Don’t Miss These Milwaukee-Made Films at the 2026 Film Festival

Susan Kerns starts the 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The Milwaukee Film Festival not only brings top-level films from around the world to Milwaukee, but serves as a stage for Cream City filmmakers to showcase their work and capabilities.

The Cream City Cinema program is built around a mix of feature films and shorts collections. The 2026 edition includes the ever-popular shorts showcase The Milwaukee Show, a music video showcase and several feature films, including a documentary following artist Dasha Kelly Hamilton as she travels the country and another profiling singer-songwriter Pat McCurdy.

The festival runs through April 30. But don’t wait, many of the films have limited screening dates.

Included below is a complete list of Cream City Cinema films.

Urban Milwaukee is a proud sponsor of the Cream City Cinema program

Beyond

A group of incarcerated men prepare for a TED-style event at Sing Sing prison that showcases their personal narratives along with ideas for changing the prison system and healing their communities. With unprecedented access, the film follows the speakers’ journeys from audition to their climactic moment on stage, highlighting themes of vulnerability, healing, and redemption, while showcasing the power of performance and storytelling in and outside of the carceral justice system.

Thursday, April 23 — 5:45 p.m. — Downer Theatre

Bright Beautiful World: The Infectious Joy of Pat McCurdy

Over more than 50 years and 12,000 performances in Milwaukee and beyond, Pat McCurdy has cultivated a fiercely loyal fan base and a reputation for spreading infectious joy. He may not be a household name, but to those who know him, Pat is unforgettable. Bright Beautiful World is an uplifting portrait of an artist who found success on his own terms—and of the deep, decades-long love affair between a musician and the fans who keep showing up.

Saturday, April 25 — 6:30 p.m. — Oriental Theatre
Sunday, April 26 — 11:00 a.m. — Oriental Theatre

Flytrapper

Crystal’s life of extremely aggressive rap music, jet-skiing, and nefarious activities in the lush Northwoods is upended by a visit from her estranged best friend, Melonie, who is digging into the past. But even as the situation becomes increasingly unstable, she can’t help but stay as the two rekindle their friendship. Featuring a crew of MFF alums, this world premiere showcases writer/star Georgia Lee King as one to watch.

Thursday, April 23 — 8:30 p.m. — Downer Theatre
Wednesday, April 29 — 10:00 p.m. — Oriental Theatre

Intoxicated Rain

Along the Western shores of Lake Michigan, just north of Milwaukee, lies the small town of Port Washington, WI. When two old fishermen recover the curious isolated remains of a human face, the town is unsettled but carries on. Against this backdrop we meet Jaden Sobczak, a biracial young man coming of age while feeling caught between places, cultures, and family members in this heartfelt film, produced by talented local cast and crew.

Friday, April 24 — 3:30 p.m. — Oriental Theatre

Ixonia’s Mild Kingdom

Meet self-proclaimed “wildlife expert” Merlin Porkins. The latest from BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD writer Kristofor Brown, this pilot for a new episodic project follows Porkins and his sidekicks as they encounter local wildlife in the small town of Ixonia, WI. Using Monty Python-esque storytelling, unforgettable characters, and a local touch, this show is truly like no other. This screening will be followed by an extended Q&A with Brown featuring career highlights and some surprises.

Friday, April 24 — 9:00 p.m. — Oriental Theatre

Makin’ Cake

MAKIN’ CAKE is a story of access and privilege in America told through the histories of baking and cake. Join multi-hyphenate artist and Milwaukeean, Dasha Kelly, as she travels the country talking to bakers, scientists, and historians, witness her nationally touring stage show of the same name, and maybe learn a few things about baking along the way. This doc is one part Food Network, one part history lesson, and 100% Dasha.

Friday, April 24 — 1:00 p.m. — Downer Theatre
Sunday, April 26 — 1:00 p.m. — Oriental Theatre

Now! More! Yes!

Milwaukee-based artist Max Hey started recording his landlord, TW Hansen, a blind picture car wrangler, after witnessing him purchase an ambulance with no keys on an auction website. When a sudden job loss leads TW into a spiral of despair, his resilience is tested in ways that push him to the edge. NOW! MORE! YES! is a celebration of the human spirit, the power of relationships, and the unexpected ways life can turn around.

Wednesday, April 22 — 10:30 p.m. — Oriental Theatre

Welcome Poets

A poetically structured documentary that follows 2023-24 Wisconsin Poet Laureate, Nicholas Gulig, as he returns to his home state of Wisconsin after nearly two decades away, following five years teaching in Thailand, joins UW-Whitewater as a poetry professor, and moves to Fort Atkinson. Feeling estranged from the state, and in a divided political climate, Gulig finds a steadying presence in the region’s ties to lauded 20th century Wisconsin poet Lorine Niedecker.

Tuesday, April 21 — 4:00 p.m. — Oriental Theatre

The Milwaukee Music Video Show

Back for 2026, our showcase of locally-made music videos runs the gamut of musical genres while also showcasing the exquisite diversity allowed within the music video format, a series of short, sonic bursts of creative excitement.

Tuesday, April 28 — 6:30 p.m. — Oriental Theatre

The Milwaukee Show I

Each year THE MILWAUKEE SHOW is one of the hottest tickets of the festival—a rare chance to see work from our local best and brightest in the gloriously opulent setting of our beloved Oriental Theatre’s Abele Cinema. This collection of stunning shorts allows you to watch locally, yet think globally.

Tuesday, April 21 — 6:30 p.m. — Oriental Theatre

The Milwaukee Show II

The shorts program is so nice, we have to do it twice! THE MILWAUKEE SHOW II brings you EVEN MORE fantastic films courtesy of our thriving local artistic community. There’s simply too much quality to be contained by a single screening, so settle in for another collection of shorts with a diversity of styles and perspectives.

Monday, April 27 — 7:30 p.m. — Oriental Theatre

The Milwaukee Youth Show

With every turn, the next generation of artists in our community are showing that they have the stuff to tell their stories, make people laugh, and enact change. This showcase of Milwaukee’s young filmmakers proves that they are carrying the torch (with tons of talent) to bring light to our city.

Saturday, April 25 — 10:45 a.m. — Downer Theatre

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