Calendar: October 16-22, 2020
Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday/Saturday on C-U Blogfidential and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.
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MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!
10/18: Mike Everleth (publisher, Underground Film Journal, Los Angeles, CA)
10/20: Lana Wildman (staff, Route 66 Film Festival, Springfield, IL)
10/22: John May (filmmaker, Tabletop Studios, Madison, WI)
MFHQ MEMO | From Chambana Mendota with Love Multiplicity
If you need any more proof about how local film culture might find its footing on the internet for the interim, look no further than the “Local Films & Events” section immediately below. We’ll try our best to share accurate information and links to official sources in case you would like to partake.
A good instance of problem solving on a low budget is provided by Zach Tindell and his group at Dead in Decatur, who clearly had to think outside the clamshell case so their annual show could still go on. At first, they cancelled the Dead in Decatur International Film Festival since a pandemic is not a good time to gather an audience in a compact public space, like they did last year in the gallery of the Decatur Area Arts Council. And yet, it returns later today, Friday, October 16, starting at 4 p.m. and running through the end of Saturday, October 17! Content blocks will stream at Twitch, known as a hosting site for live video game broadcasts and other real-time streams, and a concurrent chatroom will be abuzz at Discord for those who want to keyboard jabber as they take in the fresh indie frights. Click here to reach the Facebook event page for Dead in Decatur and click here to pop up their entire schedule as a graphic.
University of Illinois lecturers and New Art Film Festival filmmakers Alison Davis and Angela Aguayo will join the esteemed Jay Rosenstein a few days later in moderating the second Ebert Symposium of the fall on Thursday, October 22, starting at 5 p.m. This webpage summarizes their intended discussion on the modern documentary and social change with producers Sacha Jenkins (WU-TANG CLAN: OF MICS AND MEN), Dawn Porter (JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE), and Kirby Dick (THE BLEEDING EDGE), as well as providing links to the YouTube and Facebook accounts where the forum will be livestreamed.
One such film is the highly anticipated FINDING YINGYING, a selection of the 2020 Chicago International Film Festival that can be viewed by ticket and pass holders from now until Sunday, October 25. Make the purchase today and you will have access later tonight to a livestreamed talk with director Jiayan “Jenny” Shi, producer Brent E. Huffman, and cinematographer Shilin Sun. Organizers suggest that viewers should begin YINGYING, which recounts the disappearance of a UIUC international student and her family’s struggle to discover the complete truth about it, by 7:10 p.m. so that it finishes right before the panel begins at 9 p.m. Do your best to make time and maximize these opportunities, folks.
LOCAL FILMS & EVENTS | Support Your Media Storytellers
@ online Twitch & Discord
4th Dead in Decatur International Film Festival, virtual event (10/16, 4 p.m.-midnight; 10/17, 12 p.m.-midnight) Facebook event
@ online Zoom
C-U Cinefile virtual meeting (10/16, 10/23, 4 p.m.) Join mailing list
@ online YouTube
For Art’s Sake streaming event, “MOTHLIGHT (Avant-Garde series #3)” (10/16, 7 p.m. on) View
@ online
56th Chicago International Film Festival presents “FINDING YINGYING* livestream filmmaker Q&A” (10/16, 9 p.m., free w/ticket purchase to stream film) Information
@ online Zoom
Illini Film & Video virtual meeting (10/19, 8 p.m.) Join mailing list
@ online YouTube & Facebook
UI College of Media presents Ebert Symposium Series, “Documentary Film and Social Change,” moderated by Angela Aguayo, Alison Davis, and Jay Rosenstein, featuring Kirby Dick, Sacha Jenkins, and Dawn Porter (10/22, 5 p.m.) Information
@ online
56th Chicago International Film Festival presents FINDING YINGYING*, virtual streaming (10/14-10/25) Ticket purchase
NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area
@ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL
2 HEARTS, HONEST THIEF, THE KID DETECTIVE, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HOCUS POCUS, MY PEOPLE MY HOMELAND, THE NEW MUTANTS, TENET, UNHINGED, THE WAR WITH GRANDPA (10/16 on), YELLOW ROSE (10/16-10/19, 10/21), THE CROODS (10/16-10/18, 10/20)
@ Family Video, Champaign-Urbana, IL
EL CAMINO: A BREAKING BAD STORY, THE DOORMAN, GRANT, CATS & DOGS 3, YUMMY, BEFORE THE FIRE, TALES FROM THE HOOD 3, ASHFALL, SEIZED, VIKINGS (s6 v1), more! (10/13 on)
@ Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL
Illini Union Board presents “Throwback Films at the Union” feat. PRETTY WOMAN, Illini Union Ballroom, 2nd floor (10/16, 7 p.m.; free w/i-card)
Events featuring locally produced movies are marked with an asterisk (*). Additional “Now Playing” and “Coming Soon” listings appear after the jump!
