I am thrilled to announce the launch of my new book "It’s Time to Give a FECK" which takes you on a journey through the
#FECKPrinciples
- Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness. It's an exploration of positive change and unity.
#ItsTimeToGiveAFECK
I am thrilled to announce that the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies will officially launch at the College of Media at the
@UofIllinois
this year, with programming to begin in Fall 2022. You can read all about it here:
We are celebrating Roger’s birthday at today by republishing some of his reviews and essays, which are as timely today as when they were originally written. This essay focuses on the election of
@BarackObama
.
#HappyBirthdayRoger
@futurecanon
OH! Thank you for this. I had forgotten all about it! So sweet❤️❤️❤️Steve thought he was going to find Siskel, but both he and Roger ended up working the room in tandem. Such innocent times. Thank you for the smile.👍🏿👍🏿
Hello Scott, I am not sure what brought about your particular declaration of despair, and it may not make a bit of difference to you, but Roger admired your filmmaking and said he saw something in it that showed a profundity of character and intellect.
If I keep getting personally attacked by film critics I will leave twitter. They will win. I cannot afford to have them souring my name to other critics and filmmakers. It’s consequential.
And none of them come at me directly. That would at least deserve a smidgeon of respect.
R.I.P. Betty White (1922-2021), the legendary performer immortalized on “The Golden Girls” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” eulogized beautifully here by
@nminow
.
On August 13th, my grandson, Joseph, was fatally shot in Atlanta. Like so many, he wasn’t the intended target. I want people to know who he was and that he loved deeply and was deeply loved and cherished by his family.
We are honoring the memory of Roger on the day of his passing in 2013 by sharing his reviews of films about connection and rebirth, including “Cleo from 5 to 7,” “Nashville” and “The Tree of Life.” Read our Managing Editor
@Brian_Tallerico
’s essay here:
R.I.P. Cicely Tyson (1924-2021), the legendary star of “Sounder” and “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” who died two days after the release of her memoir. Read Sergio Mims’ moving tribute here:
Our hearts go out to our editor-at-large,
@mattzollerseitz
, and his family, on the death of his wife, Nancy Dawson (
@cincinnancy
), who spent her final years creating the charity
@transformcincy
, which you can donate to here:
As an executive producer of
#RebeccaHall
’s directorial debut, “Passing,” I am pleased to present my essay on the film and the phenomenon of choosing to live as a different race other than the one prescribed by society.
#passing
#netflix
To commemorate the ninth anniversary of Roger’s “leave of presence,” we will be republishing all throughout April some of his most cherished reviews and essays handpicked by critics, filmmakers, academics and other distinguished readers of this site:
Thank you
@DavidBWriter
for your beautifully written tribute to my late husband, “Remembering Roger Ebert,” published at
@Medium
, and for giving me permission to republish it here.
This special edition of Thumbnails compiles insightful articles about Rebecca Hall’s film, “Passing,” penned by Manohla Dargis, Danielle Sanders,
@alissamarie
,
@jbienkahn
and the
@AWFJ
.
Here is my joyous listing of six films I am glad I saw in 2022, including one that was the most fun I had at a movie theater this year—S. S. Rajamouli (
@ssrajamouli
)’s “RRR” (
@RRRMovie
)—and a seventh film that was the least fun!
Thank you
@BrianRaftery
and
@ringer
for your wonderful
@Spotify
podcast about the legacy of “Siskel & Ebert” entitled, “Gene and Roger.” We have linked all eight episodes of the series here:
R.I.P. Ivan Reitman (1946-2022), the beloved director of such comedy classics as “Ghostbusters,” “Stripes” and “Dave,” eulogized here by Peter Sobczynski (
@petersob13
).
Congratulations to
#SpikeLee
on becoming the well-deserved 34th recipient of the
@am_cinematheque
Award at last night’s virtual ceremony hosted by Jodie Foster.
In honor of my late husband’s 76th birthday, I am sharing the speech he delivered as part of the “11th Hour” series. Thank you, dear Roger, for leaving us with words that seek to bring us together. They are needed more than ever.
I am in awe of astrophysicist Katie Mack (
@AstroKatie
), a special guest at this year’s Ebert Symposium, and of her poem, “Disorientation,” which I am pleased to present you on Christmas Day.
My interview that was filmed as part of
@starttvnetwork
's “My Start Story” campaign will be aired throughout the day tomorrow. Other subjects have included Carol Burnett, Dionne Warwick and “Sneak Previews” executive producer
@TheaFlaum
.
I am pleased to announce our newly redesigned site, which offers more user-friendly features, faster search capabilities and an ad-free experience courtesy of Ebert Prime.
Today I wish TV icon
@TheNormanLear
a Happy 100th Birthday, and I thank him for his beautiful reminder that he recorded on the last day of his 99th year about the importance of “living in the moment.” Read our tribute to him here:
It is with a heavy heart that I report the death of Maria Ewing (1950-2022), the American opera singer & mother of “Passing” director Rebecca Hall, whose beauty, intensity of performance and soprano and mezzo-soprano voice made her an international star.
I couldn’t resist penning a tribute to infomercial pioneer
@RonPopeil
(1935-2021), whose oddball and endearingly hypnotic commercials for such products as the Veg-O-Matic and the Pocket Fisherman were truly unforgettable.
#HappyBirthdayRoger
! We are turning over your website to you today in honor of your birthday, publishing your reviews and essays or essays about you and your writing for everyone to enjoy! Please use
#HappyBirthdayRoger
to get it trending. Thank you!
