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2014 Milwaukee Film Festival Entire Line UP – Check it Out!

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If you are a film fan you have been waiting for this Milwaukee! The entire 2014 film festival line up is announced. As you know, the festival begins Thursday Sept 25, 2014 and ends October 9. There is a great bunch of Milwaukee surprises during this festival for you to enjoy!

Opening the festival is the riveting documentary, 1971, about eight brave citizens who took matters into their own hands in order to expose government corruption.

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“The last time we opened the festival with a documentary was in our inaugural year. 1971 is one of the most important documentaries of 2014 – if not the most important – exemplifying the power of the individual. It’s expertly crafted and has significant parallels to today’s political and social climate. I feel the story will resonate with our audience and simultaneously provide Milwaukee with the incredibly unique opportunity to engage in-person with the film’s director and subjects,” explains Jonathan Jackson, Artistic and Executive Director for Milwaukee Film.

Oscar-winning Milwaukee native, John Ridley, to screen his Jimi Hendrix biopic for Centerpiece

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Fresh off of the unanimous critical acclaim and Oscar glory received by his screenplay for 12 Years a Slave, Milwaukee native John Ridley brings an intimate portrait of rock legend Jimi Hendrix to the screen in his newest film, Jimi: All is By My Side – the festival Centerpiece. Written and directed by Ridley, Jimi is an electric biopic following a year in Hendrix’s life, magnetically portrayed by Outkast’s André Benjamin.

Closing the festival is the thriller made entirely in Milwaukee by local crew, The Surface. Daringly filmed on Lake Michigan, the film stars Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings, Rudy, Goonies), and is a fitting bookend to the festival as a celebration of local filmmaking.

The Surface is one near and dear to my heart since I know much of the cast and nearly all of the crew members. I am eager to see this movie.

This year’s festival will screen a total of 276 films (36 more than in 2013) – 119 features (16 more than in 2013) and 156 shorts (19 more than in 2013) – from 63 different countries (19 more than in 2013). Among the features are 56 documentaries and 63 fiction films, including four world premieres, and one silent film (Man with a Movie Camera–voted the greatest documentary of all time by the prestigious British Film Institute) featuring live musical accompaniment from the world renowned Alloy Orchestra.

Program Books for the 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival will be available to the general public beginning Saturday, September 6 from 9 AM – 8 PM during both the East Town Farmer’s Market and the WMSE Backyard BBQ in Cathedral Square Park. This will also be the last day to purchase festival passes and ticket 6-packs in person at an early discount rate.

So here it is:

The complete 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival lineup:

SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATIONS

Opening Night Film
1971 USA / 2014 / Director: Johanna Hamilton

Festival Centerpiece

Jimi: All Is By My Side United Kingdom, Ireland, USA / 2013 / Director: John Ridley

CLOSING NIGHT FILM

The Surface USA / 2014 / Director: Gil Cates Jr.

 

Alive Inside USA / 2014 / Director: Michael Rossato-Bennett

 

Dear MKE

All in the Family (USA / 2013 / Director: Sam Macon

BuildMoto (USA / 2013 / Director: Matt Mixon

Come Sail Away (USA / 2013 / Director: Jack Davidson

Cooking with Kumar (USA / 2013 / Director: Frankie Latina
High Art (USA / 2013 / Director: Chris Thompson

Lo with the Fro (USA / 2013 / Director: Jessica Farrell

Mondo Lucha (USA / 2013 / Director: Sam Macon

The Right Ingredients (USA / 2013 / Director: Matt Mixon

Rory: Milwaukee’s Most Famous Cab Driver (USA / 2013 / Director: Frankie Latina

To See What You Can Do (USA / 2013 / Director: Jack Davidson

Tour de Space (USA / 2013 / Director: Blyth Renate Meier

The Truck Driver (USA / 2013 / Director: Matt Mixon

Underwater Harvey (USA / 2013 / Director: Steve Farr

 

Family United  Spain / 2013 / Director: Daniel Sánchez Arévalo

The Imitation Game  USA, United Kingdom / 2014 / Director: Morten Tyldum

 Life Partners USA / 2014 / Director: Susanna Fogel

Man with a Movie Camera USSR / 1929 / Director: Dziga Vertov

Revival Czech Republic / 2013 / Director: Alice Nellis

Secundaria USA, Cuba / 2012 / Director: Mary Jane Doherty

TRIBUTES

Code Unknown: Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys France, Germany, Romania / 2000 / Director: Michael Haneke

Point and Shoot USA / 2014 / Director: Marshall Curry

Stray Dog USA / 2014 / Director: Debra Granik

Street Fight USA / 2005 / Director: Marshall Curry

Top Secret! USA, United Kingdom / 1984 / Directors: David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker

Winter’s Bone USA / 2010 / Director: Debra Granik

 

COMPETITION

Bad Hair Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, Germany / 2013 / Director: Mariana Rondón

Cairo Drive Egypt, USA / 2013 / Director: Sherief Elkatsha

Don’t Leave Me Netherlands, Belgium / 2013 / Directors: Sabine Lubbe Bakker, Niels van Koevorden

Of Horses and Men Iceland, Germany, Norway / 2013 / Director: Benedikt Erlingsson

Still Life United Kingdom, Italy / 2013 / Director: Uberto Pasolini

The Tribe Ukraine, Netherlands / 2014 / Director: Miroslav Slaboshpitsky

The Vanquishing of the Witch Baba Yaga USA, Ukraine, Russia, Poland / 2013 / Director: Jessica Oreck

Zero Motivation Israel, France / 2014 / Director: Talya Lavie

 

PASSPORT: MEXICO

The Amazing Catfish (Los Insolitos Peces Gatos) Mexico, France / 2013 / Director: Claudia Sainte-Luce

Club Sandwich Mexico / 2013 / Director: Fernando Eimbcke

Heli Mexico / 2013 / Director: Amat Escalante

Last Call (Tercera llamada) Mexico / 2013 / Director: Francisco Franco Alba

Purgatorio: A Journey Into the Heart of the Border (Purgatorio: Viaje al Corazón de la Frontera) USA, Mexico / 2013 / Director: Rodrigo Reyes

Que Caramba es la Vida Germany / 2014 / Director: Doris Dörrie

We Are the Nobles (Nosotros los Nobles) Mexico / 2013 / Director: Gary Alazraki

Workers Mexico, Germany / 2013 / Director: Jose Luis Valle

RATED K: FOR KIDS

AninA Uruguay, Colombia / 2013 / Director: Alfredo Soderguit

Ernest & Celestine France, Luxembourg, Belgium / 2012 / Directors: Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, Benjamin Renner

Felix South Africa / 2013 / Director: Roberta Durrant

Mary Poppins Sing-A-Long USA / 1964 / Director: Robert Stevenson

Windstorm Germany / 2013 / Director: Katja von Garnier

 

Kids Shorts: Size Small

Cloudy Goats Iran / 2014 / Director: Hamid Karimian

The Delirious Tales: The Chicken, the Elephant and the Snake France / 2012 / Director: Fabrice Luang-Vija

Goose Trouble Poland / 2013 / Director: Monika Dovnar

I Want My Hat Back USA / 2013 / Director: Galen Fott

Into Spring Netherlands / 2012 / Director: Udo Prinsen

My Little Chicken Canada / 2011 / Directors: Jeremy Diamond, Alex Hawley

My Mom is an Airplane Russia / 2013 / Director: Yulia Aronova

The Numberlys USA / 2013 / Directors: William Joyce, Brandon Oldenburg

Sky Color USA / 2012 / Director: Peter H. Reynolds

Slowly but Surely USA / 2012 / Director: Eli Balser

Winter Has Come Russia / 2012 / Director: Vassiliy Shlychkov

 

Kids Shorts: Size Medium

At the Opera Argentina / 2010 / Director: Juan Pablo Zaramella

Beep, Beep, Beep Canada / 2012 / Director: Jeremy Diamond

The Dam Keeper USA / 2013 / Directors: Robert Kondo, Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi

