Milwaukee Film Announces 2014 Festival Guests

MILWAUKEE – Thursday, September 18, 2014 – The 6^th Annual Milwaukee Film Festival, presented by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, is eager to announce a record number of guests scheduled to attend this year’s festival. A total of 113 out-of-town guests are confirmed–an increase of 37% from last year.

“The opportunity for audience members to interact with the creators and stars of the films is one of the most unique aspects of the film festival experience. It adds a deeper level of connection and engagement between our audience and films, and that has always been one of our goals,” shares Jonathan Jackson, Artistic and Executive Director at Milwaukee Film.

Attending the festival and adding significantly to audience interaction are the directors and subjects for two of the year’s most critically acclaimed documentaries–Debra Granik’s Stray Dog and Marshall Curry’s Point and Shoot. Both Oscar-nominated filmmakers are scheduled to attend screenings and participate in question and answer sessions with their respective film’s subjects, Ron “Stray Dog” Hall, of Stray Dog, and Matthew VanDyke, of Point and Shoot.

Both Opening and Closing Night films boast a record number of guests and filmmakers. The riveting documentary opening the festival, 1971, screens with director Johanna Hamilton and four film subjects in attendance, and will include an extended question and answer session following the film.

The Milwaukee-made Closing Night film, The Surface, celebrates its world premiere at the Milwaukee Film Festival, with cast, crew, and star of the film, Sean Astin of The Lord of the Rings, Rudy, and The Goonies fame. Director Gil Cates, Jr., writer, producer, and Milwaukee native, Jeff Gendelman, cinematographer and co-producer, Jimmy Sammarco, and actors Astin, Chris Mulkey (Captain Phillips, First Blood), and Megan Lorie will also be in attendance.

Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic, Wesley Morris (presenting the festival’s State of the Cinema address), and comedy kingpins originally from Milwaukee, Jim Abraham and Jerry Zucker (Top Secret!), previously announced as part of Tributes, are all scheduled to attend select film screenings.

Wisconsin native Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense, Take Me to the River) is also among notable guests attending this year’s festival.

The extensive list of scheduled guests also includes at least one guest for each film in the festival’s new Black Lens program, including Robert Townsend, director, writer, and star of the 1987 classic comedy, Hollywood Shuffle, for a total often Black Lens guests.

For the first time since launching its Passport program, Milwaukee Film has secured a filmmaker for this program. Passport: Mexico director Rodrigo Reyes (Purgatorio: A Journey Into the Heart of the Border) is scheduled to attend the festival.

 

SCHEDULED TO APPEAR AT THE 2014 MILWAUKEE FILM FESTIVAL:

FILMS

 

1971
Sep. 25, 7PM | Oriental Theatre (Opening Night Film)

Sep. 27, 1:45PM | Oriental Theatre

Johanna Hamilton: Director
Bonnie Raines: Film Subject
John Raines: Film Subject
Athan Theoharis: Film Subject
Betty Medsger: Film Subject

25 to Life
Oct. 4, 7PM | Times Cinema
Oct. 7, 11AM | Oriental Theatre

Leah Natasha Thomas: Producer
Khaliah Neal: Producer
William Brawner: ­Film Subject

 

Anchovies (Prefeature for Serial Daters Anonymous)

Oct. 3, 7PM | Times Cinema

Annabelle Attanasio: Director

 

Art and Craft
Oct. 6, 7:15PM | Downer Theatre
Mark Becker: Director

Mark Landis: Film Subject

 

Carnival of the Animals (Prefeature for Psychopath)

Sep. 26, 9:30PM | Oriental Theatre

Sitora Takanaev: Director

 

Cairo Drive

Oct. 4, 9:45PM | Oriental Theatre
Sherief Elkatsha: Director

 

The Case Against 8
Oct. 4, 6:30PM | Oriental Theatre
Oct. 5, 1:30PM | Fox Bay Cinema
Kris Perry: Film Subject
Sandy Stier: Film Subject
The Chaperone (Shorts: Stories We Tell)
Sep. 28, 4PM | Oriental Theatre
Fraser Munden: Director

 

Code Unknown: Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys
Sep. 27, 4:15PM | Oriental Theatre
Wesley Morris: Film Critic

 

