GUY MADDIN’S “RUMOURS” GETS SET FOR THIS YEAR’S LINEUP
Producer Scott Budnick and Director Guy Maddin to attend this year’s festival
CHAMPAIGN, IL (January 15, 2025) — Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, also known as Ebertfest, announced today that Todd Phillips’ THE HANGOVER starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, and Justin Bartha will close the 26th annual festival on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at the historic Virginia Theatre in Champaign, IL. There will be a Q&A with producer Scott Budnick immediately following the screening.
In his 3.5/4 stars review, Roger Ebert called THE HANGOVER “a funny movie, flat out, all the way through…a movie that deserves every letter of its R rating…. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, especially after you throw up.”
In THE HANGOVER, Doug (Justin Bartha) and three friends (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis) drive to Las Vegas for a wild and memorable stag party. In fact, when the three groomsmen wake up the next morning, they can’t remember a thing; nor can they find Doug. With little time to spare, the three hazy pals try to retrace their steps and find Doug so they can get him back to Los Angeles in time to walk down the aisle.
“In 2009, a cult phenomenon was born when Scott Budnick, Todd Philips and the entire team involved with THE HANGOVER unveiled this offbeat comedy classic,” said Chaz Ebert, Co-Founder and Producer of Ebertfest. “This film made me realize the amazing flexibility of all the actors, but especially Bradley Cooper. Shortly after the film debuted in America, I ran into Bradley in Cannes and was surprised to see him speaking perfect French while being interviewed on French television, a far cry from his ‘Hangover’ character. Both Roger and I enjoyed the outrageousness of the movie, and I look forward to hearing the laughter and excitement from the packed house in the Virginia Theatre!”
The festival is pleased to share that Guy Maddin’s RUMOURS, released in 2024 and starring Cate Blanchett, will officially screen as part of this year’s lineup. Director Guy Maddin will be returning to the festival following a well-received screening of MY WINNIPEG at the 2009 event.
In his review of RUMOURS, RogerEbert.com’s Brian Tallerico says, “[Maddin is] A filmmaker that Roger admired so much has once again burst his imagination onto the big screen in what will surely be one of the highest-profile projects of his career (Cate Blanchett can do that)…. After all, Roger’s statement is still true: Few filmmakers obviously love movies as much as Guy Maddin.”
RUMOURS follows leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies who gather for the annual G7 Summit to draft a provisional statement regarding an unnamed global crisis. They soon become spectacles of incompetence, contending with increasingly surreal obstacles as night falls in the misty woods and they realize they are suddenly alone.
“The ‘Rumours’ are true…Guy Maddin’s work of art is officially slated for our incredible Ebertfest audience!” said Festival Director Nate Kohn. “As a festival that not only celebrates the very best in film, but also the creative geniuses that masterfully tell these stories, it is only fitting that Guy Maddin be honored at this year’s event.”
As previously announced, the 2025 Roger Ebert’s Film Festival will open with a new 70mm print of the Western classic THE SEARCHERS (1956), starring John Wayne and Natalie Wood on Wednesday, April 23.
Additional updates to the festival program will be announced in the coming weeks.
Ebertfest passes are currently available to purchase online or by calling the Virginia Theatre box office at 217-356-9063. Individual festival passes to see all films cost $200, which includes reserved seating.
Roger Ebert was a Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, University of Illinois journalism alumnus, and Urbana native.
Chaz Ebert is also the author of the indie bestseller It’s Time to Give A FECK: Elevating Humanity through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness.
Ebertfest is hosted by Chaz Ebert and Nate Kohn, the festival director since the very beginning, in collaboration with the College of Media at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
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