The Mole at the Sea Russia / 2012 / Director: Anna Kadykova

Monster Symphony Germany / 2012 / Director: Kiana Naghshineh

Mushroom Monster Norway / 2013 / Director: Aleksander Leines Nordaas

The New Species Czech Republic / 2013 / Director: Kateřina Karhánková   

Gnarly in Pink­-Featuring the Pink Helmet Posse USA / 2014 / Directors: Benjamin Mullinkosson, Kristelle Laroche

Rabbit and Deer Hungary / 2013 / Director: Péter Vácz

The Whale Bird France / 2011 / Director: Sophie Roze

Wombo Germany / 2013 / Director: Daniel Acht

 

Kids Shorts: Size Large

Cootie Contagion USA / 2012 / Director: Josh Smooha

Dancing with Style Netherlands / 2012 / Director: Xander de Boer

Girl with the World in her Hair United Kingdom / 2011 / Director: Debbie Howard

Hedgehogs and the City Latvia / 2013 / Director: Evalds Lacis

Matilde Italy / 2013 / Director: Vito Palmieri

My Strange Grandfather Russia / 2012 / Director: Dina Velikovskaya

Sniffles USA / 2013 / Directors: Jeremy Galante, David Cowles

Sweet Love Netherlands / 2012 / Director: Albert Jan van Rees

Twins in Bakery Japan / 2013 / Director: Mari Miyazawa

 

BLACK LENS

25 to Life USA / 2014 / Director: Mike L. Brown

CRU USA / 2014 / Director: Alton Glass

Evolution of a Criminal USA / 2014 / Director: Darius Clark Monroe

Freedom Summer USA / 2014 / Director: Stanley Nelson

Hollywood Shuffle USA / 1987 / Director: Robert Townsend

Things Never Said USA / 2013 / Director: Charles Murray

Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People USA / 2014 / Director: Thomas Allen Harris

‘Til Infinity: Celebrating 20 Years of the Souls of Mischief USA / 2014 / Director: Shomari Smith

 

CREAM CITY CINEMA

 Hamlet A.D.D. USA / 2014 / Directors: Bobby Ciraldo, Andrew Swant

 

The Milwaukee Show I

The Death of Corey Stingley USA / 2014 / Director: Spencer Chumbley

An Evening at Angelo’s USA / 2014 / Director: Kara Mulrooney

Glider USA / 2014 / Director: Junehyuck Jeon

The Harpist USA / 2014 / Director: Erica Thompson

The Kenny Dennis USA / 2014 / Director: WC Tank

Little America USA / 2014 / Director:  Kurt Raether

New Planet USA / 2014 / Director: James Tindell

Settlers USA / 2013 / Director: Nathaniel Heuer

 

The Milwaukee Show II

Balloons USA / 2014 / Director: Sitora Takanaev

Geoffrey Broughe Handles Confrontation Poorly USA / 2014 / Director: Jon Phillips

MECCA: The Floor That Made Milwaukee Famous USA / 2014 / Director: Chris James Thompson

One Week Vacation USA / 2014 / Director:  Brendan T. Jones

Smoky Places USA / 2013 / Director: Michael DiMilo

This is Jackie. USA / 2014 / Director: Anna Sampers

‘Tis the Season USA / 2013 / Director: Kirsten Stuck

To Hold In the Heart USA / 2014 / Director: Pang Yang Her

The Waystation in the Stars USA / 2013 / Director: Brandon L Morrissey

 

The Milwaukee Youth Show

200,000 USA / 2014 / Directors: Gavin White, Tyler Matthews, Jeremy LeCleir, Scott Meade

Assist Bhopal USA / 2014 / Director: Megan Sai Dogra

The Autumn Vignette USA / 2014 / Director: Serbata Tarrer

Counting the Dead USA / 2012 / Director: Alexandra Van Den Heuvel

Dreaming USA / 2014 / Director: Felicia McGowan

Get Real People USA / 2014 / Directors: Griffin Anderson, Mitch Dykstra, Tanner Dykstra, Ronnie Al-Ramahi

Iero USA / 2014 / Directors: Gabriella Avila, Alexia Jaso

​​If You Weren’t Here USA / 2013 / Directors: LaVarnway Boys & Girls Club workshop participants

La Decisiones de Tu Vida USA / 2014 / Directors: Alondra Mercado, Ana Ornelas

Let the Children Live USA / 2014 / Directors: Clarke Street Boys & Girls Club workshop participants

Media and Mental Illness USA / 2014 / Directors: Eden Raduege, Mikayla Bell

Protect Yourself USA / 2014 / Directors: Youth from Townsend CLC Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee

Wake Up and Pay Attention USA / 2014 / Directors: Youth from the Daniels-Mardak Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee

The Other One USA / 2014 / Director: Josef Steiff

Pester USA / 2014 / Director: Eric Gerber

Psychopath USA / 2014 / Director: Manny Marquez

Serial Daters Anonymous USA / 2014 / Director: Christopher Carson Emmons (I have a special place in my heart for this movie, there is some history here. I am happy it is screening in the festival.

 

SOUND VISION

20,000 Days on Earth United Kingdom / 2014 / Directors: Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard

The Ballad of Shovels and Rope USA / 2014 / Director: Jace Freeman

Finding Fela USA / 2014 / Director: Alex Gibney

My Prairie Home Canada / 2013 / Director: Chelsea McMullan

Revenge of The Mekons USA / 2013 / Director: Joe Angio

Stop Making Sense USA / 1984 / Director: Jonathan Demme

Take Me to the River USA / 2014 / Director: Martin Shore

This May Be the Last Time USA / 2014 / Director: Sterlin Harjo

 

ART + ARTISTS

Advanced Style USA / 2014 / Director: Lina Plioplyte

Art and Craft USA / 2014 / Directors: Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman, Mark Becker

Born to Fly USA / 2014 / Director: Catherine Gund

Crumb USA / 1994 / Director: Terry Zwigoff

Hairy Who & The Chicago Imagists USA / 2013 / Director: Leslie Buchbinder

Living Stars Argentina / 2014 / Directors: Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat

Nan Goldin: I Remember Your Face Germany, Austria, Switzerland / 2013 / Director: Sabine Lidl

Sol LeWitt The Netherlands / 2012 / Director: Chris Teerink

 

CINEMA HOOLIGANTE

 

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb USA, United Kingdom / 1964 / Director: Stanley Kubrick

Mood Indigo (L’ecume des Jours) France / 2013 / Director: Michel Gondry

Patema Inverted (Sakasama No Patema) Japan / 2013 / Director: Yasuhiro Yoshiura

The Raid 2 Indonesia / 2013 / Director: Gareth Evans

This Is Spinal Tap USA / 1984 / Director: Rob Reiner

Time Lapse USA / 2014 / Director: Bradley King

Wetlands (Feuchtgebiete) Germany / 2013 / Director: David Wnendt

Witching and Bitching (Las Brujas de Zugarramurdi) Spain, France / 2013 / Director: Álex de la Iglesia

SHORTER IS BETTER

Shorts: The Best Damn F*#@ing Midnight Program Ever. Sh*t.

