An unforgettable Jerry Lewis slapstick comedy. A meta documentary about film collectors. A movie about houseplants. And those are just the films playing on Saturday, April 6.
It doesn’t matter if you’re the type to wait in line at the UW Cinematheque every weekend or haven’t been to a movie theater since the last “Avengers”. There’s truly something for everyone at the Wisconsin Film Festival, which runs April 4-11 in locations around the city.
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“We scour the globe looking for all the best movies we could bring to Wisconsin,” says Mike King, the festival’s artistic director. For the last year, King and a team of dedicated film-lovers have curated a program that’s as eclectic as it is entertaining.
There are films from around the world and many made right here in Wisconsin. “We’re bringing filmmakers from Europe who’ve probably never even heard of Madison,” says King. There are tiny documentaries and stop motion animated features. There’s black and white period drama and psychedelic dream horror (okay, the last one might be made up).
The result is a program that’s tailored to every taste bud of the Madison palate. So whether you’re looking for looking for a low-effort weekend plan or want to watch something that will make you want to sit in a room contemplating life for a few days afterwards, consider picking up some tickets.
In this documentary, an amusement park accident brings a Swedish woman together with her deceased sister’s doppelganger. From there, questions about the sister’s death threaten to tear a family apart. Apr. 5, 4:15 p.m., Bartell Theatre; Apr. 10, 12:45 p.m., Flix Brewhouse Cinema 2
A harrowing journey through the Sahara — in the hopes of pop stardom in Europe — threatens the lives of youthful African migrants. King calls this film one of a few can’t-miss showings at the festival, from “one of the great Italian filmmakers,” Matteo Garrone. It’s also one of five films nominated for Best International Film at this year’s Oscars. Apr. 4, 7 p.m., Barrymore Theatre
Cultures clash on a sugar plantation in Indonesia when a Dutch widow and her son discover they’ve been cheated out of their inheritance. Bosnian-Dutch filmmaker Ena Sendijarević delivers a shocking tale of the relationship between indigenous people and colonizers. Apr. 6, 3:45 p.m., The Marquee at Union South
Io Capitano
Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Film Festival
What does it really mean to share a space with a living, growing creature that never speaks? Filmmaker Jesse McLean sets out to answer that question in this experimental documentary, which will be shown alongside a tiny 16mm film of Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior. Apr. 6, 1:30 p.m., Chazen Museum of Art
Hummingbirds are the stars of this nature documentary, which follows the “self-appointed saint of hummingbirds,” Terry Masear, as she nurses injured cases of the miniscule birds — which strangers bring to her door — back to health. Apr. 6, 11 a.m., Barrymore Theatre
Oldedalen is a Norwegian river valley with breathtaking scenery to match its Tolkien-esque name. This documentary follows a couple who call the valley home, featuring moving camerawork to rival a visit to a National Park. This is a film that demands to be seen on the huge screen. Apr. 7, 11 a.m., Barrymore Theatre
A modern restoration from the original 35mm negatives brings modern life to this 1971 indie hit. Celebrated by Roger Ebert and selected as the New York Times film critic Ben Kenigsberg’s “Critic’s Choice,” the film follows Gabriel, a youthful Nigerian struggling to navigate the lively cultural scene of behind schedule ‘60s San Francisco. Apr. 7, 4:15 p.m., UW Cinematheque; Apr. 10, 12:30 p.m., Flix Brewhouse Cinema 7
Another gem from 1971, this zany French crime film features a score by Ennio Morricone (and so pairs perfectly with another festival film, “Ennio”). Widely released in dubbed English, this restoration restores the original French audio, allowing viewers to hear the voice of Jean-Paul Belmondo (of “Breathless” fame). Apr. 10, 5:45 p.m. and Apr. 11, 2:15 p.m., Flix Brewhouse Cinema 2
In celebration of 100 years of Columbia Pictures, the festival is showing some of Frank Capra’s earlier works before films like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “It Happened One Night” made him a superstar: 1928’s “So This is Love” and “The Way of the Strong”, plus some rarely-seen promotional shorts. Apr. 7, 11 a.m., UW Cinematheque
