Film festivals are fun, but most are like going to the Taste of Chicago, large crowds, a little of this, a bit of that, and trying to figure out what to do when and where. Roger Ebert's film festival is just as exciting but much more laid back. It's also a bargain. A Festival Pass for all 12 screenings is only $60.00. Individual tickets are $7, except for the Saturday screening of "The Golden Age of Silent Comedy," which is free for children and their accompanying adults (actually, any adults). All screenings are in the historic and charming Virginia Theatre, located in downtown Champaign and the College of Communications at the University of Illinois sponsors the festival.

Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival has a totally different focus than most festivals, where many movies have a distributor and are being hyped to maximize its success at the box office. Most of the others are looking for a distributor so the filmmaker can say "soon playing at a theatre near you." Roger and his wife Chaz, showcase films that they consider to be outstanding, which have been missed or slighted in their first outing.

That might mean that it came and went before anyone noticed ("Shall We Dance"); it might be a classic silent film ("The Golden Age of Silent

Comedy") that is shown with live organ accompaniment. Maybe the story presents a special point of view, such as culturally diverse families and the commonality they all share ("What's Cooking?"). A film we've all seen, "The Right Stuff" will open this year's festival in a glorious new 35mm print. A wickedly funny comedy ("Blood and Wine") starred three highly regarded actors, Jack Nicholson, Michael Caine and Jennifer Lopez but fizzled at the box office. Ending the festival each year is a musical, and this year not only will the classic "Singin' in the Rain" be shown, but live, on stage for a discussion with Roger will be Donald O'Connor and Cyd Charisse.

All film festivals have movie stars and directors at some of the screenings for a Q&A after the film. Roger has a representative for each film for an extended discussion, which runs between 30-45 minutes and is always enlightening and lots of fun.

I'm often asked what is my favorite film and although I'm still deciding on what to put at the top of the list, one of the two I always mention is being shown at this "overlooked" festival and it's "Shall We Dance." I love the film so much that I've only seen it once even though I have it in my personal library. The feeling I had in the theatre was so special that I have been reluctant to risk spoiling the memory. On Thursday, April 24th, I'll be put to the test and I can hardly wait.