Box Room Ireland / 2013 / Director: Michael Lathrop

Fool’s Day USA / 2013 / Director: Cody Blue Snider

The Gunfighter USA / 2014 / Director: Eric Kissack

I Love You So Hard United Kingdom / 2013 / Director: Ross Butter)

Invasion France / 2014 / Directors: Hugo Ramirez, Olivier Patte

Kekasih Malaysia / 2013 / Director: Diffan Sina Norman

Kids and Explosions – Swear Words France / 2012 / Directors: Thomas Vernay, Yann Wallaert

Not Funny (No Tiene Gracia) Spain / 2013 / Director: Carlos Violade

The Obvious Child United Kingdom / 2013 / Director: Stephen Irwin

 

Shorts: Date Night

2 Girls, 1 Cake Denmark / 2013 / Director: Jens Dahl

Best United Kingdom / 2013 / Director: William Oldroyd

Life’s A Bitch Toutes des Connes) (Canada / 2013 / Director: Francois Jaros

Love. Love. Love. Russia / 2013 / Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram

Oi, Meu Amor (Hi, My Love) USA / 2014 / Director: Robert G. Putka

Peepers USA / 2014 / Director: Ken Lam

Queenie New Zealand / 2014 / Director: Paul Neason

Scent of a Woman USA / 2013 / Director: Lauren Savoy

Send USA / 2013 / Director: Peter Vack

We Keep On Dancing Australia / 2013 / Director: Jessica Barclay Lawton

Where were you when Michael Jackson died? (T’étais où quand Michael Jackson est mort?) France / 2013 / Director: Jean-Baptiste Pouilloux

 

Shorts: Let’s Get Animated

365 United Kingdom / 2013 / Directors: Greg McLeod, Myles McLeod)

Coda Ireland / 2013 / Director: Alan Holly

Grace Under Water Australia / 2014 / Director: Anthony Lawrence

Love in the Time of March Madness(USA / 2014 / Directors: Melissa Johnson, Robertino Zambrano) Marilyn Myller (USA / 2013 / Director: Mikey Please

The Missing Scarf Ireland / 2013 / Director: Eoin Duffy

Phantom Limb United Kingdom, Australia / 2013 / Director: Alex Grigg

A Recipe for Gruel United Kingdom / 2013 / Director: Sharon Smith

Symphony No. 42 Hungary / 2014 / Director: Reka Bucsi

Through the Hawthorn United Kingdom / 2014 / Directors: Anna Benner, Pia Borg, Gemma Burditt

White Morning United Kingdom / 2013 / Director: Paul Barritt

 

Shorts: Modern Families

Baby Mary USA / 2013 / Director: Kris Swanberg

Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak) France, China / 2013 / Director: Hu Wei

Condom Australia / 2013 / Directors: Igor Coric, Sheldon Lieberman

Cruising Electric 1980) (USA / 2013 / Director: Brumby Boylston

The Cut (La Coupe) Canada / 2014 / Director: Genevieve Dulude-De Celles

The Hunger De Honger) (Belgium / 2013 / Director: Benoit De Clerck

I Think This Is The Closest To How The Footage Looked Israel / 2013 / Directors: Hameiri, Michal Vaknin

Krisha USA / 2013 / Director: Trey Edward Shults

Pony Place Netherlands / 2013 / Director: Joost Reijmers

 

Shorts: Out of This World

Bernard the Great (Bernard Le Grand) Canada / 2013 / Directors: Marie-Hélène Viens, Philippe Lupien

Democracy (Democracia) (pain / 2013 / Director: Borja Cobeaga

The iMom Australia, USA / 2013 / Director: Ariel Martin

The Kármán Line United Kingdom / 2014 / Director: Oscar Sharp

Orbit Ever After United Kingdom / 2013 / Director: Jamie Stone

When You Were Mine USA / 2014 / Director: Michelle M. Witten

 

Shorts: Sports Shorts. Shorts about Sports.

Cadet Belgium / 2013 / Director: Kevin Meul

Gnarly in Pink – Featuring the Pink Helmet Posse USA / 2014 / Directors: Benjamin Mullinkosson, Kristelle Laroche

The High Five USA / 2014 / Director: Michael Jacobs

The Immaculate Reception USA / 2014 / Director: Charlotte Glynn

Strike: the Greatest Bowling Story Ever Told (SA / 2014 / Director: Joey Daoud

Tennis Elbow France / 2012 / Director: Vital Philippot

Untucked USA / 2013 / Director: Danny Pudi

 

Shorts: Stories We Tell

The Chaperone Canada / 2013 / Directors: Fraser Munden, Neil Rathbone

CRIME: The Animated Series Marcus McGhee) (USA, Canada / 2013 / Directors: Sam Chou, Alix Lambert

Funnel USA / 2013 / Director: Andre Hyland

Maikaru USA / 2014 / Director: Amanda Harryman

One Is Listening Anymore! Australia / 2013 / Director: Romi Trower

One Year Lease USA / 2014 / Director: Brian Bolster

Person to Person USA / 2014 / Director: Dustin Guy Defa

Yearbook USA / 2013 /  Director: Bernardo Britto

You Won’t Regret That Tattoo Canada / 2013 / Director: Angie Bird

 

Shorts: Stranger Than Fiction

The Chilean Elvis Chile / 2013 / Director: Marcelo Kiwi

The Last Days of Peter Bergmann Ireland / 2013 / Director: Ciaran Cassidy

A Paradise (Un Paraíso) Cuba / 2013 / Director: Jayisha Patel

Stumped USA / 2014 / Director: Robin Berghaus

The Supreme (Najwyższy) Poland / 2013 / Director: Katarzyna Gondek

Taxidermists USA / 2012 / Director: Nicole Triche

 

​Pre-Feature Shorts

3 Acres in Detroit USA / 2013 / Director: Nora Mandray

Anchovies USA / 2014 / Director: Annabelle Attanasio

Carnival of the Animals USA / 2014 / Director: Sitora Takanaev

David Hockney In the Now USA / 2013 / Director: Lucy Walker

Dinosaurs and Sea Hawks USA / 2014 / Director: Linas Phillips

Eleanor Ambos Interiors USA / 2013 / Director: Andrew Michael Ellis

Give It Up for the Girl USA / 2014 / Director: Carol Brandt

I Was a Teenage Girl USA / 2014 / Director: Augustine Frizzell

MeTube: August sings Carmen “Habanera” Austria / 2013 / Director: Daniel Moshel

Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution USA, Syria, Turkey / 2013 / Director:  Matthew VanDyke

One Picture (Kay Pacha) Peru / 2013 / Director: Alvaro Sarmiento

Sker Iceland / 2013 / Director: Eytor Jovinsson

Supervenus France / 2013 / Director: Frederic Doazan

This is It USA / 2013 / Director: Alexander Engel

Years USA / 2014 / Director: Rose Curley

FILM FEAST

 

Cesar’s Grill Germany, Ecuador, Switzerland / 2013 / Director: Darío Aguirre

Paulette France / 2012 / Director: Jérôme Enrico

Slow Food Story Italy, Ireland / 2013 / Director: Stefano Sardo

Soul Food Stories Bulgaria, Finland / 2013 / Director: Tonislav Hristov

Soul of a Banquet USA / 2014 / Director: Wayne Wang

The Starfish Throwers USA, India / 2014 / Director: Jesse Roesler

A Year in Burgundy USA, France / 2013 / Director: David Kennard

Zone Pro Site: A Moveable Feast Taiwan / 2013 / Director: Yu-Hsun Chen

 

DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL FAVORITES

Big Men USA / 2013 / Director: Rachel Boynton

The Case Against 8 USA / 2014 / Directors: Ben Cotner, Ryan White

Dancing In Jaffa USA, Israel / 2013 / Director: Hilla Medalia

The Expedition to the End of the World Denmark / 2013 / Director: Daniel Dencik

The Green Prince Germany, Israel, United Kingdom / 2014 / Director: Nadav Schirman

Happiness France, Finland / 2013 / Director: Thomas Balmès

An Honest Liar USA, Spain, Italy, Canada / 2014 / Directors: Tyler Measom, Justin Weinstein

The Immortalists USA / 2014 / Directors: David Alvarado, Jason Sussberg

Kids for Cash USA / 2014 / Director: Robert May

Meet the Patels USA / 2014 / Directors: Geeta V. Patel, Ravi V. Patel

The Missing Picture Cambodia, France / 2013 / Director: Rithy Panh

The Overnighters USA / 2014 / Director: Jesse Moss

Particle Fever USA / 2013 / Director: Mark A. Levinson

She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry USA / 2014 / Director: Mary Dore

