Milwaukee Film Festival Grows, But Still Far From Pre-COVID Peak
2026 attendance climbs to 36,922 as the nonprofit rebuilds after cuts and leadership change.
Susan Kerns introduces a film to a sold out crowd at the 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
Attendance climbed sharply at the 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival.
Milwaukee Film announced that the 18th annual festival drew 36,922 attendees across its 15-day run, representing 15.4% growth over 2025. The organization presented 243 films and hosted 281 public screenings at venues including the Oriental Theatre and Downer Theatre.
“Steven Spielberg once said, ‘Every time I go to a movie, it’s magic,’” Susan Kerns, executive director, said in a statement. “Milwaukee Film is so lucky we have audiences who want to experience that magic with us day in, day out for two weeks every spring.”
The 2026 festival carried additional significance for the nonprofit after it purchased the Downer Theatre earlier this year, giving the organization long-term control of Milwaukee’s oldest operating movie theater. Milwaukee Film announced the acquisition in March as part of a multiyear restoration and renovation campaign for the 111-year-old East Side cinema.
“This year was especially meaningful since we just purchased the Downer Theatre and were able to hold the world premieres of four feature films, starting with our opening night screening of ‘Ueck,’” Kerns said.
The festival lineup included 105 feature films — split almost evenly between documentary and fiction features — along with 138 short films. Milwaukee Film said 45% of feature films were directed by women or nonbinary filmmakers.
The audience award for best feature film went to “Bright Beautiful World: The Infectious Joy of Pat McCurdy,” a world premiere documentary directed by Peter Matsoukas and Benny Kaplan about the longtime Milwaukee musician. The audience award for best short film went to “Oh Whale.”
Milwaukee Film also said the festival’s REEL Impact Drive raised $163,605 to support operations through donations, a silent auction and a final-day matching campaign backed by Jim and Santha Kerns, the parents of Susan Kerns.
The organization presented its 2026 Abele Catalyst Award to Matthew G. Helmerich, whose Tulsa-based The Helmerich Trust helped support Milwaukee Film’s acquisition of the Downer Theatre earlier this year.
Milwaukee Film also announced that its Dialogues Documentary Festival will return Sept. 24-27 and that the 2027 Milwaukee Film Festival is scheduled for April 29 through May 13.
Attendance is still down dramatically from the record high of 87,618 in 2019. That festival included far more screens, including the Broadway Theatre Center, the Avalon Theater, Times Cinema, the Kenilworth Building and the Rivoli Theatre in Cedarburg, and was before the COVID-19 pandemic spurred a downturn in film attendance. It was also the last time the festival was held in the fall. Amid a funding crunch, the organization shed several programs and saw its executive director resign in early 2024.
And The Winners Are…
The feature-film winner of the Audience Award was “Bright Beautiful World: The Infectious Joy of Pat McCurdy,” a documentary about Milwaukee musician Pat McCurdy. The highest-rated short film was “Oh Whale.”
- Luminaries Jury Award – “The Blue Trail” (dir. Gabriel Mascaro)
- Emerging Fiction Jury Award – “Blue Heron” (dir. Sophy Romvari)
- Special Mention: “If I Go Will They Miss Me?” (dir. Walter Thompson-Hernández)
- Emerging Documentary Jury Award – “All of the Above” (dir. Allison Walsh)
- Special Mention: “TheyDream” (dir. William David Caballero)
- Cream City Cinema Jury Award – “Beyond” (dirs. Michael Kleiman and Asia Johnson)
- Cream City Cinema Jury Award – “Placeholder” (dir. Jesse McLean)
- Cream City Cinema Jury Award – “甜腻腻 Thick & Sweet” (dir. Yinan Wang)
- Special Mentions: “Fred’s Basement Bijou” (dir. Michael T. Vollmann), “Now! More! Yes!” (dir. Max Hey)
- Shorts Jury Award – “We Were Here” (dir. Pranav Bhasin)
- Special Mentions: “Talk Me” (dir. Joecar Hanna-Zhang), “Callback” (dir. Matthew Puccini)
- Kids’ Choice Jury Award – “The Legend of the Hummingbird” (dir. Morgan Devos)
- Special Mentions:
- Best Characters: “The Naughty Seat” (dir. David Johnson)
- Best Humor: “Forever” (dirs. Théo Djekou, Pierre Ferrari, Cyrine Jouini, Pauline Philippart and Anissa Terrier)
- Most Inspiring: “Mountain Roots” (dirs. Carrie McCarthy and Mark Pedri)
- Best Animation: “Snow Bear” (dir. Aaron Blaise)
Urban Milwaukee is a proud media sponsor of the festival and the Cream City Cinema series
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