Milwaukee Film Festival

  • Milwaukee Film Festival Announces 2013 Lineup; Opens with German Film BREAK UP MAN

    BREAK UP MAN (Schlussmacher)BREAK UP MAN (Schlussmacher)

    The Milwaukee Film Festival which runs September 26 – October 10, 2013, announced the entire film line-up of 240  films – 103 features and 137 shorts – from 44 different countries. The festival opens with the North American premiere of the German film BREAK UP MAN (Schlussmacher).  BREAK UP MAN tells the very funny tale of Paul Voigt, a charming and ambitious professional who works for a ‘relationship break-up’ agency. A master at delivering bad news to husbands and wives on behalf of partners lacking the courage to say ‘it’s all over’. Paul is on the verge of a big promotion and seems to be staring at nothing less than a fabulously successful future. That is until he meets Toto, a needy and neurotic client who decides to cling to cool-and-calm Paul for dear life. Before long it’s Paul who needs counseling as his work performance nosedives and his romance with stunner Natalie heads in a similar direction. 

    The complete 2013 Milwaukee Film Festival line-up: 

    SPOTLIGHT FILMS: 

    OPENING NIGHT FILM
    Break Up Man (Schlussmacher)

    (Germany / 2012 / Director: Matthias Schweighöfer)

    FESTIVAL CENTERPIECE
    Earth feat. live accompaniment from Altos
    (Ukraine / 1930 / Director: Aleksandr Dovzhenko)

    CLOSING NIGHT FILM
    Blood Brother
    (USA / 2012 / Director: Steve Hoover)

    After Tiller
    (USA / 2012 / Directors: Martha Shane, Lana Wilson)

    The Angels’ Share
    (United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Italy / 2012 / Director: Ken Loach)

    August: Osage County
    (USA / 2013 / Director: John Wells)

    Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Chiemi Karasawa)

    Free the Mind
    (Denmark, Finland / 2012 / Director: Phie Ambo) 

    The History of Future Folk
    (USA / 2012 / Director: J. Anderson Mitchell, Jeremy Kipp Walker)

    SOMM
    (USA / 2012 / Director: Jason Wise)

    TRIBUTES

    Notorious
    (USA / 2009 / Director: George Tillman, Jr.)

    The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete
    (USA / 2013 / Director: George Tillman, Jr.)

    Blow Out
    (USA / 1981 / Director: Brian De Palma)

    COMPETITION

    12 O’Clock Boys
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Lofty Nathan)

    The Act of Killing
    (Denmark, Norway, United Kingdom / 2012 / Director: Joshua Oppenheimer)

    Beyond the Hills (Dupa Dealuri)
    (Romania / 2012 / Director: Cristian Mungiu)

    The Crash Reel
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Lucy Walker)

    Post Tenebras Lux
    (Mexico, France, Germany, Netherlands / 2012 / Director: Carlos Reygadas)

    Stories We Tell
    (Canada / 2012 / Director: Sarah Polley)

    Upstream Color
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Shane Carruth)

    War Witch (Rebelle)
    (Canada / 2012 / Director: Kim Nguyen)
    PASSPORT: GERMANY

    Almanya, Welcome to Germany (Almanya – Willkommen in Deutschland)
    (Germany / 2011 / Director: Yasemin Samdereli)

    Hannah Arendt
    (Germany / 2012 / Director: Margarethe von Trotta)

    Lore
    (Australia, Germany, United Kingdom / 2012 / Director: Cate Shortland)

    Ludwig II
    (Germany / 2012 / Directors: Marie Noëlle, Peter Sehr)

    Oh Boy
    (Germany / 2012 / Director: Jan Ole Gerster)

    Oma & Bella
    (Germany / 2012 / Director: Alexa Karolinski)

    This Ain’t California
    (Germany / 2012 / Director: Marten Persiel)

    Wings of Desire
    (Germany / 1987 / Director: Wim Wenders)

    RATED K: FOR KIDS

    The Land Before Time
    (USA, Ireland / 1988 / Director: Don Bluth)

    Taking Chances (Patatje Oorlog)
    (Netherlands, Belgium / 2011 / Director: Nicole van Kilsdonk)

    Wolf Children (Okami Kodomo No Ame To Yuki)
    (Japan / 2012 / Director: Mamoru Hosoda)

