www.ebertfest.com