It is widely known that acclaimed film critic and author Roger Ebert has been fighting a fierce battle with cancer ever since 2002. For four years Ebert was able to endure treatment while continuing to host his TV show as well as publish his most recent book, Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert. But 2006 found him bedridden after undergoing a series of more serious surgeries for his condition. All the while his audiences have eagerly awaited his return to the cinema, and as the Chicago Tribune‘s Mark Caro reports, they finally received their wish. Caro reports:

It was about 15 minutes before the opening of the 9th Annual Roger Ebert’s Overlooked Film Festival when the festival’s namesake quietly entered the theater from the back, marking his first public appearance since cancer surgery on his jaw in June. … Several surgeries later, the 64-year-old film critic—who has since appeared only sporadically in the Chicago Sun-Times and not at all on his syndicated television show Ebert & Roeper—still can’t speak or completely close his mouth. Yet he was back where he grew up and attended the University of Illinois, wearing a blue blazer with a peach-colored handkerchief in the pocket and walking slowly down the theater aisle dispensing handshakes and hugs to those from near and far who came to see him and the movies he selected for five days of viewing.

We are glad to see that that one of our favorite film critics is back on his feet. And we can’t wait for his next book!