Five Questions for Ross Bigley

Ross Bigley

Who: Ross Bigley, Milwaukee Short Film Festival Organizer
What: Milwaukee Short Film Festival, 9/11-13; 11th Annual Short Film Teaser

When VITAL Source was a print magazine we ran a monthly feature called 5Q, where we asked local notables or up-and-comers five questions about their craft, career or passion. Now, in our super-deluxe web format, it’s easy to do the same from time to time. In this installment of 5Q, we invited the Milwaukee Short Film Festival organizer Ross Bigley to give us a sneak-peek behind the upcoming short-film festivities:

Well, we have had more submissions this year than previous years, nearly tripling our past records. There are so many great films from around the world, and many are already award winners. This is our best lineup to date. We also are in different, larger venues, moving ourselves into the city. And, our film society has our very first feature film premiere during our short film festival. We will start giving out a new award, the Pacesetter, beginning this year on opening night at the Eisner Museum. This award recognizes individuals and their accomplishments in the Milwaukee film community. The first recipients are Kathy Fischer and Mark Metcalf. Their film How To Not Kill Everyone will also premiere that night too, along with No Good Reason (a film featuring Natalie Merchant) and FOT-The Next Big Thing (from Flight of the Conchords’, Rhys Darby). Q & A will follow after the films have shown.

2.  Which films are clear stand-outs?

Well, we have such a wide selection covering so many genres and topics that it’ll be hard, but here’s a few:

The Anchorite (Atlanta, GA) by Matthew Maloney. A fascinating puppet/stop motion film about a rooftop artist struggling with his painting. It’s very surreal.

Growing Up Vegas. Photos, courtesy of Milwaukee Indep. Film Society.

Growing Up Vegas (NV) by Amber Beard.  A story of a young tomboy who is tutored by a washed-up Elvis impersonator.

Suzukishoji (Japan) by Kazo Kono. A young man joins a shipping company with some amusing situations.

Wintress

Wintress (CA) by Bill Elverman. A gothic horror story shot in Wisconsin.

Birthdate (NY) by Jeremy Brunjes. An emotional story about a mother wanting to reunite with the son she never knew.

Mannen med Kulorna (Sweden) by Hans Montelius. The story is about brothers who put everything on the line with a game of marbles.

Eat Your Fill

Eat Your Fill (MKE) by Mark Irving. A short documentary about a former adman Phil Wesson as he heads to the State Fair to eat everything on a stick or deep fried.

3.  Will there be special guests making appearances or presenting films this festival season?

Well, besides honoring Mark Metcalf, this is the first festival where most of the filmmakers are planning on attending. John Adler of FM 102.1 WLUM will even host opening night, with R. Michael Gull hosting the closing night.

4.  What types of honors or recognition will be awarded?

Besides the Pacesetter (the new award to be received by Kathy Fischer and Mark Metcalf on opening night), we’ll award Best Film, Honorable Mention (2nd place), Best Director, Best Actor and Best Wisconsin Film.

5.  Who are the judges this year?

As for judges returning this year, they are:

Jerry Houser, who has starred in such films as Summer of ’42, Class of ’44, Slap Shot and Seems Like Old Times.  He also became  part of TV history as Wally Logan, the man who married Marcia Brady in The Brady Girls Get Married.

Timothy J. Lonsdale, who has worked on such films such as Moscow on the Hudson, Turk 182 and F/X, plus as the assistant director on the Michael Jackson/Martin Scorsese directed music video “Bad.” Today, Tim works as the first assistant director on such television shows as Eli Stone, Pushing Dasies, Charmed, Ghost Whisperer and TBS’ My Boys.

Joining them this year are:

Elizabeth Pollock Bruch, a Milwaukee-based documentary videographer whose honors include a student Academy Award for Indiana Aria, a documentary on young opera singers, and a Fulbright Scholarship to make Atlantis Approaching, a documentary about climate change in the South Pacific.

Jon Anne Willow, the co-publisher of ThirdCoast Digest and a screenwriter whose first feature film, New Day, will premiere in September 2009. An award-winning columnist, she is also the co-founder of L’Oiseau Blanc Films and appears weekly on WTMJ-4’s “What’s Hot.”

David Streit, who has worked regularly line producing on independents and as a UPM (Unit Production Manager) on larger features. Significant production credits include: Handgun, (Producer); Paris, Texas, (Production Manager); The River’s Edge (Co-Producer/UPM); Internal Affairs (Co-Producer); Deep Cover (Line Producer); The Marrying Man (Executive Producer); Species (Executive Producer/UPM); and Jurassic Park III (UPM). Still active as a producer, Streit is currently master lecturer in the producing discipline at the AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles. He also shoots and directs documentaries.

Aubrey Walker, a creative director/writer based in Chicago, his clients include: Tide, Coors Light, Verizon, Toyota, McDonald’s and Heineken.