2018 Voices Heard: An Inconvenient Finis

An Inconvenient Finis by J. Anthony Ramos
Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)
Running Time: 11 minutes
Screening Time: Friday, Sept 7th 9pm
Drama/Latino. 

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Sitting alone on a bench along the shore, a contemplating Henry is soon joined by a younger, silent Stranger, whom he proceeds to speak to about new methods vs old and timing vs death.


Director's Bio:

J. Anthony Ramos (known to everyone as "Tony") was born and raised in Southeastern Wisconsin. He's been an actor, but now finds himself writing and directing. His favorite genre is Science Fiction, but would like to write, direct, and collaborate on films of all kinds and genres, for many years to come.







Director's Statement:
"An Inconvenient Finis" was born off an observation I made one afternoon with my mom and uncle, both of them in their late seventies now. Their lack of use and inability to manipulate newer technology and the sadness on their faces upon hearing news of yet another friend passing on, inspired this film, along with my love for Westerns. I hope you enjoy it.

2018 Voices Heard: Crash

Crash by Yinan Wang
Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)
Running Time: 8 minutes
Screening Time: Friday, Sept 7th 9pm 
Drama/Asian 
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One night, after Alex’s company is taken away by Young, the best friend, and co-owner, Alex dialed Young’s number and was told Young is having dinner with his wife. Alex is overwhelmed and driven crazy. He refused to sign the letter of assignment and decided to end up his life in a car accident. However, he didn’t get what he wanted.

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Director's Bio:

Yinan Wang, documentary photographer and film maker, was born in Beijing. His works document minorities who live in China, and America. 

Beginning as a cinematographer, Yinan worked on the films, Kalagutage and Salt Well Naxi People which document the day to day lives and cultures of Indigenous peoples of China. In his work for these films, he undertook multiple trips to Yunnan, Tibet, and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. 

After years of frontline filmmaking, Yinan returned to school and studied Film, Video, Animation and New Genre at University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. In school period, he learned and explored different forms of art, and finished his first feature documentary Yen Ching with the help of Professor Dick Blau and Professor Cecelia Condit. Now he is working on a documentary film about his mom and grandfather he had never met.

2018 Films: Table for Two

Table for Two by Breanne Brennan
Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)
Running Time: 2 minutes
Screening Time: Saturday September 8th 4:30pm
Romance/Women 
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The evening is intimate and magical. A couple shares a special date.



Director's Bio:

Breanne Brennan is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a B.A. in Radio-TV-Film, and Theatre. She is currently Video Editor and Media Specialist at Healthcare Business Insights.

2018 Films: Goldblooded

Goldblooded by Tom Botchii Skowronksi
Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)
Running Time: 10 minutes
Screening Time: Friday September 7th 6:45pm JURIED
Thriller/Crime Drama/Economic Crisis
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A homeless drifter with traces of pure gold in his blood, accidentally unleashes his secret while experimenting with extraction methods and everyone wants in on the fortune.

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Press

IMDb

Director Bio:

Tom Botchii Skowronski is an award winning director specializing in dark, psychological thrillers that center around violent, personal stories. He believes in attaching heavy self experience into each story he tells. Raised as part of the only immigrant family in a small town, his very different upbringing lead to escapism through creativity.

He currently lives in Los Angeles surrounded by broken dreams.

Director Statement:

Goldblooded is really a study about greed. We’re always fighting over something – If it’s not money, it’s oil, if it’s not oil, it’s water – well, why not blood? When Sam approached me with the idea it really lined up with the type of intensity I wanted to bring into a story. It’s a thriller, with some nods to the dark film noir realm. The main center piece being; if we knew we have discovered the ultimate goldmine, what would we do to protect it? And for that matter, what would others do to take it? This short is our proof of concept for a feature that expands this idea into a much larger platform. It’s also another way to make something aesthetically pleasing, that’s not meant to be.

2018 Films: Super Dad!

Super Dad! by Maria Pretzl
Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)
Running Time: 11 minutes
Screening Time: Friday September 7th 6:45, Juried
Comedy/Drama/Super Hero/Women

All Toby wanted was one normal day. Turns proves to be too much to ask for when your dad is Captain Chaos, the super villain of Milwaukee!

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Director Bio:

Maria Pretzl is a writer/director based in Milwaukee, WI. She earned her BFA in Film and Video Production and BA in Theatre Studies from UW-Milwaukee in 2014 and has taken classes under Will Dunne at Chicago Dramatists in 2015 and 2016. In March 2015 she co-founded Traveling Lemur Productions, LLC with partner Nathaniel Schardin where they have become the go-to company for local theatre companies and other arts-based organizations that want quality videos and photography. Other credits include, Film: RICHARD II (director/writer/producer), CINDERELLA, THE FIRST 30,000 YEARS (director/videographer/editor). Theatre: SHE KILLS MONSTERS (Director, Village Playhouse), SUPER DAD! (Playwright, Chicago Dramatists), SONGS OF LOVE: A THEATRICAL MIXTAPE (Director, World’s Stage Theatre). Maria currently resides in Milwaukee, WI.



