URBANA -- Donna Cox, who wears several big hats at the University of Illinois, has been too busy to attend Roger Ebert's Film Festival, particularly in recent years.

But this year she cleared her calendar for the five-day event to act with her partner Robert Patterson as a volunteer host for Ebertfest guests.

Cox and Patterson are the hosts of filmmakers Paul Fierlinger and Sandra Schuette Fierlinger, who together made the animated movie, "My Dog Tulip," to be shown at 3:30 p.m. today at the Virginia Theatre, the main venue for Ebertfest, a special event of the UI College of Media.

"'My Dog Tulip' has the same composer that we have for our project 'Dynamic Earth,'" Cox said of the science-education film about climate change and the dynamic processes of our planet.

"I've had 'My Dog Tulip' in my Netflix queue for months because it was unavailable for months," she said. "It just came out (on DVD) yesterday, so I'll get to see it in the movie theater tomorrow."

Cox, director of the eDream Institute, a professor in the School of Art + Design and the first recipient of the Michael Aiken Chair, plans to attend all 13 movies in the 13th annual Roger Ebert's Film Festival, which opened Wednesday night with the silent film, "Metropolis," and will close on Sunday with the documentary, "Louder Than a Bomb."

The Fierlingers as well as Cox and Patterson, a visualization research artist who once worked at Industrial Light and Magic, were among the guests at the Ebertfest opening reception on Wednesday evening at the home of UI President Michael Hogan and his wife, Virginia. This is the couple's first Ebertfest.

"There are so many spirited people and so many people from all over the world," Virginia Hogan said as she greeted guests at the front door of the president's mansion on Florida Avenue. "It's a nice town-gown event. It's a fabulous experience. I just think it's wonderful that the university and community can be together like this."

Among the Ebertfest film-related guests at the event, besides the Fierlingers, were brothers Turner and Bill Ross, who made the documentary "45365"; Ryan Werner, distributor of "Tiny Furniture"; and Robbie Pickering and Rachael Harris, writer-director of and actress in "Natural Selection," which was to be shown after "Metropolis."

"In the 13th year of Ebertfest, this is the first time we're having two films on opening night," Chaz Ebert said. "Usually after the president's reception, one, big 70mm film is enough."

But Roger Ebert had seen "Natural Selection" at the recent South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival, thought it was funny and well-made and decided he had to have it at his festival.

"He and Nate (Kohn, festival director) had all the movies set and they had to find a place for it, so they put in on opening night," Chaz Ebert said.

Using his laptop and text-to-voice software, Roger Ebert said Ebertfest keeps getting better and better.

"Here we are for the 13th year at my hometown and my alma mater," he continued. "More than ever I feel grateful this year to the people who do the heavy lifting. I consider it a gift to me from all of you."

UI President Hogan had thanked the Eberts for having the festival here, saying it, as well as the movie critic's award-winning career, has shined a spotlight on the campus and town.

"Roger and Chaz have given us a gift, 13 years of Ebertfest," Hogan said. "It quickly became Champaign-Urbana's best known festival."

"He's truly a campus icon who has forged a connection between the university and Hollywood and television the same way Red Grange did with the NFL."