2025 Films: Hip Hop is a Home

Hip Hop is a Home by Jherrisha Barr

Chicago (Milwaukee Premiere)

Running Time: 8 minutes
Documentary

Tickets

Friday, September 5th 8:15PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

A short film showcasing the inter-generational power of music to build bonds, create community, and heal.

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Director Bio:

As a filmmaker, I want to shine a positive light on my community. Where I live in Chicago, we have few true role models making it easy to become "a product of your environment." My films are a reminder to every Black boy or girl that you do not have to follow in the footsteps of those around you to fit in. Being different is liberating! My hope is to continue to blend film with music to release negativity and create beauty and inspiration for myself and others.

Director Statement:

As an artist and musician, I have witnessed how hip hop keeps our community together. I have felt its power to heal and believe it will continue to spark inspiration and positivity in generations to come. I made this film as a reminder to fellow artists and musicians that we hold great power in influencing our own inner landscapes and the world around us.

2025 Films: Family Business

Family Business by Jacob Lefeber
Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)

Running Time: 12 minutes
Drama/ Crime

Tickets

Friday, September 5th 8:15PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

Hugh, an arrogant 17-year-old enters into the world of crime in order to provide for his family. On his first day on the job, he discovers an incredible secret that will change his mindset about what really matters to him.

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Director Bio:

Coming soon.

2025 Films: Unrest

Unrest by Patrick Stagg
Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)

Running Time: 10 minutes
Drama/ Horror

Tickets

Saturday, September 6th 7PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

A young woman mourns the loss of her mother but takes a turn for the worst when a relaxing drug induced trip goes bad.

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Director Bio:

I’m a self-taught Wisconsin based independent filmmaker. I’ve been shooting films for as long as I can remember. I’m a life long fan of the horror genre and have routed myself in it to tell my stories. In my older years, I’ve been able to cultivate an amazing team that has a synchronized goal. We strive to entertain (or scare) film audiences all around the world.

2025 Films: Ten

Ten by Beah Travis
Chicago, Ill (Wisconsin Premiere)

Running Time: 10 minutes
Drama

Tickets

Saturday, September 6th 7PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

The anxiety of growing up threatens a young girl's world.

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Website

Director Bio:

Beah Travis is a director and producer working across film, television, and advertising. Beah started their career working in film and television in New York City, primarily on the Emmy-award-winning series A CRIME TO REMEMBER. In 2017, Beah began writing their feature film script BELLADONNA. The project recently completed a year-long development lab with the Chicago International Film Festival and was part of five projects that pitched at the festival's Industry Days.

Beah's 2020 short film WAY UPSTATE premiered at the Wisconsin Film Festival and won best cinematography at the Midwest Film Awards. Beah's most recent short TEN is currently being submitted to festivals.

In 2022, Beah launched the Belladonna Film Project, a nonprofit focused on producing regional independent film projects and providing accessible arts experiences in the Midwest. The organization has been holding monthly filmmaker meet-ups, organizing screening events, and providing production support for a number of short films. Beah is currently based in Chicago and works as a Senior Post Producer at FCB.

2025 Films: Coffee, Black

Coffee, Black by Bobby Schmidt
Reno, NV (Wisconsin Premiere)

Running Time: 11 minutes
Drama/ Thriller

Tickets

Friday, September 5th 6PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

Aubrey is a young woman in a troubled situation. At a diner, late at night, she meets Neale - an eccentric gender-bending character with an interesting offer.

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2025 Films: Gargalo (Bottleneck)

Gargalo (Bottleneck) by Carlos Segundo & Anna Zêpa

Brazil (Wisconsin Premiere)

Running Time: 16 minutes
Drama

Tickets

Friday, September 5th 6PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

Janaina is tired, and that can be scary.

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Instagram

2025 Films: Videotape

Videotape by Peter Thomson
Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)

Running Time: 5 minutes
Drama/ Romance

Tickets

Friday, September 5th 8:15PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

"Videotape" is a couples dance through time from the lens of their camcorder. As we pass through experienced visuals, we piece together our memory, and reminisce on a story of the past.

2025 Films: Study Hall

Study Hall by Georgia Elise Didier

Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)

Running Time: 8 minutes
Comedy

Tickets

Friday, September 5th 6PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

After sitting down for study hall, a student sadly can’t find their earbuds. Quickly hearing every sound that accompanies the class period, they must attempt to overcome 45 minutes of pure torture void of any noise cancellation.

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2025 Films: Fabric of Reality

Fabric of Reality by Brennan Kirby

Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)

Running Time: 11 minutes
Comedy

Tickets

Friday, September 5th 8:15PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

A husband and father with a spiraling addiction is confronted by his kith and kin alongside an interventionist.

2025 Films: The Treachery of Images (of Dogs)

The Treachery of Images (of Dogs) by David Boffa

Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)

Running Time: 10 minutes
Documentary

Tickets

Friday, September 5th 6PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

A short documentary about our relationship to the photographic image—told entirely through images of dogs.

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2025 Films: Girls Will Be Girls

Girls Will Be Girls by Isabel Steuble-Johnson
London (Wisconsin Premiere)

Running Time: 10 minutes
Comedy

Tickets

Friday, September 5th 6PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

When two young aristocrats stumble upon a maid being assaulted, they "save the day" by killing the perpetrator. As the trio transport him to the woods to dispose of the body it turns out it's an average day and each female plays their part.

2025 Films: To: Tillie

To: Tillie by Prisca Elzen

Wisconsin

Running Time: 6 minutes
Sci-Fi

Tickets

Friday, September 5th 8:15PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

A motivational speaker is gifted an anonymous journal that sends her hurtling through time. As its pages reveal unsettling details about her past and future, she discovers the journal belongs to her stalker. Faced with a chance to rewrite her fate, she makes a different choice. But fate, like obsession, isn’t so easily outrun.

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2025 Films: Three Chicken Dinners

Three Chicken Dinners by Ethan Kulinski

Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)

Running Time: 10 minutes
Comedy

Tickets

Friday, September 5th 8:15PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

Grayson, a young film production assistant from the city, has been tasked with getting food for set from a small-town Wisconsin dive bar. Facing pressures to perform on his first day of the job, he struggles to please the obstinate locals that view him as an ill-intentioned outsider.

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2025 Films: Meister der Scheisse

Meister der Scheisse by Anthony Wood
Wisconsin

Running Time: 10 minutes
Animation/ Comedy

Tickets

Saturday, September 6th 4:15PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

An animated German expressionist retelling of the origin story an infamous, historic buffoon.

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2025 Films: Keepers

Keepers by Aliya Surti

Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)

Running Time: 10 minutes
Documentary

Tickets

Saturday, September 6th 4:15PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

Three zookeepers share their stories and experience from working in an AZA accredited zoo.

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2025 Films: Marie

Marie by Kim Reese
Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee Premiere)

Running Time: 13 minutes
Documentary

Tickets

Saturday, September 6th 4:15PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

What does girlhood mean to some? Ages 7 to 63 share their experiences with being or not being a girl, from the connections it brings to the emotions it captures. Taking a deep look at girlhood and gender, Marie explores everything.

Website

2025 Films: Daniel Needs To Leave

Daniel Needs To Leave by Craig Anthony Knitt
Marion, WI (World Premiere)

Running Time: 11 minutes
Comedy

Tickets

Saturday, September 6th 4:15PM
Avalon Atmospheric Theater
2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

Daniel needs to leave a Wisconsin house party. Simple enough—until it isn’t. Every step toward the door is stalled by well-meaning friends, beer-fueled banter, cheese curds, Kringle, impersonations, and the ever-repeating promise: “Pizza’s coming.” What begins as a polite Wisconsin farewell spirals into a surreal, slow-burning nightmare—equal parts funny, uncomfortable, and oddly familiar.

Shot in long, fluid takes on an iPhone 15, Daniel Needs To Leave is a genre-bending short that slips from comedy to horror and back again. It's a playful yet unsettling reflection on the social anxiety of leaving, the weight of politeness, and the strange purgatory of Wisconsin goodbyes.

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2025 Films: 25 Movements

25 Movements by Mari Watson Walker
Los Angeles (Wisconsin Premiere)

Running Time: 5 minutes

Documentary/ Experimental

Tickets

Friday, September 5th 6PM

Avalon Atmospheric Theater

2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

A celebration of Eadweard Muybridge's pioneering photographic studies of motion.

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Director's Bio:

Mari Walker is an award-winning director, writer, and editor. The films she has worked on have screened at over 300 film festivals, including Sundance, SXSW, Frameline, and Outfest.

Her work explores identity through multiple forms and genres, championing the shared humanity of others through stories that promote empathy and equality.

Mari’s film The Soul of a Tree won Best Short Documentary at the 2016 Kerry Film Festival. Swim, her first narrative short, won an Audience Award at the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival.

Director Statement

I've always dreamed of paying homage to Eadweard Muybridge. While in post-production on various projects, I started working on this experimental documentary. I wondered what Muybridge's images would look like when put into a stop-motion sequence, and then once I started building the short out, I thought all the photos could be strung out to create the notion of a filmstrip.

Dialogue-free, 25 Movements celebrates some of the first "filmed images," whose technical style of photograph-taking influenced cinema from its foundations all the way to The Wachowski's The Matrix bullet time shot.

2025 Films: Jilly & Juno

Jilly & Juno by Casey Blackwood

Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)

Running Time: 6 minutes
Animation/ Drama

Tickets

Saturday, September 6th 4:15PM

Avalon Atmospheric Theater

2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

On a futuristic oil rig, two sisters are separated while exploring and must find their way back to each other.

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Director's Bio:

Casey Blackwood is an animator from the Midwest hoping to find work in the visual media industry, and the Art Director of Jilly & Juno. When I'm not drawing, I'm usually either playing video games, playing D&D, or hiking. My favorite part about what I do is getting to make people smile.

2025 Voices Heard Film: Break Free

Break Free by Demetrius Truss
Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)
Running Time: 10 minutes

Drama 

Tickets

Saturday, September 6th 1PM

Avalon Atmospheric Theater

2473 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

Through his journey, Randy discovers that confronting the dark corners of his mind requires unwavering honesty and self-awareness. By finally acknowledging he needs to see a therapist to help him overcome these inner demons, so he can finally shatter the chains binding him mentally.

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