2015 Judge: Craig A. Knitt

Craig A. Knitt is an award winning artist, filmmaker, teacher, performer, writer and creator who is current employment has him engaged in an exciting educational endeavor that is part of a national Arts-based pilot between the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Wallace Foundation. The past three years Craig has been a volunteer for the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival where he's gotten the chance to se the festival from behind the scenes. He is also one of the founders of the Wildwood Film Festival, a festival dedicated to Wisconsin film talent. 

When Craig is not busy teaching visual art to the young artists of Green Bay he is busy creating film projects or performing Improvisational Comedy with ComedyCity - DePere and DinnerTime Comedy. He has many short and feature length concepts in the works and he hopes to develop a TV series that will be completely created using the resources of our fine state.

2015 Judge: Kathy Fehl

Kathy Fehl

She worked in New York during the eighties and half the nineties, writing and directing plays. Fourteen of her plays were produced in small theaters. She directed new works by John Ford Noonan, John Patrick Shanley, Katharine Houghton, and produced a play written and directed by John Sayles. She also directed classics including Brecht, Strindberg, Beckett, Joyce and Shakespeare. Kathy started an outdoor theater at the 79th Street Boat Basin, on the West side of Manhattan. The site looked out through arches at the Hudson River. 

Along with Ian Teal, Kathy wrote, directed and produced a feature film, Mint Julep (mintjulepmovie.com), featuring Angelica Page (Torn), David Morse, John Mezzacappa, Susan Aston and James Gandolfini. This was shot in North Carolina and New York, and edited in Wisconsin. In 2007 Fehl & Teal started Wega Arts and bought and began renovating the Gerold Opera House in Weyauwega, WI. The organization, at wegaarts.org, is dedicated to developing new material in theater and film.

VOICES HEARD 2015: Death After Life

Death After Life by Rubin Whitmore II

Milwaukee 
Running Time: 10 minutes
Screening Time: Friiday, Sept 11th 8:30pm 
Race Drama/ Urban

Synopsis to follow.

Director's Bio:

Rubin was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is a self-acknowledged public school kid. As an award winning filmmaker with over one hundred film projects, ranging from feature length documentaries to short format music videos. He grew up straddling the urban/suburban diversity of Milwaukee’s deep northwest side, which by the age of 13 inspired him to create a bunch of video shorts in various genres from suspense to westerns and sci-fi. Rubin believes in artistic freedom and shuns imposed censorship yet believes that media holds significant influence over the minds of many and hopes to encourage people to pursue their aspirations in media while molding media more responsibly. Active in the community he regularly works with at risk youth and the future mediamakers of tomorrow. While Rubin actively makes media, he is also is a media instructor and is completing his Masters of Fine Art in Digital Cinema at National University in California. If you ask him what he really does for a living he often says, raising his daughter, Nile.

VOICES HEARD 2015: Grass Between My Lips

Grass Between My Lips by Amardeep Kaleka

Milwaukee (MKE Premiere)
Running Time: 30 minutes
Screening Time: Friday, Sept 11th 8:30pm 
African/ Rural/ Young Adult 

More info to follow.

VOICES HEARD 2015: D for Dezire

D for Dezire by Bonnie Janelle

Milwaukee (MKE Premiere)
Running Time: 8 minutes
Screening Time: Friiday, Sept 11th 8:30pm 
Drama/ Adult/Urban

Dezire is a young man who learns early how to channel his energy in a positive manner by self teaching him self how to play drums and going against the rhythm of hearing his mother getting abused by his father.

Website

Director's Bio:

Bonnie Janelle is a storyteller, telling your story her way. She was born in Philadelphia Pa and relocated to Milwaukee at an early age with her mother and two sisters. She soon discovered her love to use her imagination and create stories that made friends and family often ask for any new projects. The stories that she began to write were those of the many individuals she came into contact with on a daily basis. Winning a writing contest in Grade school led her to continue writing, which eventually made her want to write a screenplay. Bonnie embraces the essence of women and men who choose not to or cannot tell their story. Everyone has a story to tell and Bonnie Janelle loves to share the stories of those that do not have a voice.

VOICES HEARD 2015: Spare Change

Spare Change by Kenny Lawrence

Milwaukee (World Premiere)
Running Time: 10 minutes
Screening Time: Friiday, Sept 11th 8:30pm 
 Drama/ Adult/Urban

A seemingly privileged and out of place woman finds herself in need of protection by and from the very people she looks down upon daily. As she encounters a host of sketchy characters who seem to recognize her, Kathy-Autumn (Ty Love) grows increasingly frightened by her current situation and lack of memory around who and where she is and why. Struggling to regain her memory, a down on his luck “bum”, Sonny, (Kirk Housey) kindly provides Kathy-Autumn much needed refuge and friendship. While sharing his own life story, Sonny helps Kathy-Autumn recover some of her memories and also see how easily she too could be in the same place as Sonny. The next morning, Kathy-Autumn awakens in the comforts of her living room, hung over and confused. Was it all just a nightmare or did she somehow spend the evening with Sonny learning not to judge a book by its cover?

IMDb

Twitter

Website

Director's Bio: 

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Ken Lawrence grew up with a deep interest in film. At just 10 years old, he begged his single mother for a kid’s version of the Super 8 Camera for Christmas, and although it took everything she had, she supported her son’s dreams. Ken began filming his own shows with friends; turning every day into a drama, every funny moment into a comedy series. Years later, Ken joined the Plastering/Cement Masons Union to support his family but never forgot about his dreams. The failed economy brought Ken back to film. He is currently studying Motion Picture & Television at The Academy of Art University, has joined several local film groups, and works on a variety of local commercials and events throughout Wisconsin. Ken is also currently working on two web series’ and continues to write and turn his life into future films.

VOICES HEARD 2015: Redemption

Redemption by Jezse Galan

Milwaukee (World Premiere)
Running Time: 22 minutes
Screening Time: Friiday, Sept 11th 8:30pm 
Crime Drama/ Latino/Urban

7 years later Danny, a 25 yr old ex-con, is back at his old stomping grounds. Thanks to his best friend Chavo, he quickly finds that everything isn’t what it used to be. People have changed, some for better and some for worse. However, being back makes Danny struggle to keep from his old ways. But can he stay committed to change before someone makes a decision for him?



Director's Bio:
Jezse Galan has always had a passion for film. As a young boy, watching films like David Finch’s “Dune”or Ridley Scott’s “Alien” and Tim Burton’s “Batman” captivated his imagination and wanted to become a visual storyteller.

"I think film is first and foremost entertainment. But, all forms of entertainment throughout history have always produce works that last and transcend the concept of entertainment." - Christopher Nolan