    Zarafa
    (France, Belgium / 2012 / Directors: Rémi Bezançon, Jean-Christophe Lie)

    Kids Shorts: Size Small

    Aston’s Presents (Sweden / 2012 / Directors: Uzi Geffenblad, Lotta Geffenblad)

    Choir Tour (Latvia / 2012 / Director: Edmunds Jansons)

    Chopin’s Drawings (USA / 2011 / Director: Dorota Kobiela)

    Eskimal (Mexico / 2011 / Director: Homero Ramirez Tena)

    How Shammies Guessed (Latvia / 2012 / Director: Edmunds Jansons)

    Kitten’s First Full Moon (USA / 2011 / Director: Gary McGivney)

    Knuffle Bunny Free (USA / 2012 / Director: Karen Villarreal)

    The Little Bird and the Leaf (Switzerland / 2012 / Director: Lena Von Döhren)

    Mira’s Night (USA / 2011 / Director: Elyse Kelly)

    A Tangled Tale (USA / 2013 / Director: Corrie Francis Parks)

     

    Kids Shorts: Size Medium

    Big Mouth (Canada / 2012 / Director: Andrea Dorfman)

    Boris the Rat Dresses Warmly (Finland / 2012 / Directors: Kaisa Penttilä, Leena Jääskeläinen)

    Chinti (Russia / 2012 / Director: Natalia Mirzoyan)

    Colosse – A Wood Tale (USA / 2012 / Director: Yves Geleyn)

    The Fox and the Chickadee (Canada / 2012 / Director: Evan Derushie)

    Frog Weather (Germany / 2011 / Director: Pauline Kortmann)

    Jonah and the Crab (USA / 2012 / Director: Laurel Cohen)

    My First Spellbook (Scotland / 2011 / Director: Gavin Laing)

    Paulie (USA / 2012 / Director: Andrew Nackman)

    Shame and Glasses (Italy / 2013 / Director: Alessandro Riconda)

    Wing (Denmark / 2011 / Directors: Asger Grevil, Mette Vestergaard Madsen)

     

    Kids Shorts: Size Large

    Bot (USA / 2010 / Director: Mustafa Lazkani)

    Eyes on the Stars (USA / 2012 / Director: The Rauch Brothers)

    A Girl Named Elastika (Canada / 2012 / Director: Guillaume Blanchet)

    High Noon (Venezuela / 2013 / Director: Ivan Mazza)

    I’m Going to Mum’s (New Zealand / 2012 / Director: Lauren Jackson)

    Krake (Germany / 2012 / Director: Regina Welker)

    The Maiden and the Princess (USA / 2011 / Director: Ali Scher)

    Monster, Me (USA / 2013 / Director: Milt Klingensmith)

    Song of the Spindle (USA / 2011 / Director: Drew Christie)

    Sounds for Mazin (Netherlands / 2012 / Director: Ingrid Kamerling)

    Turning a Corner (USA / 2012 / Director: David B. Levy)

    CREAM CITY CINEMA

    Billy Club
    (USA / 2013 / Directors: Drew Rosas, Nick Sommer)

    Date America
    (USA / 2012 / Directors: Bob Murray, Amy Neuenschwander)

    The Milwaukee Show

    Before You (USA / 2013 / Director: Michael T. Vollmann)

    Begong Ava, Begong Hele (USA / 2013 / Director: Heather Hass)

    Cinders (USA / 2013 / Director: Andrew Gralton)

    The Glitch (USA / 2013 / Director: Zijian Yan)

    I Am (USA / 2013 / Director: Karim Raoul)

    Love You Still (USA / 2013 / Director: Michael Viers)

    Margaret Hue Would Like To Go To Mars. (USA / 2013 / Director: Anna Sampers)

    Pluto and the Vessel (USA / 2013 / Director: Harrison Browning)

    The Quiet City (USA / 2013 / Director: Brian McGuire)

    Spectacle! (USA / 2013 / Directors: Andrew Swant, WC Tank, Erik Ljung, Kurt Raether, Carol Brandt)

    USPS (USA / 2013 / Director: Jessica Farrell)

    Within A Stone’s Throw (USA / 2013 / Director: Cecelia Condit)

     

    The Milwaukee Youth Show

    Alexander Copenhagen and the Key of Destiny (USA / 2012 / Director: Thomas Fleischmann)

    Birth of a Dream (USA / 2013 / Director: Megan Sai Dogra)

    Copycat (USA / 2013 / Director: Hudson Miller)

    #DiseasesSpreadLikeRumors (USA / 2012 / Directors: Participants in Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee Programs)

    # DontBeAnOffenderToThoseWhoLove TheSameGender (USA / 2012 / Directors: Participants in Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee Programs)

    Flowers in Bloom (USA / 2013 / Director: Alejandra Salinas)

    # ForgetTheHumpIfYouDontWantTheB ump (USA / 2012 / Directors: Participants in Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee Programs)

    Generation Empowered: The Dream is Now (USA / 2013 / Director: LaTonya Matlock)

    How Geoffrey Broke His Glasses (USA / 2012 / Director: Jamie Mercado)

    In The Mind (USA / 2013 / Director: Brian Mercado)

    The Journey Home (USA / 2013 / Directors: Elizabeth Zingsheim, Mara Matovich)

    Night of the Beanie Babies (USA / 2013 / Directors: Josh Frank, Ryan Coenen)

    Pancakes (USA / 2013 / Director: Lauren Markey, Brian Ore)
    Phone Wars (USA / 2012 / Director: Holly Kraemer, Kevin Salgado)

    Poppin’ (USA / 2013 / Directors: Lauren Markey, Brian Ore)

    Spider Dog (USA / 2013 / Directors: Gabriella Avila, Alexia Justo)
    Sun Up,Sun Down (USA / 2013 / Director: Felicia McGowan)

    Toytonic (USA / 2013 / Directors: Students from Audubon Technology and Communication Center)

     

    Penelope
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Brad Lichtenstein)

    Sign Painters
    (USA / 2013 / Directors: Faythe Levine, Sam Macon)

    When the King Tilts
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Drew Britton)

    SOUND VISION

    Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Lily Keber)

    Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me
    (USA / 2012 / Director: Drew DeNicola)

    Brothers Hypnotic
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Reuben Atlas)

    Enzo Avitabile Music Life
    (Italy / 2012 / Director: Jonathan Demme)

    The Girls in the Band
    (USA / 2011 / Director: Judy Chaikin)

    Muscle Shoals
    (USA / 2012 / Director: Greg “Freddy” Camalier)

    Narco Cultura
    (USA / 2012 / Director: Shaul Schwarz)

    Stop Making Sense
    (USA / 1984 / Director: Jonathan Demme)

    CINEMA HOOLIGANTE

    100 Bloody Acres
    (Australia / 2012 / Directors: Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes)

    2001: A Space Odyssey
    (USA, United Kingdom / 1968 / Director: Stanley Kubrick)

    Enter the Dragon
    (USA, Hong Kong / 1973 / Director: Robert Clouse)

    Here Comes the Devil
    (Mexico / 2012 / Director: Adrián García Bogliano)

    The Rambler
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Calvin Lee Reeder)

    Sightseers
    (United Kingdom / 2012 / Director: Ben Wheatley)

    Vanishing Waves
    (Lithuania, France, Belgium / 2012 / Director: Kristina Buožyt)

    We Are What We Are
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Jim Mickle)

    SHORTER IS BETTER

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

    Total running time: 83 min

    The Apocalypse (USA / 2012 / Director: Andrew Zuchero)

    The Cub (USA / 2012 / Director: Riley Stearns)

    Flytopia (United Kingdom / 2012 / Director: Karni Arieli, Saul Freed)

    Hell No (USA / 2013 / Director: Joe Nicolosi)

    It’s Not You, It’s Me (USA / 2012 / Director: Matt Spicer)

    Oh Sheep! (Germany / 2012 / Director: Gottfried Mentor)

    Perfect Drug (Belgium / 2012 / Director: Toon Aerts)

    Sea Pig (USA / 2013 / Directors: Andrew Gilchrist, Jesse Allen)

    Swarming (Kuhina) (Finland / 2011 / Director: Joni Männistö)

     

    Shorts: Date Night

    Total running time: 95 min

    The Bird Spider (La Migala) (Spain / 2011 / Director: Jaime Dezcallar)

    CRUSH 472 (United Kingdom / 2013 / Director: Jess Scott-Hunter)

    The Date (Treffit) (Finland / 2012 / Director: Jenni Toivoniemi)

    Ellen Is Leaving (New Zealand / 2012 / Director: Michelle Savill)

    Routine (Rutina) (Spain / 2012 / Director: Ana Ortiz)

    Taboulé (Spain / 2011 / Director: Richard García)

    Ten Thousand Days (New Zealand / 2012 / Director: Michael Duignan)

    Tram (France, Czech Republic / 2012 / Director: Michaela Pavlátová)

    Undress Me (Ta Av Mig) (Sweden / 2013 / Director: Victor Lindgren)

     

    Shorts: Let’s Get Animated

    Total running time: 82 min

    Bird Food (Ireland / 2012 / Director: Richard Keane)

    Boles (Germany / 2013 / Director: Spela Cadez)

    I Am Tom Moody (United Kingdom / 2012 / Director: Ainslie Henderson)

    Irish Folk Furniture (Ireland / 2012 / Director: Tony Donoghue)

    Jonah (Tanzania, United Kingdom / 2012 / Director: Kibwe Tavares)

    Marcel, King of Tervuren (USA / 2012 / Director: Tom Schroeder)

    Oh Willy… (Belgium, France, Netherlands / 2012 / Directors: Marc James Roels, Emma De Swaef)

    Palmipedarium (France / 2012 / Director: Jérémy Clapin)


    Shorts: …Make Lemonade

    Total running time: 88 min

    All Souls’ Day (Swieto Zmarlych) (Poland / 2012 / Director: Aleksandra Terpińska)

    Fear of Flying (Ireland / 2012 / Director: Conor Finnegan)

    Keys. Wallet. Phone. (Germany / 2012 / Director: Juliet Lashinsky-Revene)

    Summer Vacation (Hofesh Gadol) (Israel / 2012 / Directors: Sharon Maymon, Tal Granit)

    Walking the Dogs (United Kingdom / 2012 / Director: Jeremy Brock)

     

    Shorts: Modern Families

    Total running time: 84 min

    Anna and Jerome (France / 2012 / Director: Melanie Delloye)

    Do I Have to Take Care of Everything? (Pitaako mun Kaikki Hoitaa?) (Finland / 2011 / Director: Selma Vihunen)

    Dotty (New Zealand / 2012 / Directors: Mick Andrews, Brett O’Gorman)

    F**k the Parents (USA / 2012 / Director: Ethan Kuperberg)

    Grandpa and Me and a Helicopter to Heaven (Morfar och jag och helikoptern till himlen) (Sweden / 2013 / Directors: Asa Blanck, Johan Palmgren)

    Mobile Homes (USA, France / 2013 / Director: Vladimir de Fontenay)

    Mud Crab (Australia / 2012 / Directors: Igor Coric, Sheldon Lieberman)

    My Favorite Picture of You (USA / 2013 / Directors: Dan Lindsay, T.J. Martin)

      

    Shorts: Obsession

    Total running time: 89 min

    Dumpy Goes to the Big Smoke (Australia / 2012 / Director: Mirrah Foulkes)

    Eating Lunch (Äta Lunch) (Sweden / 2012 / Director: Sanna Lenken)

    Georgena Terry (USA / 2012 / Director: Amanda Zackem)

    GUN (USA / 2012 / Director: Spencer Gillis)

    Peach Juice (Canada / 2012 / Directors: Callum Paterson, Nathan Gilliss, Brian Lye)

    The Roper (USA / 2012 / Directors: Ewan McNicol, Anna Sandilands)

    The Tuner (O Afinador) (Brazil / 2012 / Directors: Fernando Camargo, Matheus Parizi)

    Woody (Australia / 2013 / Director: Stuart Bowen)

    Shorts: Out of This World

    Total running time: 91 min

    The Captain (Australia, USA / 2013 / Directors: Nash Edgerton, Spencer Susser)

    Catnip: Egress to Oblivion? (USA / 2012 / Director: Jason Willis)

    Delicacy (USA / 2012 / Director: Jason Mann)

    Dust (United Kingdom / 2013 / Directors: Ben Ockrent, Jake Russell)

    Edmond Was a Donkey (Edmond Était un Âne) (Canada, France / 2012 / Director: Franck Dion)

    Hotel (Spain / 2012 / Director: Jose Luis Aleman)

    Record/Play (United Kingdom, Bosnia / 2012 / Director: Jesse Atlas)

    Shelved (New Zealand / 2011 / Director: James Cunningham)

    Ufologist (USA / 2012 / Directors: Ewan McNicol, Anna Sandilands)

    Shorts: Stranger Than Fiction

    Total running time: 102 min

    Eddie Adams: Saigon ‘68 (USA / 2012 / Director: Douglas Sloan)

    The Flogsta Roar (Flogstavrålet) (Sweden / 2013 / Director: Johan Palmgren)

    Mr. Christmas (USA / 2012 / Director: Nick Palmer)

    Pouters (United Kingdom / 2012 / Director: Paul Fegan)

    Unravel (United Kingdom, India / 2012 / Director: Meghna Gupta)

    Vladimir Putin In Deep Concentration (USA / 2013 / Directors: Dana O’Keefe, Sasha Kliment)

    We Will Live Again (USA / 2013 / Directors: Joshua Koury, Myles Kane)

     

    DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL FAVORITES

    American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Grace Lee)

    Band of Sisters
    (USA / 2012 / Director: Mary Fishman)

    Becoming Traviata
    (France / 2012 / Director: Philippe Béziat)

    Bound by Flesh
    (USA / 2012 / Director: Leslie Zemeckis)

    Breathing Earth
    (Germany, United Kingdom / 2012 / Director: Thomas Riedelsheimer)

    Citizen Koch
    (USA / 2012 / Directors: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin)

    Fatal Assistance (Assistance Mortelle)
    (France, Haiti, USA, Belgium / 2013 / Director: Raoul Peck)

    God Loves Uganda
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Roger Ross Williams)

    Google and the World Brain
    (Spain, United Kingdom / 2013 / Director: Ben Lewis)

    If You Build It
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Patrick Creadon)

    Informant
    (USA / 2012 / Director: Jamie Meltzer)

    The Institute
    (USA / 2012 / Director: Spencer McCall)

    Maidentrip
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Jillian Schlesinger)

    More Than Honey
    (Germany / 2012 / Director: Markus Imhoof)

    Mussels in Love
    (Netherlands, Belgium / 2012 / Director: Willemiek Kluijfhout)

    Pandora’s Promise
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Robert Stone)

    The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology
    (United Kingdom, Ireland / 2012 / Director: Sophie Fiennes)

    Remote Area Medical
    (USA / 2013 / Directors: Jeff Reichert, Farihah Zaman)

    Rising From Ashes
    (USA, Rwanda, United Kingdom, South Africa / 2012 / Director: T.C. Johnstone)

    Spinning Plates
    (USA / 2012 / Director: Joseph Levy)

    Unhung Hero
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Brian Spitz)

    Valentine Road
    (USA / 2012 / Director: Marta Cunningham)

    When I Walk
    (USA, Canada / 2013 / Director: Jason DaSilva)

    Which Way Is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington
    (USA / 2012 / Director: Sebastian Junger)

    FICTION FESTIVAL FAVORITES

    2+2 (Dos Más Dos)
    (Argentina / 2013 / Director: Diego Kaplan)

    Aayna Ka Bayna
    (India / 2012 / Director: Samit Kakkad)

    The Almost Man
    (Norway / 2012 / Director: Martin Lund)

    Blancanieves
    (Spain, France / 2012 / Director: Pablo Berger)

    The Broken Circle Breakdown
    (Belgium, Netherlands / 2012 / Director: Felix van Groeningen)

    Closed Curtain (Pardé)
    (Iran / 2013 / Directors: Jafar Panahi, Kamboziya Partovi)

    Drug War (Du Zhan)
    (Hong Kong / 2012 / Director: Johnnie To)

    Fanie Fourie’s Lobola
    (South Africa / 2013 / Director: Henk Pretorius)

    Finding Mr. Right
    (China, Hong Kong / 2013 / Director: Xue Xiaolu)

    A Hijacking (Kapringen)
    (Denmark / 2012 / Director: Tobias Lindholm)

    House With a Turret (Dom S Bashenkoy)
    (Ukraine / 2012 / Director: Eva Neymann)

    In The House (Dans La Maison)
    (France / 2012 / Director: François Ozon)

    Key of Life (Kagidorobou No Method)
    (Japan / 2012 / Director: Kenji Uchida)

    Laurence Anyways
    (Canada / 2012 / Director: Xavier Dolan)

    Northwest (Nordvest)
    (Denmark / 2013 / Director: Michael Noer)

    Once Upon a Time Veronica
    (Brazil, France / 2012 / Director: Marcelo Gomes)

    Paradise: Hope (Paradies: Hoffnung)
    (Germany / 2013 / Director: Ulrich Seidl)

    Picture Day
    (Canada / 2012 / Director: Kate Melville)

    The Pirogue (La Pirogue)
    (France, Senegal / 2012 / Director: Moussa Touré) 

    Reality
    (Italy, France / 2012 / Director: Matteo Garrone)

    Something in the Air (Après mai)
    (France / 2012 / Director: Olivier Assayas)

    Tanta Agua
    (Uruguay, Mexico, Netherlands, Germany / 2013 / Directors: Ana Guevara, Leticia Jorge)

    This is Martin Bonner
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Chad Hartigan)

    Zaytoun
    (United Kingdom, Israel, France / 2012 / Director: Eran Riklis) 

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  • Paul Attanasio and George Tillman Jr. among Milwaukee Film Festival 2013 Tributes

    Paul Attanasio and George Tillman Jr.Paul Attanasio and George Tillman Jr.

    Writer/producer Paul Attanasio (Quiz Show; Donnie Brasco; House, M.D.), writer/director/producer George Tillman Jr. (Soul Food, The Barbershop franchise, The Inevitable Defeat of Mr. and Pete), and brand-new online film site The Dissolve have been announced as the 2013 tributes for the The Milwaukee Film Festival. The 2013 Milwaukee Film Festival runs September 26 – October 10, 2013.

    These annual tributes celebrate the work of individuals who have contributed greatly to film culture through work in differing areas of the film world. Each tribute generally includes both a live appearance from the tribute’s subject(s), as well as a film curated by them for the Milwaukee Film Festival audience. Past honorees include Academy Award-winning director Alex Gibney (2012), Academy Award-winning actor Marin Landau (2009), and non-profit documentary powerhouse Kartemquin Films (2011). 

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  • Milwaukee Film Festival Announced Line-up for 2013 Rated K: For Kids Program

    Wolf Children by Mamoru HosodaWolf Children by Mamoru Hosoda

    The Milwaukee Film Festival announced the line-up for its Rated K: For Kids program, formerly known as the Milwaukee Children’s Film Festival. According to the festival, Rated K will continue to present the best international children’s films for ages 3-12 years. Rated K: For Kids will feature four feature-length films, including a 25th anniversary screening of children’s classic THE LAND BEFORE TIME, and three of “the best international features on the children’s film festival circuit.” Rated K also features three separate short film showcases, programmed for age-specific audiences: Size Small (ages 3+), Size Medium (ages 6+), and Size Large (ages 10+).

    RATED K: FOR KIDS LINE-UP:


    THE LAND BEFORE TIME
    (USA, Ireland / 1988 / Director: Don Bluth)

    Trailer
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZA41HbwPLs
    The plucky young Apatosaurus Littlefoot must find the life-supporting, plant-filled Great Valley after his homeland is destroyed by an earthquake and a frightening battle that leaves him orphaned. Along the way he’s joined by fellow dino-kids Cera, Petrie, Ducky and Spike, and these decidedly different species of dinosaurs learn the value of teamwork and diversity as they brave the dangerous journey toward a new beginning. This 35 mm screening provides the perfect chance for 20- to 30-somethings to revisit a childhood favorite (celebrating its 25th anniversary!) or to introduce its handmade charms (Don Bluth’s superb animation) to an entirely new generation.

    TAKING CHANCES
    (Netherlands, Belgium / 2011 / Director: Nicole van Kilsdonk)
    Trailer: n/a
    When Kiek, a spunky and fearless young lady often found astride her skateboard, learns her father is being sent to a war zone to deliver medical aid, she can’t help but worry. Sure, he’s not actually fighting in the war itself, but accidents happen, and Kiek feels she has to take measures in order to ensure his safety. Immersed in the logic of a child coping with the effects of war on her family, Taking Chances includes tense scenes surrounding potential deaths of a mouse and a family dog (much of which is done through cheeky animation), but it is perfect viewing for older, imaginative kids. Subtitles will not be read aloud.

    WOLF CHILDREN
    (Japan / 2012 / Director: Mamoru Hosoda)
    Trailer:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns8PWyfEz60
    The latest flight of fancy from Mamoru Hosoda ( Summer Wars), this English-dubbed anime tells the tale of Hana, a woman who falls in love and forms a unique family with a man able to shape-shift between man and wolf. Tragedy leads Hana to take her children to the Japanese countryside, all the better for two kids who frequently transform into woodland creatures. A lyrical, gentle tale of children learning to fit in despite their differences (even if theirs are furrier than most!), Hosoda’s tale of family ties is imbued with a natural wonder and sense of the fantastic impossible to resist.

    ZARAFA
    (France / 2012 / Directors: Rémi Bezançon, Jean-Christophe Lie)
    Trailer
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhSdlenkDEc

    Young Maki has escaped the grasp of evil slave-traders when he forms an unbreakable bond with the orphaned giraffe Zarafa. He’s swept up in a globe-trotting adventure in order to bring his beloved giraffe back home, meeting a female pirate and hot-air balloonist along the way. Based on the true story of the Paris Zoo’s first giraffe, Zarafa is a tale of bravery and loyalty that doesn’t shy away from engaging with dramatic historical issues such as racism and colonialism but whose positive message and sweet conclusion (not to mention gorgeous 2-D animation) will satisfy both adventurous and sensitive young viewers. Subtitles will be read aloud.

    Kids Shorts: Size Small
    This all-ages, all-animated lineup of short films is guaranteed to delight viewers young and old, with the final installment of Mo Willems’ Knuffle Bunny (MFF 2010) series and an adaptation of Madison-based Kevin Henkes’ Caldecott-winning story Kitten’s First Full Moon counted among its diverse animation styles. These colorful bursts of energy are perfect for the whole family. Subtitles will be read aloud.

    Aston’s Presents (Sweden / 2012 / Directors: Uzi Geffenblad, Lotta Geffenblad)
    Choir Tour (Latvia / 2012 / Director: Edmunds Jansons)
    Chopin’s Drawings (USA / 2011 / Director: Dorota Kobiela)
    Eskimal (Mexico / 2011 / Director: Homero Ramirez Tena)
    How Shammies Guessed (Latvia / 2012 / Director: Edmunds Jansons)
    Kitten’s First Full Moon (USA / 2011 / Director: Gary McGivney)
    Knuffle Bunny Free (USA / 2012 / Director: Karen Villarreal)
    The Little Bird and the Leaf (Switzerland / 2012 / Director: Lena Von Döhren)
    Mira’s Night (USA / 2011 / Director: Elyse Kelly)
    A Tangled Tale (USA / 2013 / Director: Corrie Francis Parks)

    Kids Shorts: Size Medium
    A mix of live-action and animation highlights the Size Medium program, packed with shorts celebrating the logic and wonder that can only be examined through a child’s perspective. Andrea Dorfman (MFF 2011) returns with her puppet stop-motion tale Big Mouth, one of many shorts that deal with common issues like bullying and taking care of the environment. Subtitles will be read aloud.

    Big Mouth (Canada / 2012 / Director: Andrea Dorfman)
    Boris the Rat Dresses Warmly (Finland / 2012 / Directors: Kaisa Penttilä, Leena Jääskeläinen)
    Chinti (Russia / 2012 / Director: Natalia Mirzoyan)
    Colosse – A Wood Tale (USA / 2012 / Director: Yves Geleyn)
    The Fox and the Chickadee (Canada / 2012 / Director: Evan Derushie)
    Frog Weather (Germany / 2011 / Director: Pauline Kortmann)
    Jonah and the Crab (USA / 2012 / Director: Laurel Cohen)
    My First Spellbook (Scotland / 2011 / Director: Gavin Laing)
    Paulie (USA / 2012 / Director: Andrew Nackman)
    Shame and Glasses (Italy / 2013 / Director: Alessandro Riconda)
    Wing (Denmark / 2011 / Directors: Asger Grevil, Mette Vestergaard Madsen)

    Kids Shorts: Size Large
    This batch of shorts for the older kids (10+) deals with social and historical issues such as divorce and racism, but with a hopeful, lighthearted touch — perhaps none more so than MFF favorites The Rauch Brothers returning with Eyes on the Stars, a tribute to the second African-American man to reach outer space, Ronald E. McNair. Subtitles will not be read aloud.

    Bot (USA / 2010 / Director: Mustafa Lazkani)
    Eyes on the Stars (USA / 2012 / Director: The Rauch Brothers)
    A Girl Named Elastika (Canada / 2012 / Director: Guillaume Blanchet)
    High Noon (Venezuela / 2013 / Director: Ivan Mazza)
    I’m Going to Mum’s (New Zealand / 2012 / Director: Lauren Jackson)
    Krake (Germany / 2012 / Director: Regina Welker)
    The Maiden and the Princess (USA / 2011 / Director: Ali Scher)
    Monster, Me (USA / 2013 / Director: Milt Klingensmith)
    Song of the Spindle (USA / 2011 / Director: Drew Christie)
    Sounds for Mazin (Netherlands / 2012 / Director: Ingrid Kamerling)
    Turning a Corner (USA / 2012 / Director: David B. Levy)

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  • 2011 Milwaukee Film Festival Award Winners

    [caption id="attachment_1677" align="alignnone" width="550"]Bibliotheque Pascal[/caption]

    The 3rd Annual Milwaukee Film Festival came to a close on Sunday, October 2nd, and handed out its awards to the top films. The Danish film Nothing’s All Bad took the top prize for fiction films and the documentary Somewhere Between by Linda Goldstein Knowlton took the top prize for documentary films.

    And the winners are:

    The Cream City Cinema award for local filmmaking was given to the short film “Don’t Go,” by Michael Hawkins-Burgos. Disco music propels this nonstop adventure, as a black cat chases a pink-bellied, one-eyed animated bunny around an apartment.

    The jury prize for documentary was awarded to “Somewhere Between,” by Linda Goldstein Knowlton. Welcomed into American families during the era of China’s one-child policy, four Asian girls grow up with “Sesame Street,” hip-hop and Twitto er at their fingertips. As transracial adoptees, they’ve integrated their parents’ ethnicities into their identities, but connecting with their own can be a struggle, especially amid the shock and drama of adolescence. Sharing a common need to make sense of their roots, the teens track down their birth parents, reach out to the orphanages where they once lived and move audiences to tears as they tackle tough questions about race, gender and self-acceptance.

    The jury prize for fiction was awarded to “Nothing’s All Bad,” by Mikkel Munch-Fals. Sex—or lack thereof—can make people do funny things. For the characters in this stylish Danish drama, desire and loneliness breed quirky adventures and unexpected outcomes. Longing for connection in her increasingly isolated world, a retiree has a one-night stand, then wrestles with the aftermath. A beautiful cancer patient copes with losing a breast, wondering how she’ll ever feel normal again. Young and gorgeous but low on cash, Jonas discovers how sex equals currency as his dad explores its power to shock and awe. A visually striking debut from Mikkel Munch-Fals, this film shines by weaving together these four stories with strong threads of humor and pathos.

    The prize for cinematography was awarded to “Bibliotheque Pascal,” byAndras Nagy. Pinnochio doesn’t contain S&M scenes, except at Bibliothèque Pascal, a brothel where wealthy clients act out brutal fantasies with literature’s most famous characters. Mona, a beautiful Hungarian puppeteer, gets swept into the maelstrom of sex and violence, leaving her little girl in safekeeping at a relative’s house. Before long, the child-welfare agency seizes the child, demanding answers. Mona shares her story, which grows more colorful by the minute as magical fantasies collide with harsh realities. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Szabolcs Hajdu (White Palms), this bold and dazzling vision reminiscent of Terry Gilliam has emerged as a film festival favorite around the world.


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  • Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig Donates To Milwaukee Film Festival + 2011 Dates Announced

    The Milwaukee Film Festival made two big announcements this week. First Baseball Commission Allan H. (Bud) Selig and wife Suzanne L. Selig renewed their support of the festival for another three years, totaling $400,000, including $100,000 in 2011 and increasing to $150,000 in both 2012 and 2013. The Selig family was one of the first major supporters of the festival in 2008, committing $100,000 for each of the 2009 and 2010 festivals.

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