To celebrate twenty years of his podcast, SJMC professor, Adam Kempenaar, hosted a three-day long event, Filmspotting Fest, with the goal to celebrate the podcast’s twenty years and showcase some of their favorite memories of this journey.

During his time at SJMC, Kempenaar has lent his expertise of podcast storytelling to students in courses such as Narrative Non-Fiction Podcasting, Audio Production and Producing Film Criticism.  

“Having a festival curated with some of our favorite movies was always a dream going back to the very beginning of the show, back before we even had an audience. We were always drawn to the communal nature of watching films, on a big screen, with an audience,” Kempenaar said.  

The festival took place from Feb. 28 to March 3 in Chicago at the Music Box Theater and the Gene Siskel Film Center. Alongside his co-host, Josh Larsen, Kempenaar planned a weekend aimed to build on the connection they’ve established with their fans and the history of cinema they’ve been a part of.  

They showcased films such as “Brick,” a film that was championed by Filmspotting and personal favorites like, “Before Sunrise.”  

“We wanted to screen six movies that regular listeners would see listed and immediately feel like they represented the show, it’s history and what it values in cinema,” Kempenaar said.  

Kempenaar’s favorite memory of the weekend was on opening night when writer and director of “The Last Jedi” and the “Knives Out” movies, Rian Johnson received a standing ovation from the audience and was able to sit for a Q&A panel.

For future events, Kempenaar hopes to host a similar event in the coming years to continue to celebrate Filmspotting.  

“We had so much fun and got so much positive feedback that we absolutely envision doing it again, maybe even next year,” Kempenaar said. “Just possibly scaled back with an eye toward really blowing out the bigger anniversaries.”  

2025 Best Director Sean Baker and several other folks from within the film industry recorded video messages to celebrate Filmspotting's exciting achievement.