CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) — Ebertfest has returned to Champaign's Virginia Theatre, and festival goers couldn't be more excited.

Assistant Festival Director Molly Cornyn says the festival could be educational for some.

“I think the whole idea that it's kind of an educational experience that you know it’s not necessarily going to be your favorite movie that you’ve seen 100 times, you’re going to get the opportunity to see something you’ve never seen before and really learn about that,”  said Cornyn.

The festival originally started in in 1999 as "Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival."

This year, Ebert's wife, Chaz Ebert, has the best seat in the house, following her late husband's mission.

“One of Roger’s big things was that he actually sits through every movie and watches with the audience because the audience's reactions, the feeling in the room was really important to him for how he would moderate all of the question-and-answer sessions afterward," explained Cornyn. "After his passing, since Chaz has kind of stepped in to fill his shoes, she also gets to fill his chair.”

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This year also happens to be the 10 year anniversary of Ebert's passing. Since Ebert thought of films like empathy machines, the festival was sure to symbolize that with this year's chosen films.

“This year is the 10th anniversary of his passing, so we’re celebrating empathy in the movies, and so I think being able to kind of honor that idea that he thought was so important is really wonderful and obviously something we need a lot of in the world right now," said Cornyn.

In addition to other guests, director Frank Oz will be joining this year's Ebertfest. Oz is known for creating and performing many beloved characters on "The Muppet Show" and "Sesame Street", bringing to life Yoda in the Star Wars series, and directing numerous films, from "Little Shop of Horrors" to "What About Bob?" to "The Stepford Wives."

The festival kicks off on Wednesday evening with a showing of "Nine Days" and wraps up on Saturday with "Forrest Gump."

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