Roger Ebert announces new host for ‘At The Movies’

CHICAGO, January 4, 2011 – Ebert Productions is proud to announce that Ignatiy Vishnevetsky has joined the team at Ebert Presents At the Movies.  Vishnevetsky will accompany the previously announced Christy Lemire of The Associated Press as co-host on the new weekly program.  The show is scheduled to debut on January 21st on public television stations across the country, representing almost 90% national coverage and will be produced in Chicago at WTTW, where Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert began taping the legendary “Sneak Previews” some 35 years ago. It will be distributed by American Public Television (APT).
 
Fans of the original shows will be pleased to find that in addition to serving as co-producer of the show, Roger Ebert will also host a special segment each week and had direct input into the selection of the show’s host critics including Chicago-based Ignatiy Vishnevetsky (Ig.nah.tee) (Vish.na.vet.ski). Hearing him discuss films in the Lake Street Screening Room used by Chicago critics, Ebert said, “I was struck by the depth and detail of his film knowledge, and by how articulate he was.” After reading his work online, Ebert was sold.
 
Vishnevetsky is a critic and essayist for Mubi.com, a new multi-national streaming online cinematheque. Ignatiy moved to America from Russia when he was not quite 9. He graduated from high school in Milwaukee and then moved to Chicago, “because I could find more films to see here.”  He is a co-founder of the acclaimed Cine-File.info, and continues to write criticism for it on a weekly basis. He is also a contributor to The Chicago Reader, and helps program the current Cine-File Selects series at the University of Chicago’s Doc Fims, the nation’s oldest film society.  Prior to becoming a film critic, Vishnevetsky, who is multi-lingual, worked as a translator for Novoe Literaturnoe Obozrenie, Russia’s premier literary journal.
 
Vishnevetsky will go head to head each week with Christy Lemire, who has been reviewing movies for The Associated Press for 12 years and was named the first full-time film critic in the news organization’s history in 2004. Christy filled in for Roger Ebert several times on “At the Movies” in 2007 and has appeared on “The Charlie Rose Show,” “Good Morning America” and “The View,” to name a few. She also covers the Oscars, Golden Globes and many other awards shows each year. A third-generation L.A. native, Christy is a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.  Of Lemire, Ebert says, “I admired the way she reviewed with Richard Roeper when she co-hosted our show,” Ebert said, “and I respect her criticism. On television, Christy is a natural.”
 
Ebert Presents At The Movies, marks the rebirth of a dream for both Roger and Chaz Ebert, who will serve as executive producer of the show. Chaz Ebert says she is happy to have this rare opportunity in television to bring back a show that started 35 years ago at WTTW, had a successful run at Tribune Entertainment and Disney, and is now once again being embraced by public stations nationwide.
 
ABOUT EBERT PRESENTS AT THE MOVIES
 
Ebert Presents At the Movies will be executive produced by Roger his wife Chaz Ebert, and will be directed by Don Dupree, who logged 15 years as director of “Siskel & Ebert” and “Ebert & Roeper.”  Joining Christy and Ignatiy from time to time will be an impressive line-up of contributing critics on various aspects of the movies, from business issues to social media. The first shows will include Kim Morgan (sunsetgun.com) and Omar Moore (popcornreel.com). It will be distributed nationwide by APT (American Public Television).