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Jean-Luc Godard's "Goodbye to Language 3D" to Open Ebertfest

A film by a man who continues to try to redefine what is possible in cinema will open the 2015 Ebertfest as Jean-Luc Godard's "Goodbye to Language 3D" has been announced as the 2015 Opening Night film. It was also revealed that Chazz Palminteri will attend this year's event, presenting his beloved "A Bronx Tale". 

About Godard, Roger Ebert once wrote, "Godard is a director of the very first rank; no other director in the 1960s has had more influence on the development of the feature-length film. Like Joyce in fiction or Beckett in theater, he is a pioneer whose present work . . .is gradually creating and educating an audience that will, perhaps in the next generation, be able to look back at his films and see that this is where their cinema began.” 

The presentation of "Goodbye to Language 3D" will be a landmark one for the Virginia Theater, as it will be projected through the assistance of the legendary James Bond, a projection consultant known around the world. 

"Roger always insisted on the highest level of projection, so during the renovation of the Virginia Theater we enhanced its capability to exhibit 35 and 70 mm films in addition to installing state-of-the-art digital projection,” said Chaz Ebert. “Godard’s 3D film will look extraordinary thanks to our projection consultant, James Bond. Perfect projection is one thing that distinguishes Ebertfest. We feel we owe that to our audiences in this gorgeous movie palace." 

Roger Ebert gave "A Bronx Tale" four stars when it was released, noting "It is filled with life and colorful characters and great lines of dialogue, and De Niro, in his debut as a director, finds the right notes as he moves from laughter to anger to tears. What's important about the film is that it's about values."

There are a few passes left for this year's event but you may want to go to the official site now before they run out. And stay tuned for further news about Ebertfest 2015.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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