At Ebertfest, the show must go on -- and does

MOVIES | Sun-Times critic absent, but stars still turn out

CHAMPAIGN-URBANA -- This year's Ebertfest, the first ever without the Man himself presiding beneficently over all things cinematical for five days, wasn't the same without him. Though he might have not been there in person, the Sun-Times film critic was most certainly present in spirit.

From its discerning programming to its atmosphere of camaraderie to its celebration of grass-roots films and filmmakers, Ebertfest bears the distinctive mark of its maker. As his wife Chaz, who stepped in as emcee this year, said, "Roger always emphasizes that the festival is not about him, it's about the films and the filmmakers. But I like to point out that it's Roger who had the foresight to bring them there."

Among the filmmakers turning out for the 10th annual Roger Ebert Film Festival, which concluded Sunday at the historic Virginia Theatre here, were directors Ang Lee, Paul Schrader, Bill Forsyth and Tom DiCillo, actors Joe Pantoliano, Christine Lahti, Rufus Sewell and Aida Turturro, and other industry movers and shakers.

Ebert, an Urbana native and University of Illinois alumnus, launched his Overlooked Film Festival in 1998 to champion movies that didn't find an audience and disappeared after their original release. The event, sponsored by the U. of I. College of Communications, officially became Ebertfest this year. The name change recognizes Ebert as the festival's guiding light but also reflects a practical concern. "After 10 years of explaining what the Overlooked Film Festival is," Ebert said, "it comes down to this: 1,600 people in a beautiful old movie palace enjoying good and surprising movies."

When Ebert injured his hip two weeks ago, after being sidelined for months while recovering from reconstructive surgery, he realized it would not be feasible to attend this year. But he declared "the show must go on" and decided the theme would be friendship, because "he couldn't do it without his friends," as Chaz Ebert said.

Also, this year's fest was dedicated to one of the Eberts' dearest friends, Dusty Cohl, co-founder of the Toronto Film Festival, an internationally respected cinema champion and all-time great raconteur, who died in January. "His full-time occupation was being a friend, and he was one of the best I've ever made," Ebert said.

Many other friends, old and new, turned out. Highlights:

•   •   Ang Lee, Oscar-winning director of "Brokeback Mountain" and a U. of I. alum, received a hometown hero's welcome: an onstage serenade of the Illini Loyalty Song, performed by the Other Guys, an all-male vocal ensemble, clad in orange and navy sweaters. As Chaz Ebert remarked afterward, "You won't see that at the Cannes Film Festival."

Lee appeared with his movie "Hulk" (2003), based on the Marvel Comics superhero. Referring to the experience of seeing his movie on a big screen in a vintage setting, Lee said, "TV is Bruce Banner; this [the Virginia Theatre] is the Hulk!"

•   •   Joe Pantoliano, best known as the ruthless R. Ciferrato on "The Sopranos," said he took his role in the indie "Canvas" to "wash the stench of Ralphie out of me."

"Canvas" (2006) follows a family coping with schizophrenia. Pantoliano talked about the non-profit group called No Kidding, Me, Too, which he launched to help overcome the stigma of mental illness. "Those of us who are touched with fire [of mental illness], we're out of the closet," he said, "and now we're going to tear the stigma apart with kindness and understanding."

•   •   Christine Lahti, who joined writer-director Bill Forsyth, for a screening of their tragicomedy "Housekeeping" (1987), said she hoped to be remembered for her performance in this movie -- and "not for being in the bathroom during the Golden Globes" -- referring to her infamous win in 1998.