Today marks the opening night of EbertFest! Every year, fans of Roger (and the movies) flock to the Virginia Theater at the College of Media at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign for Roger Ebert’s official film festival. And we’ve got quite the lineup for you in this 26th year!

You can find all the information (including where to buy tickets) at ebertfest.com. We’ll be giving you daily dispatches of what to expect from the fest each day, including the full panel of filmmakers, scholars, and critics who will follow each screening.

Read on to learn more about what exciting titles and guests you can expect at this year’s fest!

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23

6:30 PM: THE SEARCHERS — John Ford’s opus about the collapse of the American West, with an all-time performance from John Wayne.

Roger Ebert once wrote that “The Searchers” “contains scenes of magnificence, and one of John Wayne’s best performances.”

Panel Guests (l-r): Eric Pierson, Film Scholar; Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune; Matt Zoller Seitz, Editor-at-Large, RogerEbert.com; Brian Tallerico, Managing Editor, RogerEbert.com.

You can find more details on the film screening and get tickets here.