Cootie Contagion (Kids Shorts: Size Large)
Sep. 27, 10:45AM | Oriental Theatre
Sep. 28, 11:30AM | Fox Bay Cinema
Josh Smooha: Director

 

CRU
Sep. 28, 4:30PM | Times Cinema
Sep. 30, 7:45PM | Oriental Theatre
Antwon Tanner: Actor
DEAR MKE (Oct. 9, 5:30PM | Oriental Theatre)
Jack Turner: Executive Producer
Ryan Dembroski: Executive Producer
Rob Schoonover: Producer
Barry Poltermann: Story Supervisor
Dan Didier: Post Supervisor, Editorial Assistant

 

All in the Family
Sam Macon: Director
Jessamy Meyer: Editor
BuildMoto
Matt Mixon: Director
Matthew Prekop: Editor
Ian Anderson: Editor

 

Come Sail Away
Jack Davidson: Director

 

Cooking with Kumar
Frankie Latina: Director

 

High Art
Chris Thompson: Director

Matthew Prekop: Editor

 

Lo with the Fro

Jessica Farrell: Director
Dave Myszewski: Editor

 

Mondo Lucha
Sam Macon: Director

Travis Auclair: Cinematographer
Alex Youngen: Editor

 

The Right Ingredients
Matt Mixon: Director
Dave Myszewski: Editor

 

Rory: Milwaukee’s Most Famous Cab Driver
Frankie Latina: Director
Vinnie Besasie: Cinematographer
Randy Russel: Unit Production Manager

 

To See What You Can Do
Jack Davidson: Director

 

Tour de Space

Blyth Meier: Director
Dave Myszewski: Editor

 

The Truck Driver
Matt Mixon: Director

 

Underwater Harvey
Steve Farr: Director
Steve Roeder: Producer

 

Evolution of a Criminal
Sept. 30, 3PM | Oriental Theatre
Darius Clark Monroe: Director
The Forgotten Kingdom

Oct. 4, 7PM | Downer Theatre
Oct. 5, 1:15PM | Oriental Theatre
Andrew Mudge: Director

 

Freedom Summer
Sept. 26, 4:15PM | Oriental Theatre

Cyndee Readdean: Producer

Funnel (Shorts: Stories We Tell)
Sept. 28, 4PM | Oriental Theatre
Andre Hyland: Director

 

Give It Up For the Girl (Prefeature for Pester)

Oct. 5, 10PM | Oriental Theatre
Carol Brandt: Director
John Roberts: Executive Producer

Martin Kaszubowski: Producer

 

Gnarly in Pink (Kids Shorts: Size Medium)
Oct. 3, 2PM | Oriental Theatre (Shorts: Sports Shorts. Shorts about Sports.)
Oct. 4, 11:30AM | Times Cinema
Oct. 5, 11AM | Oriental Theatre
Ben Mullinkosson: Director

 

Goose Trouble(Kids Shorts: Size Small)
Oct. 4, 11AM | Oriental Theatre
Oct. 5, 11:30AM | Fox Bay Cinema

Monika Downer: Director

 

Hairy Who & The Chicago Imagists
Sep. 26, 4:30PM | Downer Theatre

Brian Ashby: Producer, Cinematographer, Editor

Suellen Rocca: Artist, Film Subject
Jim Falconer: Artist, Film Subject

 

Hamlet A.D.D.
Sep. 27, 9:45PM | Oriental Theatre
Oct. 7, 9:30PM | Times Cinema

Andrew Swant: Director, Actor

Bobby Ciraldo: Director, Actor
Evan Maruszewski: Animator

Mark Borchardt: Actor
Eric Gerber: Actor

Drew Rosas: Actor

Hollywood Shuffle

Oct. 3, 7PM | Oriental Theatre

Robert Townsend: Director
An Honest Liar
Oct. 5, 4:15PM | Downer Theatre

Tyler Measom: Director
James Randi: Film Subject
Deyvi Pena: Film Subject

The Immaculate Reception (Shorts: Sports Shorts. Shorts about Sports.)
Oct. 3, 2PM | Oriental Theatre

Charlotte Glynn: Director

 

Kids For Cash
Sep. 26, 7PM | Fox Bay Cinema
Robert May: Director

Life Partners
Oct. 5, 7:15PM | Oriental Theatre
Susanna Fogel: Director, Co-Writer

