Why I Love Ebertfest: A Movie Lover’s Dream | Festivals & Awards

We look forward to welcoming you!

Chaz

First up, Joe from the Northwest Chicago Suburbs:

“I was born on Chicago’s south side in 1973 at Michael Reese Hospital. My parents were from the South Chicago neighborhood but eventually our family ended up in Albany Park. As time went on, gang violence started to get more and more concerning. When my teenaged babysitter Barbara was killed by a stray bullet a hundred yards from our home on Spaulding Avenue, my parents moved us to the northwest suburbs. That was in 1985, but up until that point, Chicago was all that I knew – and I didn’t want to leave. The neighborhood got rough sometimes, but movies were all the escape that I needed. 

And where movies were concerned, at that time in my life, the Sun-Times and Tribune were nothing short of magical. I would huddle-up with the papers every weekend, breathing in the scent of that ink, and gaze at movie ads. Soon I had fallen in love with the weekly reviews written by both Roger and Gene. I’d map out a schedule each weekend, one that would allow me to see five movies in a single day by bouncing from theater to theater. Was it even possible to take a CTA bus from the Portage to the Patio to the Plaza? I didn’t know but desperately wanted to find out. Of course, I wasn’t old enough to see Ordinary People or Silkwood or Sophie’s Choice, but that didn’t stop me from plotting and scheming each weekend, longing to experience each of Roger’s and Gene’s film recommendations for myself. 

Fast-forward to May 2001. I was married, working for a software company, and living in northern Illinois. My aunt mailed me a newspaper clipping with an article describing the Overlooked Film Festival. Turns out I had missed the 3rd iteration by a few weeks and would have to wait 11 more months until the next opportunity. That was my introduction to the festival and the rest is history; April 2002 was my first visit to Champaign and I (so far) haven’t missed a single Ebertfest. I’m lucky to live a mere 200 miles away, and thankfully April tends to work well for my schedule. 

You can view the original article HERE.