Vessel USA, Tanzania, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Pakistan, Netherlands, Ireland, Indonesia, Ecuador / 2014 / Director: Diana Whitten

Watchers of the Sky USA / 2014 / Director: Edet Belzberg

 

WORLDVIEWS

1,000 Times Good Night Norway, Ireland, Sweden / 2013 / Director: Erik Poppe)

Charlie’s Country Australia / 2013 / Director: Rolf de Heer)

The Forgotten Kingdom USA, South Africa, Lesotho / 2013 / Director: Andrew Mudge)

Horses of God Morocco, France, Belgium / 2012 / Director: Nabil Ayouch)

Human Capital Italy, France / 2014 / Director: Paolo Virzì)

In Bloom Georgia, Germany, France / 2013 / Directors: Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Gross)

The Liberator Venezuela, Spain / 2013 / Director: Alberto Arvelo)

Life Feels Good Poland  / 2013 / Director: Maciej Pieprzyca)

Life’s a Breeze Ireland, Sweden / 2013 / Director: Lance Daly) 

Like Father, Like Son Japan / 2013 / Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda)

Living is Easy With Eyes Closed Spain / 2013 / Director: David Trueba)

Manuscripts Don’t Burn Iran / 2013 / Director: Mohammad Rasoulof)

May in the Summer USA, Qatar, Jordan / 2013 / Director: Cherien Dabis)

Monsoon Shootout India, United Kingdom, Netherlands / 2013 / Director: Amit Kuma

Mystery Road Australia / 2013 / Director: Ivan Sen)

The Nightingale China, France / 2013 / Director: Philipe Muyl)

The Priest’s Children Croatia, Serbia / 2013 / Director: Vinko Bresan)

Those Happy Years Italy, France / 2013 / Director: Daniele Luchetti)

We Are the Best! Sweden, Denmark / 2013 / Director: Lukas Moodysson)

Young & Beautiful France / 2013 / Director: François Ozon)

Well there it is. Hope to see you and say hi to you while at the festival. Enjoy

The 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival runs September 25 – October 9, 2014 at the Landmark Oriental Theatre, Landmark Downer Theatre, Fox-Bay Cinema Grill and Times Cinema. Passes and ticket 6-Packs for the 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival are currently available at discounted rates exclusively online at mkefilm.org/tickets. 

Tickets for individual screenings will be available through Milwaukee Film Festival Box Office starting September 10 for Milwaukee Film Members and September 11 for the General Public.

 

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TO CROWDFUND OR NOT TO CROWDFUND? IS THAT THE QUESTION? Part 4

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Some projects don’t get funded right away, some do and then lose funding. Any number of things can happen that can make the going tougher than one imagined but don’t you quit if this is truly important to you. When you stick with it, with the right attitude, you will find another way. Stay focused on the goal, the solutions and believe in yourself, your project, your team and that you will prevail.

Consider this: Movies get funded and made every day.

I repeat: MOVIES GET FUNDED AND MADE EVERY DAY!

Sure, it is tough but it happens. Projects get green lit from the studios, independent films find their funding, crowdfunded pictures get their money to move forward, and more….

Part 4 The Crowdfunding Psychology You Must Know

Raising money and crowdfunding revolves all around the mindset you have. In this post I’ll will discuss some important principles as it relates to crowdfunding.

As stated crowdfunding takes an inordinate amount of work for most everyone. Some celebrities may have an easier go of it for a number of reasons. Regardless, crowdfunding takes a massive amount of effort.

Raising money the traditional way takes an inordinate amount of effort. Long hard hours, over a long period of time, getting closer and closer, losing this investor, gaining that one, piecing it all together is a lot of work. It is a struggle and people have been doing variations on this in the film business for quite some time.

Traditional methods have changed through the decades.

I think crowdfunding runs the risk of burning people out. While only a fraction of the population may know about crowdfunding platforms the fraction that is aware of it gets bombarded over and over again.

New territory, new people needs to be found.

Some filmmakers naively think that they will lunch crowdfund campaign when the time is right for their project. Usually sometime between preproduction and production. Then they will put it out there on the internet using social media.

Crowdfunding is much more complex than that. I think it operates like this: Everyone out there in internet land (your target audience)  IS your uncle or your aunt. Why would I think this.

Your relatives, because they are related to you, may be more willing to help out, (or in some cases because they DO know you they may not be so inclined. Let’s hope the latter is not the case).

Obviously, your social media audience aren’t related to you but consider why relatives will give to and most strangers won’t.

Most likely relatives give or support your efforts because there is a connection to you, they may like or love you, they may feel obligated to help family because ‘blood is thinker than water’, they watched you grow up and took care of you or other family members. Whatever it the reasons may be it is because they have a history with you.

The two KEY concepts that I believe are necessary to have are connection and history. Your relatives help support you because they are connected to you and they share a history with you.

I believe successful crowdfunding is based on the same principles. This may be the reason why celebrities may have an easier time with crowdfunding. People know them, love them and have a history with them. They have watched them or followed their careers. They want contact with the celebrity, for whatever reasons, and they feel good collecting celebrity memorabilia. The connection (even though it may not be real or exist in reality) still is important. The fans feel they have a connection. They have a history together too. The fans know or are familiar with the celebrity and have been for years.

I repeat: I believe successful crowdfunding is based on the same.

Crowdfunding is based on having an established network or community of people who are interested in you, your work, your projects and who already know and trust you (at least they don’t distrust you).

The are fans, followers, friends whom you have been engaging with for awhile. They are not cold strangers. They are relatively warm enthusiasts for you and your movies. This is important to understand because you aren’t really reaching out to strangers when you crowdfund you are reaching out to people who know you already. Strangers aren’t inclined to help you but friends or family may.

You must work to establish a good connection with your social media friends. These are the people who are your target audience for your project. They may become potential contributors to your campaign but you must provide value to them LONG before you ever ask for anything in return.

You must engage them and get to know them and they have to get to know you. You must find a way to make communication with them a two-way street communication.You must take them on the journey with you and keep their interest all along the way. You have to figure out ways to attract them. You want to keep them interested and eager for you to make and complete your project and get it into their hands.

They are not interested because they will make money off your project, they are not investors. Although recently, investing through crowdfunding platforms has become possible. Your friends and followers, your fans have much different interests than traditional investors and you must appeal to their wants and needs and meet those if you want to be successful.

They do want something in return for their attention and their loyalty and their potential contribution. You must give them what they want prior to the launch of your campaign.

Then during your campaign you offer perks that are meaningful to your fans because you know took the time to discover what is they desire. Because of connection you have established you know what will appeal to them.

A basic principle in sales states that you succeed when you can meet a need, solve a problem and/or give the customer what they desire most. When you are able to fulfill these you may make a sale. Think of your audience as your customers because that is truly what they are. They are people who may buy from you once or many times. You may not want to hear it but as a filmmaker you need to learn about selling and making sales.

When you have ACTUALLY made a sale to your customer is not just the time they part with their money and leave with your goods. When you have really made the sale is when the person returns and wants to do it  with you again. It is this moment the sale is made because they are convinced that you have something they want.

It is much like dating. You go out on the first date. You know you have ‘made the sale’ when the other person wants a second and third date. At whatever point you stop meeting their needs they will lose interest. As long as you have a mutually fulfilling relationship you will stick together. This is true of the business relationship and the crowdfunded relationship.

When you have a repeat customer, so much of your work is done for you, it is amazing. The lion share of expense goes into generating new leads and converting new customers. When you have a fan base who is eager for each of your projects you have laid some really solid ground work. You have established an important connection and together you share a history.

The key to making the sale is not to think, ‘what is in this for me,  how do I get what I want’, but to think, ‘what is it they want that I can readily give them?’