Jordana Mollick: Producer

 

Man With a Movie Camera
Sept. 30, PM | Oriental Theatre
Alloy Orchestra

Meet The Patels
Sep. 28, 7:45PM | Oriental Theatre
Sep. 29, 5:30PM | Oriental Theatre
Vasant Patel: Film Subject
Champa Patel: Film Subject
THE MILWAUKEE SHOW I(Sep. 29, 8PM | Oriental Theatre)

 

The Death of Corey Stingley

Spencer Chumbley: Director
Erik Ljung: Producer
Craig Stingley: Film Subject

An Evening at Angelo’s
Kara Mulrooney: Director
Tate Bunker: Additional Camera
Angelo Mortellaro: Film Subject
Jerry Grillo: Singer
Ginni Smith: Singer
Bobby Baker: Singer
Joe Kral: Piano
John Hefter: Piano
Danny Keegan: Singer
Mario Crivello: Bartender

 

The Harpist

Erica Thompson: Director
Bethany Michaels: Producer
Ellie Wells: Writer

 

The Kenny Dennis

Wes Tank: Director

 

Little America
Kurt Raether: Director

 

New Planet

James Tindell: Director
Shaun Hosseini: Assistant Producer

 

Settlers

Nathaniel Heuer: Director
Timm Gable: Producer
Erik Ljung: Cinematographer
Sean Williamson: Assistant Director
Diana Ehlers: Casting/Costume

Heather Hass: Editor
Joe Kirschling: Photography
Eileen Blom: Actor
Amelinda Burich: Actor
Ahris Kim: Actor
Margaret Muza: Actor
Laura Theissen: Actor
Michelle Warren: Actor

Jen White: Actor
Erin Wolf: Actor
Shawn Stephany: Band Member
Marielle Allschwang: Band member

 

THE MILWAUKEE SHOW II (Oct. 6, 7PM | Oriental Theatre)

 

Balloons

Sitora Takanaev: Director

 

Geoffrey Broughe Handles Confrontation Poorly
Jon Phillips: Director
Quinn Hester: Cinematographer
Casey Harris: Costume Designer
Peter Batchelder: Sound Engineer, Composer

Matthew Balz: Art Director
Ricardo De Herrera: Actor
Matt Nichols: Actor
MECCA: The Floor That Made Milwaukee Famous

Chris James Thompson: Director
Andy Gorzalski: Producer
Jack Turner: Producer
Travis Auclair: Cinematographer
Michael T. Vollmann: Editor
Barry Poltermann: Story Editor
Jannell Gorzalski: Film Subject
Stephen Marcus: Film Subject
Ben Koller: Film Subject
Hal Koller: Film Subject
Judie Koller: Film Subject
George Gonis: Film Subject
Robert Byrd: Film Subject

 

One Week Vacation

Brendan T. Jones: Director
Jenny Vanderheiden: Art Director
Ryan Lowe: Actor
Evan Koepnick: Actor
Angie Campbell: Actor
Kenny Somerville: Actor

 

Smoky Places

Michael DiMilo: Director
Jeff Stehr: Music Director
Tom Plutshack: Guitar
Dave Bolyard: Percussion

 

This is Jackie.

Anna Sampers: Director

 

Tis the Season

Kirsten Stuck: Director

 

To Hold In The Heart

Pang Her: Director
Jean Yang: Camera

 

The Waystation in the Stars

Brandon Morissey: Director, Producer, Writer
Lyssa Kay: Producer
Dagmar Weaver-Madsen: Cinematographer

 

THE MILWAUKEE YOUTH SHOW (Sep. 28, 10:30AM | Oriental Theatre)

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

 

Assist Bhopal
Megan Sai Dogra: Director

 

The Autumn Vignette
Serbata Tarrer: Director

 

Counting the Dead

Alexandra Van Den Heuvel: Director

 

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

 

Iero

Gabriella Avila, Alexia Jaso: Directors

 

If You Weren’t Here
LaVarnway Boys & Girls Club workshop participants: Directors

 

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

 

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

 

Media and Mental Illness
Eden Raduege, Mikayla Bell: Directors

 

Protect Yourself

Youth from Townsend CLCBoys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee: Directors

 

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

 

