Yes, this year’s Ebertfest had to be cancelled. But film buffs can still connect with folks in the film industry as well as those who study media and film through the 2020 Ebert Symposium. This will be a virtual event, open to the public, and it will consist of three different events over the course of the next month. From the press release:
“In three virtual events over five weeks, filmmakers, media professionals and academics will explore the media industry in a time of change, the role and practice of documentary filmmaking, and media bias and representation. Shaping all three will be the effects of the global pandemic and the racial justice movement.”
The first event, “The Movie Industry in a Time of Change,” is October 8th at 5 p.m. Chaz Ebert and Eberfest director Nate Kohn will moderate a panel including: “directors Melissa Haizlip, Malcolm Lee, Mary Mazzio and Christine Swanson; film industry executives Michael Barker, with Sony Pictures Classics, and Neal Block, with Magnolia Pictures; Darrien Michele Gipson, the executive director of SAGindie, which connects actors with independent filmmakers; and entertainment lawyer Nina Shaw.”
Events can be viewed on YouTube or Facebook. Find more details here.
Image from Illinois News Bureau.