On this
#Thanksgiving
day, I am pleased to share with you in gratitude a few selected highlights from my series, “My Happy Place,” featuring the Greater Chicago
@FoodDepository
, JoAnn Seagren, Tara Sheahan and
@RashadaDawan
.
I am putting all of our Editor at Large
@mattzollerseitz
’s personal essays—many of which pay tribute to the family members he’s lost in the month of April—in one place in order to help anyone who may be grappling with loss. They are an essential read.
In light of the new circumstances regarding the pandemic, we feel that the best option is to postpone
@ebertfest
. We are moving the dates from September 8-11 of this year to April 20-23, 2022, and we look forward to seeing you there!
I am pleased to report that Rebecca Hall’s “Passing,” for which I served as an executive producer, won the U.S. Narrative Feature Jury Award at the 2021
@NewFestNYC
. The film is now playing in theaters and will premiere on
@netflix
on November 10th.
Iconic historian Timuel Black is turning 102 on Monday, and will be celebrated in a drive-by car parade organized by the
@UChicago
Civil Knowledge Project & Alumni Association. You can find all the details here, as well as how you can contribute a gift.
I know for certain that Roger and Gene would give
@BrianRaftery
“Two Thumbs Up” for his new
@ringer
podcast, “Gene and Roger.” Its first four episodes are now available on
@Spotify
and you can read about them here:
Congratulations to Oscar-nominee
@GarySinise
, the recipient of the 2021
#LincolnLeadershipPrize
, which he received from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation in a virtual ceremony last week.
R.I.P. Bertrand Tavernier (1941-2021), the legendary director whose film, “L.627,” screened at
@ebertfest
. Read
@Honors_Zombie
’s obituary (), Lisa Nesselson’s tribute () and our special edition of Thumbnails ().
For the first time in the history of our site, I am joining my entire editorial team in making a presidential endorsement. We are pleased to endorse
@JoeBiden
for President and
@KamalaHarris
for Vice President.
The words of wisdom from Mrs. Catherine Stovall on her 103rd birthday reminded me that connecting with our elders can help bridge intergenerational gaps that may help our youth.
#happybirthday
#103rdbirthday
Before we embark on 2023, I’d like to take a moment to look back at the great work we’ve published this year at our site. A huge thanks to all of our writers, and to you, our readers and subscribers for keeping film discourse alive and well.
Happy 100th birthday to
@DeborahSzekely
, the Godmother of Health and Fitness! You can contribute to her Green Umbrella fund, which will plant trees in Tecate, Mexico, where she started the
@RanchoLaPuerta
spa with her husband when she was 17 years old.
I’d love to introduce 101-year-old Catherine Stovall to 102-year-old Timuel Black, two Chicagoans whose extraordinary legacies were an inspiration in 2020.
Rest in Heaven's Hood My Friend!
#RIPJohnSingleton
1968-2019, Deepest Condolences to his family including Sheila Ward, Danny Singleton, Justice, Maasai, Hadar, Cleopatra, Selenesol, Isis and Seven. We remember your joy!
This special edition of Thumbnails celebrates the 40th anniversary of Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute (
@sundanceorg
), and includes my late husband Roger’s very first coverage of the organization in 1981.
#Sundance40th
I will be moderating a panel following the 2pm matinee performance this Sunday, March 26th, of “Proximity” at Chicago’s
@LyricOpera
. The panel will be dedicated to the memory of my grandson, Joseph London Smith, whose life was cut short last year.
R.I.P. Mort Sahl (1927-2021), the legendary comedian whom Roger famously interviewed in 1971 (). Be sure to read
@petersob13
’s beautiful tribute here:
.
@malloryomeara
, author of “The Lady from the Black Lagoon,” chats with
@mattzollerseitz
about the under appreciated legacy of
#MilicentPatrick
, creator of the iconic Gill-man costume in 1954’s “Creature from the Black Lagoon.”
It was such a joy for me to host the No Malice Film Celebration at
@NavyPier
's
@chicagoshakes
, which honored the work of ten remarkable filmmakers, ages 11-21, who are the winners of the No Malice Film Contest. You can read all about the ceremony here:
Curator
@mayascade
speaks with
@nminow
about the Black Film Archive, a collection of films from 1915-1979 that have "something significant to say about the Black experience."
Congratulations to Cheryl Boone Isaacs on being named the Founding Director of the
@ASU_filmschool
and to
@cameron_tiff
on being appointed to the role of CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival.
It was an honor to receive the Ruby Dee Humanitarian Award at the 22nd Annual
@BlackReelAwards
. You can find a full list of this year’s winners and watch the complete virtual ceremony here:
Welcome to our 8th celebration of
#WomenWritersWeek
at during
#WomensHistoryMonth
, led by our Contributing Editor
@nminow
! From today, 3/7, through Sunday, 3/13, we’ll be showcasing the work of essential women writers on our site.
My thoughts and prayers are with Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was just transferred out of the hospital and to a rehab facility, and his wife, Jackie Jackson, who has been moved to an intensive care unit, as they continue their recovery from COVID-19.
In his speech at the 2004
@AmericanFilm
commencement ceremonies, where he received an honorary degree, Roger explained why he felt the motion picture was “the most important art form ever devised by the human race.”
#HappyBirthdayRoger
In honor of Roger’s 80th birthday, and in anticipation of Black Writers Week 2022, we are publishing a compilation of his reviews spotlighting 15 essential films by Black directors such as
@JulieDash
,
@ava
,
@BarryJenkins
,
@Spike_Lee_Joint
and more.
Here are some of the principles that Roger stood for and championed throughout his life. I encourage you to heed Roger’s advice today, and “make a friend who is not like you.”
#HappyBirthdayRoger