After more than 40 years as a regular at the Conference on World Affairs, Roger Ebert announced today that he will no longer host the Cinema Interruptus event. Jim Emerson, a Seattle film critic and editor of rogerebert.com, will take Ebert’s place.
Ebert chaired the CWA’s Cinema Interruptus for years, missing only two years after being stricken with cancer. Ebert lost his jaw as a result of treatments, and he no longer has the ability to speak. The event is always one of the hits of the CWA, allowing audience
members to stop the film at any time by yelling “Stop!” and pausing for
questions or comments.
“I am leaving on a high point after bringing together Werner Herzog and Ramin Bahrani last year. Jim Emerson will carry on, and the audience, as always, will not let a frame pass unnoticed,” Ebert said in a press release. “Give my regards to Macky and Daddy Bruce’s.”
Emerson’s choice for Cinema Interruptus this year is Joel and Ethan Coen’s A Serious Man, which received a Best Picture nomination at the 2009 Academy Awards. Emerson led Cinema Interruptus in 2007 and 2008, while Ebert was out sick. He says A Serious Man is one of the Coen Brothers’ best films, despite lacking serious star power.
The CWA will be held April 4 to April 8 on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. Visit www.colorado.edu/cwa for more information.