You have to appeal to the other person’s wants and needs and find a way to meet those if you wish to be more successful. Your success comes from adding value to the other person first.

This takes thought, it takes planning, it takes work and it begins long before you make your movie.

Just as you plant a seed you first need to prepare the soil. Next, you plant the seed then you nurture the seed while it grows underground by providing the proper care. Later, much later, it sprouts. You must continue to nurture it, take out the weeds that may choke it and help it grow strong. Eventually, you harvest the crop from the seed you planted but that is at a much later date. For everything there is a season. You sow and then later you reap.

Some people try to reap without preparing or sowing and that rarely, if ever, works. You do your part first and foremost and then others may reciprocate. Of course, not everyone will, so don’t get your hopes up too high. It is a numbers game, you do what you can to grab the lion share.

As in baseball it is about upping your batting average. You get better percentages, but rarely do you get 100%. As long as you are moving in that direction you are doing okay. You increase your opportunities and your chances.

The basic work of crowdfunding IS everything you need to do long before harvest time.

There are these two phases: First, you plant seeds to attract the interested and keep them close by engaging with them. You have to offer them something first. Just as you use bait to lure a fish. You offer something of value to attract followers to you. You keep them close by continuing to give them things from time to time and by communicating with them.

Perhaps you give them a behind the scenes look at what you are doing, you give them photos or videos, you help them solve problems by writing articles or dispensing tips, advice or ideas. Maybe you share with them where they can get discounts or items they might not know where to go to. The point is you offer them things of value, things that they are interested it.

Since it is the age of social media one assumes you have a page dedicated to you and your projects, as well as Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and any of the other platforms.

Second you launch the eventual campaign (in which you begin this planting process all over again). In this phase you again offer them something BUT in return for their support, their contribution and spreading the word. This is when you ask them to respond by giving back. Why will they give back. One reason is because you have been giving to them and they will want to reciprocate. The other reason is because they have a connection and history established with you and they want to see your movie. They actually want to see it!

During the Second Phase, you are requesting that they part with their money to support your efforts in return for VALUABLE perks. Perks are the items or opportunities you offer that they want to and must have. If they don’t want them then the perks are not valuable to them. This should be obvious, but for some reason it isn’t.

So in Phase One you attract and nurture your followers. You engage with them and provide them value for free. You give them things, you acknowledge them, you have dialogue so that they feel close to you and want to stick by you. In Phase Two you again provide things for them but in exchange for something they do for you. If Phase One is successful and you orchestrate Phase Two correctly you are more likely to succeed.

You attract the moths to the flame, capture them, take care of them, feed them and then when you are ready, you launch your campaign and hope the moths now will respond by contributing because you took such good care of them. During Phase Two strangers will get introduced to your campaign. They may not have the history with you because they just now are learning about you and your project. Your campaign should be structured and managed to help them feel right at home. A well run campaign should help them to connect to you thorough your video, photos, text, updates, engagement, credits, cast and crew. In Phase Two you hope to convert strangers to fans who will support your efforts.

When it comes to perks you need to think this through and get good advice. What is important and valuable to you may not be to someone else. So you want to research this area more. Remember, people are motivated by ‘What Is In It For Me?’ So to motivate your followers you must discover what they want when they think that about that question. 

You need price your perks smartly too. For example:  If most downloads sell between $1.99 and $14.99 don’t offer a download for $25.00.  Price it as the market place does. If you buy a DVD or Blue Ray for a certain amount don’t price yours higher than the lowest popular place they can obtain it. The only time your a perk like this could be higher prices is when you offer something else along with it. Perhaps, the jewel case, or the art work is signed by cast and crew. Something that makes it reasonable to be priced higher. Sometimes scarcity works. The price may be higher because you only have a few. 

Corporations spend billions of dollars every year targeting and appealing to consumers. They have it down to a science. Do your research and use the best methods they do tailored to your needs.

If you have an absolutely one of a kind valuable ‘must have it’ give away, it is rare and sought after by millions well, you may be able to name your price.

If you have something that most people don’t know who or what it is or could care less about it well giving it away could be difficult. People want what they perceive to be valuable and that is why celebrity swag is sought after. SO be smart about selling to your customers. By the way, that is precisely what a ticket holder is – a customer. All of your fans and friends and followers are customers. While it seems Corporate America has forgotten a  worthy tenant they used to adhere to don’t you forget it. Keep in mind, the customer is always right!!! Even if it is not always true it will serve you better if you act as if it were. Be driven to provide your customer what your customer wants most and you will succeed.

You must figure out ways to attract and capture your fan base. You want to engage them and create a connection and history together so that they want to want get more movies from you. You attract them, you hook them and then make them offers they find difficult to refuse. This is the basis of business and the basis of crowdfunding. It is about using psychology to get what you need to make your film project. Be smart about it and be wise. 

Make GOOD plans and then work the plans WELL.  You can succeed. Movies are funded all the time. You just have to find a way that works well for you.

All of what has been covered in this post and much more ARE some of the reasons why you need to be thorough in creating your campaign. Remember, it ALL begins BEFORE iyour campaign is officially launched. Take the time to do it well.

There are reasons why Business Plans exist. One reason is to show others; you potential partners, the bank, investors, etc. the plan for your intended business. It doesn’t yet exist so you need a crystal clear outline, a plan for what you will do, how you will do it, when and on and on. It is designed to leave NO stone unturned.

You have to think it through really well BEFORE you implement it. Never skimp on the planning phases of anything. Your crowdfunding campaign, traditional means of raising money, or your production. This is why good movie makers spend the right amount of time preparing during preproduction.

Consider this, professional sports teams take all the time off season preparing for the games. They practice offense and defense. They develop plans and strategies to use when playing. They rehearse. During game season they continue to prepare. Then they play the game. Whether they win or lose they return to analyze how to be better, and implement it. They continue to practice and rehearse.  Why should we think that we should do anything less than this when it comes to raising money for movies and getting good at it? As with anything you get better at it the more time you spend at it. Remember this point it is important!

How much money can you crowdfund? The upper limit is not yet known? More on all of this next time.” Rex SIkes

Have a great day!

Subscribe and Follow Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat Blog!  Visit often & please share with others!

*** Please also visit Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat Official Website.

Stay up to date with the live shows on Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat. You can join us and listen live as the show records. You can hang in chat and ask questions. All shows are recorded and archived at the official site.

Updates will be posted at this blog,  at the official site,  on the RSMB Friends page on FB,  through twitter and elsewhere.  When you can’t join us live you can still  listen to archived show from official site, from blogtalk radio and you can subscribe to the podcast at itunes.

Over 400 hours of professional filmmakers share their expertise and tips and secrets with you. All discussion may be listened to live and archived from the Official Site too! Check the INTERVIEWS

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Milwaukee Film Festival: Marshall Curry; Debra Granik; Wesley Morris; Zucker, Abrahams, & Zucker, In Attendance

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Winters Bone01

It makes a film festival much more enjoyable when one can listen and learn from the filmmakers. This year Milwaukee Film Fest is bringing in some fine filmmakers for panel discussions.  Marshall Curry; Debra Granik; Wesley Morris and Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker will be present to discuss some of their films. You will not want to miss out. I know I will be there.  Read on to learn more.

Two award-winning directors, a Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic, and Hollywood comedy legends will be in attendance!!!

The 2014 Tributes lineup: two-time Oscar-nominated documentarian, Marshall Curry (Racing Dreams, Street Fight), Oscar-nominated director and writer, Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone), Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic, Wesley Morris, and the three Hollywood comedy kingpins who originally hail from Milwaukee, David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker (also known as “ZAZ”).

The Milwaukee Film Festival’s annual tributes celebrate the work of individuals who have contributed greatly to film culture through efforts in differing areas of the film world. Each tribute includes both a live appearance from the tribute’s recipient(s) and a screening of a film. In the case of Granik and Curry, their latest film is paired with a past one, exemplifying the scope of their work.