Director Statement:

Growing up, I loved super hero cartoons (X-Men is still one of my favorites). But there was one detail that bugged me. Audiences would see the hero catch the bad guy, the bad guy would get locked up, but in a week or two, they'd be back on the street! Most times without a jailbreak-like episode or any other explanation! SUPER DAD! was partially inspired by that, and what these villains could be doing in between their bouts of wreaking havoc on their city.

2017 Award Winning Films

We want to thank those filmmakers who sent us their films this year, it was another record breaking season. We normally get around 500 films, but this year we greatly surpassed that with 803 films. More filmmakers are seeking us out, and more local filmmakers are returning to us to enter their work.

We also want to thank our judges, Susan Kerns, Carey Borth, Audrey Nowakowski, Jamal Currie, Van Campbell II and Nelson Oliveras. It wasn't an easy job scoring so many wonderful films.

It was also an amazing year at our new home Foxbay Cinema Grill, they made us feel welcome there and we again had shows filled to capacity, or sold out. It was great to see all these films screened on a big screen.  

See you next year!

 

The Milwaukee Short Film Festival returns for 19th year!

(Milwaukee) The 19th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival, named "Best Local Festival" by Moviemaker Magazine returns September 8th and 9th at Fox Bay Cinema Grill. Come celebrate the very best in local filmmaking, filmmaker diversity and the great works of women in film at this year's event.

This year's festival focus is on diversity and women in film making, featuring fourteen films directed by women, including the directorial debut of Caitlin FitzGerald (Masters of Sex and Gossip Girl) with her film, Mrs. Drake. Anticipated festival favorites include Johanna Nyberg's dark Comedians, Carrie Finklea's (Elephant) A Fish Story plus a strong showing by local filmmakers such as Elizabeth Wadium's Selva Obscura, Moriah Bame's Flambé and Mary K Omelina's A Woman Apart.

The event kicks off a batch of Juried films including James Roufus' In America: Red, White & Blood,   Hasan Can Dagli's The Black Ring, Teemu Nikki' The Log and previous "Best Director" winner Michael Viers returns with the horror film, Do You Love Me? Also, Twisted Dreams Festival Directors, Stephen Milek and Christopher House will be honored for her contributions to local filmmaking with the "Pace-setter Award" on September 8th.

The Milwaukee Short Film Festival also celebrates diversity in filmmaking with the third year of "Voices Heard", the only film event in Milwaukee spotlighting the work of local multi-cultural filmmakers. The wildly successful program returns this year to screen nine films from talented local, multi-cultural filmmakers on September 8th at 9:00 PM. Those films include returning filmmaker, Danny Villanueva Jr's Don't Cry Papa, two time audience favorite Ken Lawrence with two films, Hard Life and Twenty Segregation Street, Immanuel Baldwin's Till Death Do Us Part, and amazing new rising young filmmakers, Klifford Barkus' Midwest Problems, Micah Martin's Every Black Boy Wants To Be Loved , Ricardo Tenorio's Natural Horror, Francisco C. Torres' Every Moment and Paulina Bugembe's The Homecoming. Actress Anieya Walker hosts this can't miss event.

Diversity is celebrated throughout the festival with Rule of Threes by T.L. Quach, Emmanuil Morari's The Coldest Game, Jacob Young's We All Bleed Red, a documentary about the 2012 Sikh Temple shooting and other films like Inside Out by Vonnie Quest, a story about a young African American man turning to boxing in order to find a way out.  Plus the Milwaukee Short Film Festival screens the largest line up of local films of any other event in Milwaukee, with 36 films spread over the two day festival run. And that is our goal, to give the largest representation of local talent you'll ever see in this city.  Local works include Carter Green's Roar, Zachary Krueger's The Woodsman, Kristin Peterson's @Me, and Spencer Ortega's Recycle, the previously mentioned, Flambé by Moriah Bame, Pinhole by Elliot Hatch,  Sleep Aid by Brian Klewin, and Reclaimer by Parker Gayan.  All are works from aspiring local filmmakers.

Judging this year's festival are the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Chicago Feminist Film Festival, Susan Kerns, Lake Effect producer, Audrey Nowakowski, local filmmaker Nelson Oliveras, Entertainment Lawyer and film producer, Carey Borth, Associate Professor of Art at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Jamál Currie, and multiple award winning filmmaker, Van Campbell II. Awards will be given out during the two day event.


Juried films screen Friday September 8th at 6:45pm and Saturday September 9th at 9pm. Voices Heard screens September 8th at 9pm, with additional films screening Saturday at 4:30pm and 6:45pm.

For more information on the films themselves please go to our website, click on each title or image.
http://www.milwaukeeindependentfilmsociety.org/

Tickets info can be found here:
http://mkeshortfest.blogspot.com/2017/07/advanced-tickets-for-19th-annual.html Tickets at the door are on an available basis – seating may be limited. The Fox Bay Cinema Grill is at 334 E. Silver Spring Drive, Whitefish Bay, WI.

Ross Bigley
Milwaukee Short Film Festival founder/co-director