Opening Night-Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival

Just home from viewing "My Fair Lady" at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign, IL. It's the first night of the Roger Ebert (film critic) film festival aka Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival or Ebertfest. Promptly at 7:30 p.m., Roger Ebert appeared from behind the red curtain on the stage of the beautiful Virginia Theatre. A little known fact is that George Burns performed vaudeville on the same stage years and years ago. Do you know who George Burns is -- think OH GOD, the movie.
The film was restored; we saw it in 70mm. John Katz (restorer) and Marni Nixon ("the voice") were guests. The restorer provided us with an extra tape after the 170 minute film so we could hear Audrey Hepburn's actual singing voice. Later, the very last bit o'the evening, Marni Nixon sang quite a few lines from "Wouldn't it be Loverly" and what a voice my friends. This woman has such clarity and strength when singing. Her autobiography comes out September 2006; she just finished writing her life story. She reminisced that the studio sort of threatened her like "the mafia". Ms. Nixon was NOT allowed to say her singing voice was dubbed in for Audrey Hepburn--or else, she was threatened, she would never work in LA or Hollywood again.
The film festival is the perfect size -- about 1000 to 1500 people viewing a film together. Any larger, and in a different venue, and this film festival would lose its uniqueness. A festival participant has the opportunity to mix with people from all over the US & world, people from the media-publicists, screenwriters, rich snobs, down-to-earth Midwesterners, actors, caterers--if you are open and friendly, you can just meet a VARIETY of individuals with something to share with U that you didn't know before. My favorite lecture was from Robert Forester (Mulholland Drive, Dante's Peak). He was just fascinating--motivational, a storyteller, extremely down-to-earth. Mark Zupan (Murderball) was a inspiration--a fantastic guest.
If you enjoy movies, attend a movie festival; it is a good time even though you are eating too much popcorn and spending too much time in the dark with little to NO exercise for hours.
I need to call it quits for now. More later.