Each honoree will participate in an extended question and answer session following their featured films(s). Granik will also lead the panel “Working with Actors” in which she will discuss and demonstrate her process for auditioning and working with actors on set.

“We have a spectacular group of diverse honorees this year: two of the greatest film storytellers of our time–Marshall Curry and Debra Granik–whose documentary and narrative films have been vastly influential, along with the Pulitzer Prize winning film critic and presenter of our State of the Cinema keynote lecture, Wesley Morris, and finally, the legendary comedy team Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker,” explains Jonathan Jackson, Artistic and Executive Director for Milwaukee Film.

Returning to the Milwaukee Film Festival this year with his outstanding new documentary Point and Shoot, is director Marshall Curry. Curry’s Racing Dreams was the Opening Night film at the first Milwaukee Film Festival in 2009. Both Curry and Granik come to Milwaukee having just received major awards at two of the nation’s best film festivals: Curry’s Point and Shoot won the Best Documentary Award at the Tribeca Film Festival while Granik’s Stray Dog received the jury award for Best Documentary at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Jackson continues, “It is exciting to have such a high-profile filmmaker as Marshall Curry return to our festival. We have grown quite a bit since that 2009 film festival and I can’t wait for him to come back and see what he helped inaugurate.”

2014 MILWAUKEE FILM FESTIVAL TRIBUTES

MARSHALL CURRY

MarshallCurry

Marshall Curry is one of the most important documentary filmmakers of our time, and he is an important person to Milwaukee Film. In 2009, his film Racing Dreams was the first to grace our festival screens on Opening Night at the inaugural Milwaukee Film Festival. Curry made his directorial debut in 2005 with Street Fight, a documentary that followed the campaign of the then-unknown Cory Booker, garnering his first Oscar nomination. Since that time, Curry directed If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front which tells the story of a radical environmentalist who faced life in prison for burning two Oregon timber facilities and won Curry his second Oscar nomination. Point and Shoot, Curry’s latest offering, is a documentary about a young Baltimore native who sets off for adventure and finds himself as part of the Libyan rebel army fighting dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Of Curry’s films, S.T. VanAirsdale (Movieline) said, “From vérité campaign-trail flashes in Street Fight to intimate dinner-table powwows in Racing Dreams to the candid, point-blank interviews in If a Tree Falls, his films take keen and unique advantage of both access and timing… getting down to the business of communicating without distraction, discrimination or guile. At heart, the films seek to detail the spectrum of grace.”

Marshall Curry is scheduled to attend selected screenings.

Point and Shoot

(USA / 2014 / Director: Marshall Curry)
Trailer: http://youtu.be/k8DUYyl1ods
Matthew VanDyke’s incredible personal odyssey from restless Baltimore native to Libyan rebel taking up arms against dictator Muammar Gaddafi is chronicled in the newest film from Oscar-nominated director Marshall Curry (Racing Dreams, MFF 2009). From his status as a young man diagnosed with OCD fresh out of graduate school, to his momentous international travel (a self-described “crash course in manhood”) that led him on a motorcycle trip across Northern Africa and the Middle East, to his eventual placement smack in the middle of the Arab Spring and Libyan revolution, VanDyke’s camera was always on—up until his capture and terrifying half-year spent in solitary confinement. This is a remarkable, sweeping story Curry tells in full.

Street Fight

(USA / 2005 / Director: Marshall Curry)
Trailer: http://youtu.be/fNrT2utrpAA

One of the greatest political documentaries of all time, Street Fight chronicles the very first political campaign of now-U.S. Senator Cory Booker as his grassroots campaign takes on the deeply entrenched political might of four-term incumbent Sharpe James for the mayoral seat in Newark, New Jersey. With the poverty-stricken streets as their battleground, 32-year-old Rhodes scholar/Yale Law School grad/Star Trek nerd Booker remains decent and straightforward despite the intimidation tactics and dirty politics (including claims that Booker’s background somehow makes him “less black”) employed by Sharpe. An edge-of-your-seat thriller even if you’re familiar with how this race ends, Street Fight is a wildly entertaining, modern-day Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

 

DEBRA GRANIK

DebraGranik

Debra Granik is the Academy Award-nominated director and co-writer of Winter’s Bone, which was

nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, and won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Granik’s first feature film, Down to the Bone, was awarded the Best Director prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. She is known for her amazing work with actors, essentially launching the careers of both Vera Farmiga and Jennifer Lawrence. Her work is known for an instinctive, collaborative style that Granik describes as “late-breaking global neorealism.” Granik’s most recent offering, the documentary Stray Dog, began with a chance encounter while scouting and casting Winter’s Bone. Granik met Ron “Stray Dog” Hall in the Biker Church of Branson and cast him as the film’s estranged father, Thump Milton. Of her work she says, “The question I’ve had for most of my life is, ‘How are you coping?’ Some people have these small, positive schemes for survival, a kind of strength that I am attracted to, maybe because I’m prone to the blues.” In Hall she found a worthy subject—one whose humor and lack of self-consciousness had the potential to make the plight of Vietnam vets accessible to a broader audience.

Debra Granik is scheduled to attend selected screenings and events.

Stray Dog

(USA / 2014 / Director: Debra Granik)
Trailer: http://youtu.be/5UKrOhJ0NRw
Ron “Stray Dog” Hall, Harley-Davidson biker, Vietnam veteran, husband, and father, receives a portrait every bit the equal to his substantial personality from Debra Granik, director of the Oscar-nominated Winter’s Bone. Defying expectations at every turn, Stray Dog tells a story of rough edges that give way to an expansive and tender heart as we see Ron equally at home shooting the breeze with his battery mates as they sip moonshine as he is opening up to his therapist or traveling to military funerals to pay respect to those he never met. A welcome corrective to rural stereotypes, Stray Dog is a slice of unforgettable Americana.

Winter’s Bone

(USA / 2010 / Director: Debra Granik)
Trailer: http://youtu.be/5O8F8JtSVmI
Winter’s Bone is an Oscar-nominated pitch-black slice of Ozarks noir following a young woman’s journey to protect her family no matter the cost. Seventeen-year-old Ree (Jennifer Lawrence, in her breakout role) discovers that her father has skipped bail, threatening the house he used as collateral, and leaving them homeless. Armed only with the knowledge of his involvement in the local crystal meth trade, Ree and her Uncle Teardrop (the mesmerizing John Hawkes) aim to find him despite the ever-increasing resistance to their inquiries. Told with incredible authenticity, this tale of family loyalty features a heroine for the ages, with minimalist setting and dialogue that add to its mythic flavor.

***(I think anytime a filmmaker has the opportunity to explore the casting process and working with actors in set the filmmaker should take it. Auditioning and working WITH talent is one of the most critical aspects of a director’s job. It is equally important for others to understand and appreciate as well. I will see you there – Rex)***

Working with Actors
Access the process of one of today’s foremost directors as Oscar nominee Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone, Stray Dog) discusses and demonstrates her process for auditioning and working with actors on set. This is not to be missed by any filmmakers who plan to cast actors or actors who want to get into films.

 

WESLEY MORRIS

WesleyMorris

In 2012, upon winning the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, Wesley Morris explained his attraction to film as an artistic medium with the following words: “Movies are visual, aural, they involve people, and life, and ideas and art, they are so elastic. They can hold anything, withstand everything, and make you feel anything. Other arts can do that, but movies are the only ones that can incorporate other media into cinema.” With those words, one can see easily why Morris earned this award—his writing is effortless, yet whip-smart, exuberant, yet precise. He is able to write about mainstream films as well as art house cinema, always compelling the reader toward a more nuanced understanding of the work at hand. Since 2013, Morris has been a cultural critic for the website Grantland; prior to that he wrote film criticism for The Boston

Globe (where he received his Pulitzer), San Francisco Chronicle, and San Francisco Examiner and contributed to Slate, Ebony, NPR, and Film Comment. Milwaukee Film is honored to present this tribute to Morris for his distinctive voice and remarkable career as a critic. As part of his visit, Morris will deliver our annual keynote address on the “State of Cinema,” followed by a presentation of Michael Haneke’s film Code Unknown: Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys.