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NOW PLAYING | The Cities Beyond
@ AMC Classic Village Mall 6, Danville, IL
HONEST THIEF, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HOCUS POCUS, TENET, UNHINGED, THE WAR WITH GRANDPA (10/16-10/18)
@ AMC Peru Mall 8, Peru, IL
THE CROODS, HONEST THIEF, THE KID DETECTIVE, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HOCUS POCUS, THE NEW MUTANTS, UNHINGED, THE WAR WITH GRANDPA (10/16-10/18)
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL
CASPER, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984), THE WAR WITH GRANDPA (10/16-10/18)
@ The Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL
HOCUS POCUS (10/16-10/17, 6 & 9 p.m.), THE CORPSE BRIDE (10/21, 7:30 p.m.)
@ The Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, Gibson City, IL
“Frightfest”: THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Screen 1 & 2) (10/16-10/17), MONSTER HOUSE (Screen 1), THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (Screen 2) (10/18, free admission + charity fundraiser)
@ The Lincoln Family Theater & Community Center, Lincoln, IL
Closed for the week.
@ The Little Lorraine, Hoopeston, IL
Closed for the week.
@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL
DEAD (10/16, 10/18), LABYRINTH (10/17-10/18), RELIC (10/22). “Living Room Film Festival” virtual screenings: DEAD, BILLY THE KID (through 10/22) Purchase
@ The Onarga Theatre, Onarga, IL
Closed for the week.
@ The Princess Theatre, Leroy, IL
Closed for the week.
@ Route 34 Drive-in, Earlville, IL
JURASSIC WORLD, JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM (10/16-10/18)
@ Route 66 Twin Drive-in, Springfield, IL
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HOCUS POCUS (Screen 1), private rental (Screen 2) (10/16), “Halloween Extravaganza” safe event feat. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HOCUS POCUS (Screen 1), THE CONJURING, ANNABELLE (Screen 2) (10/17)
@ Roxy Cinemas, Ottawa, IL
2 HEARTS, HONEST THIEF, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HOCUS POCUS, TULSA, UNHINGED, THE WAR WITH GRANDPA (10/16 on)
@ Streator Eagle 6, Streator, IL
HONEST THIEF, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, PURPLE RAIN, HOCUS POCUS, THE WAR WITH GRANDPA (10/16 on), KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (10/16), NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968), THE THING (1982) (10/17-10/20), THE EVIL DEAD (1983), GILA! (10/21-10/22)
NOW PLAYING | Midwest
@ Pilsen’s ChiTown Movies drive-in, Chicago, IL
Midwest Film Festival presents “11th annual Ad Community Shorts Night” (10/21, 5:30 p.m. doors, 6:30 p.m. program)
@ Cinema/Chicago + Pilsen’s ChiTown Movies drive-in, Chicago, IL
56th Chicago International Film Festival, hybrid edition, feat. FINDING YINGYING* (through 10/25)
For detailed and curated listings of Chicago-area film presentations and related events, as well as cancellations and postponements due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, please visit the fine folks at Cine-File and subscribe to their definitive “Cine-List” weekly blast.
COMING SOON | Area-wide Events
10/22, 11/5
Ebert Symposium Series 2020
@ College of Media, UIUC, Urbana, IL (virtual event)
11/6-11/7
19th annual Route 66 Film Festival
@ State House Inn, Springfield, IL
9/8-9/11, 2021
22nd Roger Ebert’s Film Festival
@ The Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL
TBD
Small Press Fest!
@ University Library, UIUC, Urbana, IL (virtual event)
COMMUNITY & CAMPUS SERIES | Champaign-Urbana area
Illini Union Board presents “Throwback Films at the Union”
@ Illini Union Ballroom, 2nd floor, Illini Union, UIUC, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m. Fri., free w/i-card
10/16: PRETTY WOMAN; 10/23: PULP FICTION; 10/30: JURASSIC PARK; 11/6: MALCOLM X; 11/13: CLUELESS; 11/20: THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
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Compiled by Jason Pankoke.
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“Calendar du C-U”
© 2020 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential