Matt writes: Last month’s 19th installment of Ebertfest in Champaign, Illinois, was a tremendous joy from beginning to end. Our special guests included Norman Lear (“All in the Family”), Isabelle Huppert (“Elle”), Charles Burnett (“Killer of Sheep”), Gary Ross (“Pleasantville”), cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (“Being There”), first assistant director Michael Hausman (“Hair”) and Oscar-winning producer Irwin Winkler (“Rocky”). We have compiled our site’s complete coverage of the festival into a table of contents, accompanied by several excellent articles from Champaign’s newspaper, The News-Gazette. Our special edition of Thumbnails features additional coverage of the festival published at Variety, the Chicago Sun-Times, The Daily Illini, Smile Politely and more. So grab some popcorn and join us in reliving the highlights of Ebertfest 2017.Trailers The Beguiled (2017) Written and directed by Sofia Coppola (based on the novel by Thomas Cullinan). Starring Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst. Synopsis: At a girls’ school in Virginia during the Civil War, where the young women have been sheltered from the outside world, a wounded Union soldier is taken in. Soon, the house is taken over with sexual tension, rivalries, and an unexpected turn of events. Opens in US theaters on June 30th, 2017. Stalker (1979), restoration. Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Written by Arkadiy Strugatskiy and Boris Strugatskiy. Starring Alisa Freyndlikh, Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy, Anatoliy Solonitsyn. Synopsis: A guide leads two men through an area known as the Zone to find a room that grants wishes. US release date is TBA. The Little Hours (2017), red-band trailer. Written and directed by Jeff Baena. Starring Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Kate Micucci. Synopsis: A young servant fleeing from his master takes refuge at a convent full of emotionally unstable nuns in the middle ages. Opens in US theaters on June 30th, 2017. Wakefield (2017). Written and directed by Robin Swicord. Starring Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Garner, Beverly D’Angelo. Synopsis: A man’s nervous breakdown causes him to leave his wife and live in his attic for several months. Opens in US theaters on May 19th, 2017. American Assassin (2017). Directed by Michael Cuesta. Written by Stephen Schiff, Michael Finch, Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz (based on the novel by Vince Flynn). Starring Dylan O’Brien, Scott Adkins, Taylor Kitsch. Synopsis: A story centered on counterterrorism agent Mitch Rapp. Opens in US theaters on September 15th, 2017. Drone (2017). Directed by Jason Bourque. Written by Jason Bourque and Paul A. Birkett. Starring Sean Bean, Mary McCormack, Joel David Moore. Synopsis: Ideologies collide with fatal results when a military drone contractor meets an enigmatic Pakistani businessman. Opens in US theaters on May 26th, 2017. I Love You Both (2017). Directed by Doug Archibald. Written by Doug Archibald and Kristin Archibald. Starring Lucas Neff, Artemis Pebdani, Angela Trimbur. Synopsis: Krystal and her twin brother/roommate confront twenty-eight years of their codependency when they start dating the same guy. Opens in US theaters on June 9th, 2017. Menashe (2017). Directed by Joshua Z Weinstein. Written by Alex Lipschultz, Musa Syeed and Joshua Z Weinstein. Starring Menashe Lustig. Synopsis: Within Brooklyn’s ultra-orthodox Jewish community, a widower battles for custody of his son. A tender drama performed entirely in Yiddish, the film intimately explores the nature of faith and the price of parenthood. Opens in US theaters on July 28th, 2017. The Survivalist (2017). Written and directed by Stephen Fingleton. Starring Mia Goth, Martin McCann, Andrew Simpson. Synopsis: In a time of starvation, a survivalist lives off a small plot of land hidden deep in forest. When two women seeking food and shelter discover his farm, he finds his existence threatened. US release date is TBA. The Hero (2017). Directed by Brett Haley. Written by Brett Haley and Marc Basch. Starring Sam Elliott, Katharine Ross, Nick Offerman. Synopsis: An ailing movie star comes to terms with his past and mortality. Opens in US theaters on June 9th, 2017. They Call Us Monsters (2017). Directed by Ben Lear. Synopsis: Legislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders. The film recently screened at Ebertfest 2017. Pilgrimage (2017). Directed by Brendan Muldowney. Written by Jamie Hannigan. Starring Richard Armitage, Tom Holland, Jon Bernthal. Synopsis: In 13th century Ireland a group of monks must escort a sacred relic across an Irish landscape fraught with peril. Opens in US theaters on August 11th, 2017. Last Man in Aleppo (2017). Directed by Steen Johannessen and Firas Fayyad. Synopsis: After five years of war in Syria, Aleppo’s remaining residents prepare themselves for a siege. Khalid, Subhi and Mahmoud, founding members of The White Helmets, have remained in the city to help their fellow citizens-and experience daily life, death, struggle and triumph in a city under fire. Opens in US theaters on May 3rd, 2017. Ismael’s Ghosts (2017). Directed by Arnaud Desplechin. Written by Arnaud Desplechin, Léa Mysius and Julie Peyr. Starring Marion Cotillard, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Louis Garrel. Synopsis: The story follows a filmmaker whose life is sent into a tailspin by the return of a former lover just as he is about to embark on the shoot of a new film. US release date is TBA. The Third Murder (2017). Written and directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. Starring Masaharu Fukuyama, Kôji Yakusho, Suzu Hirose. Synopsis: The latest work from the acclaimed filmmaker. US release date is TBA. Tramps (2017). Written and directed by Adam Leon. Starring Callum Turner, Grace Van Patten, Michal Vondel. Synopsis: A young man and woman find love in an unlikely place while carrying out a shady deal. Debuted on Netflix last month. Folk Hero & Funny Guy (2017). Written and directed by Jeff Grace. Starring Alex Karpovsky, Wyatt Russell, Meredith Hagner. Synopsis: A successful singer-songwriter hatches a plan to help his friend’s struggling comedy career and broken love life by hiring him as his opening act on his solo tour. Opens in US theaters on May 12th, 2017. HHhH (2017). Directed by Cédric Jimenez. Written by Audrey Diwan, David Farr and Cédric Jimenez (based on the novel by Laurent Binet). Starring Rosamund Pike, Mia Wasikowska, Jack Reynor. Synopsis: 1942: The Third Reich is at its peak. The Czech resistance in London decides to plan the most ambitious military operation of WWII: Anthropoid. Two young recruits in their late twenties, Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubis, are sent to Prague to assassinate the most ruthless Nazi leader – Reich-protector Reinhard Heydrich, Head of the SS, the Gestapo, and the architect of the “Final Solution”. US release date is TBA. Sign Up for 50/50 Day on May 10th Matt writes: Chaz Ebert absolutely loved the 20-minute film, “50/50: Rethinking the Past, Present, and Future of Women + Power,” directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker and Webby Awards founder Tiffany Shlain. This year, May 10th will officially be dubbed, “50/50 Day.” Thousands of companies, schools, organizations, and homes around the globe — women, men, all genders, all ages — will screen Tiffany’s film, engage with discussion materials and join a 24-hour global LiveCast Q&A featuring prominent leaders discussing the intersection of gender and economics, health care, environment, politics, race and so much more. Click here for more information and to view the film.The Goodness Awards Matt writes: Chaz would also like to shine a light on the 21 nonprofits and arts organizations that are receiving grants from the Roger & Chaz Ebert Foundation. These organizations were honored at the April 4th commemoration of Roger in Chicago.Free Movies Hell’s House (1932). Directed by Howard Higgin. Written by Paul Gangelin and B. Harrison Orkow. Starring Bette Davis, Pat O’Brien, Junior Durkin. Synopsis: Jimmy idolizes bootlegger Matt, and when he refuses to implicate his friend, he is sent to reform school. He befriends Shorty, a boy with a heart condition, and escapes to let the world know about the brutal conditions. Watch “Hell’s House” Rain (1932). Directed by Lewis Milestone. Written by Maxwell Anderson (based on the play by John Colton and Clemence Randolph). Starring Joan Crawford, Walter Huston, Fred Howard. Synopsis: A prostitute finds redemption in Pago Pago thanks to a hard missionary man. Watch “Rain” Phone Call from a Stranger (1952). Directed by Jean Negulesco. Written by Nunnally Johnson. Starring Bette Davis, Shelley Winters, Gary Merrill. Synopsis: While waiting on a delayed flight, David Trask, who has left his unfaithful wife, meets three of his fellow passengers. When the aircraft crashes, he is one of few survivors, and sets out to resolve their unfinished business. Watch “Phone Call from a Stranger”