This debut from writer/director India Donaldson follows three characters on a backpacking trip in the Catskills. Packed with nuance, meaning and chemistry, it’s “the type of intimate gem one attends film festivals in hopes of discovering,” per the festival’s website. Apr. 10, 6 p.m., Flix Brewhouse Cinema 8
The classic film about film. This documentary probes the strange world of private film collecting, to find out what makes these dedicated solo historians tick. Keep an eye out for one of the documentary’s subjects, Bob Furmanek, who’s presenting a 35mm print of “The Disorderly Orderly” in this year’s festival. Apr. 6, 1:15 p.m., UW Cinematheque
Good One
Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Film Festival
The “Big Screens, Little Folks” program at the festival offers a variety of movies for all ages. Here’s a few we’re the most excited for:
It’s not “Mamma Mia!” But it is a coming-of-age story about a youthful Norwegian girl, Mina, whose sincerity and pluck land her on a hip-hop dance team with an Instagram-famous tween. Mina struggles to learn the moves before enlisting her grandmother, a former dancer, as her head coach. Apr. 7, 4:30 p.m., Barrymore Theatre
A 90-minute program comprises seven tiny films tailored to children ages 8-12, with plots that run the gamut from saving a cow from becoming a schnitzel dinner to learning about the symbolic power of hair. For the age 4-8 crowd, check out Shorter and Sweeter. Short and Sweet: Apr. 6, 11 a.m., The Marquee at Union South; Shorter and Sweeter: Apr. 7, 10:30 a.m., The Marquee at Union South
Continuing in the affluent Czech tradition of puppetry, this feature-length stop motion film follows eleven-year-old Tony and his friend Shelly as they try to uncover the mystery of their magical relationship with featherlight. Apr. 17, Noon, The Marquee at Union South
Film Is Dead. Long Live Film!
Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Film Festival
The “Wisconsin’s Own” section of the festival highlights movies made in, about, or by people from Wisconsin.
Aadam Jacobs is known as “Chicago’s taping guy.” He documented the live music scene in Chicago for decades, starting in the 1980s. This documentary explores his relationship with music and the responsibility of preserving so much history. It’s shown alongside three tiny films by Wisconsin filmmakers. Apr. 6, 9 p.m., Music Hall
When youthful Chris becomes the youngest person to ever harpoon a whale, it’s cause for celebration in his Alaskan family. But on social media, Chris and his family are attacked by environmental activists. Documentarians Pete Chelkowski and Jim Wickens grapple with the tension between time-honored Alaskan cultural practices and up-to-date American mores. Apr. 5, 6 p.m., Music Hall
A selection of ten Wisconsin-made shorts includes “Snow Light”, where scenes of a classic Wisconsin winter clash with digital effects and noisy colors; “Computer Science, B.S.”, a student film about the struggle to complete a complex assignment; “Unit 17: Week 3”, a black-and-white stop motion dystopia; and more weird and stimulating delights. Apr. 6, 6:30 p.m., The Marquee at Union South
These five tiny documentaries turn the camera towards “reel” life, including “From Ashes to Beauty: Stories After Incarceration”, which follows four Wisconsinites’ struggles to rebuild their lives after being incarcerated. Apr. 6, 4:15 p.m., Music Hall
Who doesn’t love a good comedy? In this 1964 classic — a sporadic 35mm preview print with some extended sequences — Jerry Lewis plays a bumbling hospital aide whose antics are made all the more agonizing by his character’s strange condition: he can feel his patients’ pain. Apr. 6, 4 p.m., UW Cinematheque
Even if you don’t know his name, you know his music. This documentary from “Cinema Paradiso” director Giuseppe Tornatore, which includes interviews with the notable composer from before his death in 2020, gives powerful insight into the life, work and legacy of the man who scored some of cinemas most notable Westerns. Apr. 7, 1:30 p.m., Music Hall; Apr. 8, 11:15 a.m., Flix Brewhouse Cinema 2
Before “The Holdovers”, Paul Giamatti and director Alexander Payne teamed up for “Sideways”, an equally nuanced, poignant and hilarious movie set in the world of fine wine. For this 20th anniversary screening — which closes the festival — Payne will be making a special appearance. Apr. 11, 7:30 p.m., Barrymore Theatre
Tickets for the festival go on sale at noon Saturday, March 9. To purchase tickets, read more about the films and see the entire festival guide, visit the festival website.
Jess Miller is an editorial intern at Madison Magazine.
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