Acting since age 4, Birch’s credits include iconic roles in movies such as “Ghost World,” which is featured in this year’s Ebertfest; “American Beauty,” “Now and Then” and “Hocus Pocus.” Birch has won SAG Awards and multiple Young Artist Awards, and has been nominated for Golden Globe, Emmy and BAFTA awards.
Sodaro achieved stardom in the 2015 TV series “Clipped” and in the small screen’s “Disjointed” from 2017-18, among many other roles in her career. An actor in the Ebertfest film “Golden Arm,” Sodaro joins other guests from the movie including actor Olivia Stambouliah; writers Ann Marie Allison and Jenna Milly; and producer Brigid Brakefield.
The movie “Soy Cubana” will be followed by a musical performance from a band of current and former University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Latin Jazz Combo musicians, featuring guest vocalist Stephanie Woods Machado and musical director Tito Carrillo. The band will perform rhythms inspired by the movie’s Afro-Cuban music.
An additional special guest attending Ebertfest this year is executive producer Chris Kelly. Associated with acclaimed independent films including “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” “Olive” and “Once Upon a Time in Queens,” Kelly also is a co-owner of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. He will join Chaz Ebert in moderating the discussion about Gilbert Gottfried after the screening of the movie “Gilbert.”
A short movie, “Lifeline,” and a 13th feature-length film will be included in the schedule this year, instead of panel discussions. “The Phantom of the Open” tells the remarkable true story of Maurice Flitcroft, a crane operator and optimistic dreamer who, with the support of his family and friends, managed to gain entry to the 1976 British Open qualifier despite never playing a round of golf before.
The 22nd annual festival program lineup is available at http://www.ebertfest.com/film-schedule, and can be glimpsed in the summary below…