 Wesley Morris is scheduled to attend the following:

 State of Cinema

Join us for our annual lecture on the “State of Cinema.” Each year we host a distinguished member of the cinematic community to reflect on the current position of the industry and possible futures for the medium. This year we host Wesley Morris, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism while at the Boston Globe, who now writes on film and culture at Grantland.com. The panel will conclude with a brief Q&A, after which patrons are invited to join Morris for a screening of Michael Haneke’s 2000 romantic drama, Code Unknown: Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys.

 

Code Unknown: Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys

(France, Germany, Romania / 2000 / Director: Michael Haneke)
Trailer: http://youtu.be/lNnwk7DSKb8

One of the many masterpieces created over the course of Michael Haneke’s career (Caché, Funny Games, the Oscar-winning Amour), Code Unknown chronicles the fleeting intersection of lives on a bustling Paris street corner. We see the fallout from this brief connection through an actress (Juliette Binoche), her photojournalist boyfriend, a young teacher of African descent, and a Romanian illegal immigrant. Able to wring unbearable amounts of tension from his frequent long takes, Haneke spins an emotionally complex tale of the simple ways in which we misunderstand one another on a daily basis. He spells nothing out and challenges viewers to decode these stories for themselves. Our 2014 Critic Tribute recipient, Wesley Morris, has selected this film to screen at our festival and is scheduled to participate in a Q&A with the audience after the screening.

 

ZUCKER, ABRAHAMS, ZUCKER

ZuckerAbrahamsZucker

The filmmaking team Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker began their fortuitous union at Shorewood High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After college at UW-Madison, David Zucker, his brother Jerry, and their friend Jim Abrahams created the Kentucky Fried Theater in the back of a bookstore in Madison with a borrowed videotape deck and a camera. In 1972, they moved the show to Los Angeles, where the trio that would come to be known as ZAZ became the most successful small theater group in Los Angeles history. Their groundbreaking style of outrageous sketch comedy was later immortalized in their film The Kentucky Fried Movie, and a new brand of comedy was born. This style featured hairbrained dialogue delivered by dramatic actors with deadpan sincerity and would earn the trio recognition as Hollywood comedy kingpins. In their illustrious careers, the ZAZ team has worked with actors such as Lloyd Bridges,

Robert Stack, and Leslie Nielsen, to name a few, and cultivated a whole new genre of film. Together, they have been responsible for ‘80s comedy cult classics Airplane!, Ruthless People, and The Naked Gun. Their streak of successful movies included the secret agent spoof and now cult classic Top Secret! starring Val Kilmer. This year Milwaukee Film honors these local legends by screening this 1984 film and welcomes them home with a tribute. The trio recently returned to their native roots by creating commercials in their signature style with the Wisconsin Department of Tourism in conjunction with Laughlin Constable.

Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker are scheduled to attend the following screening:

Top Secret!
(USA, United Kingdom / 1984 / Directors: David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker)
Trailer: http://youtu.be/mKHLPtH2I30

After the wild success of their comedy classic Airplane!, the anarchic trio known as ZAZ (David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker) set their sights on spy films and rock’ n’ roll musicals with the outrageous spoof Top Secret! In this film boasting the screen debut of Val Kilmer as a young secret agent tasked with crossing the Iron Curtain to rescue a scientist, ZAZ packs the proceedings with terrible puns, absurdist sight gags, and all the anachronism and political incorrectness that a breakneck 90-minute run time could contain. We proudly present this comedy classic on its 30th anniversary, in celebration of a film every bit the equal of its predecessor.

Note: All screening and panel times will be announced Saturday, September 6 at the Program Book Launch located at Cathedral Square Park from 9am-6pm.

The 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival runs September 25 – October 9, 2014 at the Landmark Oriental Theatre, Landmark Downer Theatre, Fox-Bay Cinema Grill and Times Cinema. Passes and ticket 6-Packs for the 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival are currently available at discounted rates exclusively online at mkefilm.org/tickets.

Tickets for individual screenings will be available through Milwaukee Film Festival Box Office starting September 10 for Milwaukee Film Members and September 11 for the General Public.

 

Subscribe and Follow Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat Blog!  Visit often & please share with others!

*** Please also visit Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat Official Website.

Stay up to date with the live shows on Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat. You can join us and listen live as the show records. You can hang in chat and ask questions. All shows are recorded and archived at the official site.

Updates will be posted at this blog,  at the official site,  on the RSMB Friends page on FB,  through twitter and elsewhere.  When you can’t join us live you can still  listen to archived show from official site, from blogtalk radio and you can subscribe to the podcast at itunes.

Over 400 hours of professional filmmakers share their expertise and tips and secrets with you. All discussion may be listened to live and archived from the Official Site too! Check the INTERVIEWS blog.

Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat Official Site

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UPCOMING Milwaukee Film Festival – Short Program Line Up

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I Love You So Hard_MIDNIGHT

The Upcoming Milwaukee Film Festival announces its short film line up. Catch these if you can. Maybe I’ll even see you there. Enjoy!

2014 Milwaukee Film Festival Announces Shorter Is Better Lineup 

Presenting nearly 70 of the best festival-circuit short films and the first annual juried cash award

Innovative and enthralling, expansive in subject matter and style, Shorter Is Better allows the festival audience to view work from masters of the short format on the big screen, while offering a first glimpse at many future feature film directors.

“We have a stellar lineup of short films this year from 22 countries, including two excellent shorts with local ties. Taxidermists, part of Out Of This World, features the Milwaukee Public Museum’s lead taxidermist, Wendy Christensen, while Untucked, which premiered at Sundance this year and is featured in our new Sports Shorts program, comes from Marquette alum, Danny Pudi,” says Shorts Programmer and Grant Writer Anna Sampers.

New to the program this year are the first annual Shorter Is Better juried award, recognizing the winning short film with a cash prize of $1,000, as well as two new shorts programs: Sports Shorts. Shorts about Sports. and Stories We Tell–a collection of nine personal stories both true and fictional. Both new programs join last year’s Oriental Theatre sellout, Date Night, along with the very popular The Best Damn F*#@ing Midnight Program Ever. Sh*t., Let’s Get Animated, Out of This World, Modern Families, and Stranger Than Fiction.

SHORTER IS BETTER
This is your chance to see a bunch of great short films, from a bunch of great up-and-coming filmmakers, in a proper theater. We took our favorite short films from around the world and put them into neat little packages for your viewing pleasure.

 

Shorts: The Best Damn F*#@ing Midnight Program Ever. Sh*t.

Total running time: 88 min
Hi kids, do you like violence? Put on your big-kid pants, because these shocking, gross, sexy, funny, and gory shorts aren’t for the weak of heart (or bladder). There will be swearing, there will be blood, there will be butts—but if you’re into that sort of thing, there will also be a great time had by all.

Box Room (Ireland / 2013 / Director: Michael Lathrop)
Fool’s Day (USA / 2013 / Director: Cody Blue Snider)
The Gunfighter (USA / 2014 / Director: Eric Kissack)

I Love You So Hard (United Kingdom / 2013 / Director: Ross Butter)
Invasion (France / 2014 / Directors: Hugo Ramirez, Olivier Patte)

Kekasih (Malaysia / 2013 / Director: Diffan Sina Norman)
Kids and Explosions – Swear Words (France / 2012 / Directors: Thomas Vernay, Yann Wallaert)

Not Funny (No Tiene Gracia) (Spain / 2013 / Director: Carlos Violade)
The Obvious Child (United Kingdom / 2013 / Director: Stephen Irwin)

 

Shorts: Date Night

Total running time: 93 min

For anyone who’s ever known the sweet sting of Cupid’s arrow, this slate of short films surrounding love, dating, and the heartbreaks that occur therein is the perfect cinemaphrodisiac—so take the one you love, grab a bite to eat beforehand, and treat yourself to these myriad tales of the heart both bitter and sweet.