My Prairie Home
Sep. 26, 10PM | Oriental Theatre
Chelsea McMullan: Director

No One Is Listening Anymore! (Shorts: Stories We Tell)
Sep. 28, 4PM | Oriental Theatre

Oct. 1, 10:30PM | Oriental Theatre

Romi Trower: Director

 

The Other One
Oct. 1, 7PM | Times Cinema
Oct. 7, PM | Oriental Theatre

Joe Steiff: Director
Grace McPhilips: Producer, Actor
The Overnighters

Oct. 4, 9:30PM | Downer Theatre
Jay Reinke: Film Subject
Keegan Edwards: Film Subject
Person to Person (Shorts: Stories We Tell)
Sep. 28, 4PM | Oriental Theatre
Dustin Defa: Director

 

Pester

Sep. 28, 6:45PM | Times Cinema
Oct. 5, 10PM | Oriental Theatre
Eric Gerber: Director, Writer, Producer
Drew Rosas: Producer
Andrew Swant: Actor, Consulting Producer

 

Point and Shoot
Oct. 7, 7PM | Oriental Theatre
Marshall Curry: Director
Matthew VanDyke: Producer, Film Subject

 

Psychopath
Sep. 26, 9:30PM | Oriental Theatre
Sep. 28, 2PM | Fox Bay Cinema
Oct. 4, 4:15PM | Times Cinema
Manny Marquez: Director

Victor Marquez: Film Subject
Suezette Marquez: Film Subject

Purgatorio: A Journey Into the Heart of the Border
Sep. 27, 2:15PM Downer Theatre
Rodrigo Reyes: Director
Revenge of The Mekons

Sep. 27, 9:45PM | Downer Theatre
Sep. 30, 4:30PM | Times Cinema
Joe Angio: Director
Sally Timms: Film Subject (Only Sep. 27^th screening)
Jon Langford: Film Subject (Only Sep. 27^th screening)

 

The Starfish Throwers
Attendance date TBD
Pete Tedrow: Outreach & Festival Coordinator

 

Secundaria
Oct. 8, 7PM | Downer Theatre

Mary Jane Doherty: Director

 

Serial Daters Anonymous
Sep. 27, 9:45PM | Fox Bay Cinema
Oct. 1, 4PM | Oriental Theatre
Oct. 3, 7PM | Times Cinema

Christopher Carson Emmons: Director

Sam Kozel: Executive Producer

She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry
Oct. 2, 4:30PM | Times Cinema
Oct. 4, 1:30PM | Oriental Theatre
Mary Dore: Director
Nancy Kennedy: Producer
Mary Jean Collins: Film Subject
Fran Beal: Film Subject
Stop Making Sense
Oct. 4, 10:30pm Oriental Theatre
Jerry Harrison: Film Subject

 

Stray Dog
Sep. 27, 7:15PM | Oriental Theatre

Sep. 29, 4:15PM | Times Cinema

Debra Granik: Director

Tory Stewart: Co-Producer/Editor
Ron “Stray Dog” Hall: Film Subject

Freddie Strickland: Film Subject
Robin Smith: Film Subject

 

Street Fight
Oct. 7, 4:15PM | Oriental Theatre
Marshall Curry: Director

 

Strike: The Greatest Bowling Story Ever Told (Shorts: Sports Shorts. Shorts about Sports.)
Oct. 3, 2PM | Oriental Theatre
Joey Daoud: Director

 

Stumped (Shorts: Stranger Than Fiction)
Oct. 6, 4:45PM | Downer Theatre
Robin Berghaus: Director

 

The Surface (Closing Night Film)
Oct. 9, 8PM | Oriental Theatre
Gil Cates, Jr.: Director
Jeff Gendelman: Writer/Producer
Jimmy Sammarco: Cinematographer, Co-Producer
Sean Astin: Actor

Chris Mulkey: Actor
Megan Lorie: Actor

 

Take Me to the River
Attendance Dates TBD

Martin Shore: Director
Jerry Harrison: Producer
Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell: Subject
Frayser Boy: Film Subject
William Bell: Film Subject

 

Taxidermists (Shorts: Stranger Than Fiction)
Oct. 2, 2PM | Times Cinema

Nicole Triche: Director
Wendy Christensen: Film Subject

 

Things Never Said

Oct. 1, 7:30PM | Oriental Theatre
Oct. 2, 1PM | Oriental Theatre

Charles Murray: Director
This May Be the Last Time

Oct. 4, 4:15PM | Oriental Theatre
Sterlin Harjo: Director

 

Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People
Oct. 9, 7:30PM | Oriental Theatre

Don Perry: Co-Producer, Co-Writer

 

‘Til Infinity: Celebrating 20 Years of the Souls of Mischief

Sep. 27, 9PM | Oriental Theatre

Shomari Smith: Director

Time Lapse
Sep. 26, 9:30PM | Times Cinema

Bradley King: Director

 

Top Secret!
Oct. 1, 7PM | Oriental Theatre

Jim Abrahams: Director
Jerry Zucker: Director

 

The Vanquishing of the Witch Baba Yaga
Sep. 28, 7:30PM | Downer Theatre

Jessica Oreck: Director

 

Vessel
Oct. 3, 4:45PM | Downer Theatre

Diana Whitten: Director

 

Watchers of the Sky

Sep. 29, 10:45PM | Oriental Theatre

Elizabeth Bohart: Executive Producer

 

Winter’s Bone

Sept 27, 11:30AM | Downer Theatre

Debra Granik: Director 

 

Years (Prefeature for The Other One)

Oct. 1, 7PM | Times Cinema
Rose Curley: Director
Nora Burlo: Actor

 

PANELS

 

Keynote: State of Cinema

Sep. 27, Noon | Colectivo Prospect

Wesley Morris: 2012 Pulitzer Prize winner for Criticism; Film and Culture writer for Grantland.com

 

Working with Actors

Sep. 27, 2:30PM | Colectivo Prospect

Debra Granik: Writer, Director (Winter’s Bone, Stray Dog)

 

Mex-ciné: Mexican Filmmaking, Production, and Consumption in the 21st Century

Sep. 27, 5PM | Colectivo Prospect

Dr. Frederick Luis Aldama: Arts & Humanities Distinguished Professor, The Ohio State University

Memory & the Arts

Sep. 28, 5PM | Colectivo Prospect

Mary Louise Schumacher: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Nancy Armitage: Alzheimer’s Association of Southeastern Wisconsin

Dr. Anne Basting: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Diane Knight: Alverno College

 

After 1971: Media, Freedom of Information, and the Public’s Right to Know
Monday, Sep 29 | 12:15 PM | Eckstein Hall, Marquette University

Mike Gousha: Marquette University Law School

Daniel Bice: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Christa Westerberg: Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

Ben Wizner: American Civil Liberties Union

 

Pitch Us Your Doc! Contest

Saturday, Oct 4 | 12PM | Colectivo Prospect

Kim Nguyen: War Witch (MFF 2013 Competition Award Winner)

Michael Raisler: Cinereach, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Laurie Scheer: The Writer’s Advantage: A Toolkit for Mastering Your Genre (2014)

 

Film Financing Panel

Saturday, Oct 4 | 2:30PM | Colectivo Prospect

Tyler Measom: An Honest Liar
Jordana Mollick: Life Partners

 

MKE At Risk: Feeding Our Community
Saturday, Oct 4 | 5PM | Colectivo Prospect

Mitch Teich: WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio 89.7FM
Sharon Adams:  Walnut Way Conservation Corp.

Larry Adams: Walnut Way Conservation Corp.

Nicole Angresano: United Way of Greater Milwaukee

Dr. Jennifer Jordan: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Young Kim: Fondy Food Center

Sherrie Tussler: Hunger Task Force

 

JURORS

Herzfeld Competition Jury

David Fear, Rolling Stone

Theresa Scandiffio, Toronto International Film Festival

Mike Maggiore, Film Forum

 

Cream City Cinema Jury
Sam Adams, IndieWire

Justine Nagan, Kartemquin Films

Jim Brunzell III, Twin Cities Daily Planet

 

Shorter Is Better Jury

Dan Doody, Seattle International Film Festival

Jessica Farrell, Filmmaker

Spencer Gillis, Filmmaker

 

Rated K: For Kids Jury

Octavia Grimes

Piper Grimes

Quinn Hammerlund

Julian Singh

Anna Weiss

 

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.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.