2 Girls, 1 Cake (Denmark / 2013 / Director: Jens Dahl)
Best (United Kingdom / 2013 / Director: William Oldroyd)

Life’s A Bitch (Toutes des Connes) (Canada / 2013 / Director: Francois Jaros)

Love. Love. Love. (Russia / 2013 / Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram)

Oi, Meu Amor (Hi, My Love) (USA / 2014 / Director: Robert G. Putka)

Peepers (USA / 2014 / Director: Ken Lam)
Queenie (New Zealand / 2014 / Director: Paul Neason)

Scent of a Woman (USA / 2013 / Director: Lauren Savoy)
Send (USA / 2013 / Director: Peter Vack)

We Keep On Dancing (Australia / 2013 / Director: Jessica Barclay Lawton)

Where were you when Michael Jackson died? (T’étais où quand Michael Jackson est mort?) (France / 2013 / Director: Jean-Baptiste Pouilloux)

 

Shorts: Let’s Get Animated

Total running time: 90 min

From silly to serious, epic in scale yet with the most minute attention to detail, these stylistically varied works of animated genius are sure to tickle any connoisseur of the form—with the only common thread being their beautiful storytelling and gorgeous renderings. Come get inspired by these remarkable and zany works of art!

365 (United Kingdom / 2013 / Directors: Greg McLeod, Myles McLeod)
Coda (Ireland / 2013 / Director: Alan Holly)

Grace Under Water (Australia / 2014 / Director: Anthony Lawrence)

Love in the Time of March Madness (USA / 2014 / Directors: Melissa Johnson, Robertino Zambrano)

Marilyn Myller (USA / 2013 / Director: Mikey Please)
The Missing Scarf (Ireland / 2013 / Director: Eoin Duffy)
Phantom Limb (United Kingdom, Australia / 2013 / Director: Alex Grigg)

A Recipe for Gruel (United Kingdom / 2013 / Director: Sharon Smith)
Symphony No. 42 (Hungary / 2014 / Director: Reka Bucsi)

Through the Hawthorn (United Kingdom / 2014 / Directors: Anna Benner, Pia Borg, Gemma Burditt)

White Morning (United Kingdom / 2013 / Director: Paul Barritt)

 

Shorts: Modern Families

Total running time: 93 min

These shorts are for anyone who has ever spent hours attempting to teach Grandma the subtle nuances of Facebook, had a Thanksgiving we’d choose to forget, or has perfected the shuffling involved in capturing a perfect group photo—families of all shapes and sizes are portrayed in all of their complicated glory, running the gamut from heartbreaking to hilarious in this program not intended for children.

Baby Mary (USA / 2013 / Director: Kris Swanberg)
Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak) (France, China / 2013 / Director: Hu Wei)

Condom (Australia / 2013 / Directors: Igor Coric, Sheldon Lieberman)
Cruising Electric (1980) (USA / 2013 / Director: Brumby Boylston)

The Cut (La Coupe) (Canada / 2014 / Director: Genevieve Dulude-De Celles)
The Hunger (De Honger) (Belgium / 2013 / Director: Benoit De Clerck)

I Think This Is The Closest To How The Footage Looked (Israel / 2013 / Directors: Hameiri, Michal Vaknin)

Krisha (USA / 2013 / Director: Trey Edward Shults)
Pony Place (Netherlands / 2013 / Director: Joost Reijmers)

 

Shorts: Out of This World

Total running time: 94 min

These fantastical stories of space and the unknown will transport you to worlds unseen—so program your brand-new iMom, strap on your space suit, and keep an eye on your boyfriend who’s been behaving curiously ever since he escaped from that laboratory for these stories that would feel right at home on “The Twilight Zone.”

Bernard the Great (Bernard Le Grand) (Canada / 2013 / Directors: Marie-Hélène Viens, Philippe Lupien)

Democracy (Democracia) (Spain / 2013 / Director: Borja Cobeaga)

The iMom (Australia, USA / 2013 / Director: Ariel Martin)

The Kármán Line (United Kingdom / 2014 / Director: Oscar Sharp)

Orbit Ever After (United Kingdom / 2013 / Director: Jamie Stone)

When You Were Mine (USA / 2014 / Director: Michelle M. Witten)

 

Shorts: Sports Shorts. Shorts about Sports.

Total running time: 95 min

Whether you obsessively refresh box scores for your fantasy team or believe that one can dunk a touchdown, these stories that showcase the human side of athletic competition will appeal to you. Featuring Untucked, a portrait of the famous jerseys worn by Marquette’s basketball team in

1977, this program of crowd-pleasers will have you doing the wave with the rest of the theater.

Cadet (Belgium / 2013 / Director: Kevin Meul)

Gnarly in Pink – Featuring the Pink Helmet Posse (USA / 2014 / Directors: Benjamin Mullinkosson, Kristelle Laroche)

The High Five (USA / 2014 / Director: Michael Jacobs)
The Immaculate Reception (USA / 2014 / Director: Charlotte Glynn)

Strike: the Greatest Bowling Story Ever Told (USA / 2014 / Director: Joey Daoud)

Tennis Elbow (France / 2012 / Director: Vital Philippot)

Untucked (USA / 2013 / Director: Danny Pudi)

 

Shorts: Stories We Tell

Total running time: 84 min
Everybody’s got a story to tell—be it a nightmare landlord, the mysterious woman who just wouldn’t leave, a body covered in tattoos, or the most fun one can have chaperoning a school dance. This collection of nine personal stories true and fictional and the storytellers behind them will leave you satisfied and engaged.

The Chaperone (Canada / 2013 / Directors: Fraser Munden, Neil Rathbone)

CRIME: The Animated Series (Marcus McGhee) (USA, Canada / 2013 / Directors: Sam Chou, Alix Lambert)
Funnel (USA / 2013 / Director: Andre Hyland)

Maikaru (USA / 2014 / Director: Amanda Harryman)

One Is Listening Anymore! (Australia / 2013 / Director: Romi Trower)

One Year Lease (USA / 2014 / Director: Brian Bolster)

Person to Person (USA / 2014 / Director: Dustin Guy Defa)
Yearbook (USA / 2013 /  Director: Bernardo Britto)
You Won’t Regret That Tattoo (Canada / 2013 / Director: Angie Bird)

 

Shorts: Stranger Than Fiction

Total running time: 94 min

Subjects that simply beggar belief are the currency this program trades in, be it the Olympics of taxidermy (featuring Milwaukee’s own “Samson” the gorilla), a man finding the humor in his quadrilateral amputation, or the world’s largest pope statue. These documentaries are equal parts fascinating and entertaining, telling stories that are strange but true!

The Chilean Elvis (Chile / 2013 / Director: Marcelo Kiwi)

The Last Days of Peter Bergmann (Ireland / 2013 / Director: Ciaran Cassidy)

A Paradise (Un Paraíso) (Cuba / 2013 / Director: Jayisha Patel)
Stumped (USA / 2014 / Director: Robin Berghaus)
The Supreme (Najwyższy) (Poland / 2013 / Director: Katarzyna Gondek)

Taxidermists (USA / 2012 / Director: Nicole Triche)

The 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival runs September 25 – October 9, 2014 at the Landmark Oriental Theatre, Landmark Downer Theatre, Fox-Bay Cinema Grill and Times Cinema. Passes and ticket 6-Packs for the 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival are currently available at discounted rates exclusively online at mkefilm.org/tickets.

Tickets for individual screenings will be available through Milwaukee Film Festival Box Office starting September 10 for Milwaukee Film Members and September 11 for the General Public.

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