Several UW-Milwaukee Film, Video, Animation and New Genres Department Alumni are being featured in the Milwaukee Film Festival. UWM’s FVANG Department has been named one of Hollywood Reporter’s “Top 20 Film Programs in the World” and Variety’s “Best Film Schools” in both 2017 and 2018.
Here’s our guide on all of the UWM Alumni to watch at the 19th annual Milwaukee Film Festival.
All That Glitters
All That Glitters is a thrilling coming-of-age story about Christopher, a high schooler frustrated with his suburban life who accidentally ends up with thousands of dollars’ worth of cocaine after a drug deal goes wrong. With dealers hunting him down, he plans to sell the drugs at a party for the richest kids in his grade, but must quickly face the dangerous consequences of his reckless actions.
Director Noah Meister graduated from UWM’s Film Department in the Spring of 2021.
Tuesday, Apr 29 | 8:30 PM | Downer Theatre (North Cinema)
Wednesday, Apr 30 | 9:30 PM | Oriental Theatre (Herzfeld Cinema)
Thursday, May 1 | 5:30 PM | Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema)
Brady Street: Portrait of a Neighborhood
“Brady Street: Portrait of a Neighborhood” is a documentary made by students at docUWM Emmanuel Zander, Georgia Didier, Kim Reese, Eetae Jung and Michael Sander. Director Sean Kafer is a UWM Alum with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts and a Master’s in Film who now teaches at UWM in the FVANG Department.
In the 1960s and ’70s, Brady Street became a thriving hub of counterculture—a legacy that persists in Milwaukee today. Like many neighborhoods, Brady Street has faced its share of decline.
But by the end of the 20th century, determined community efforts sparked a renaissance, revitalizing the area and transforming it into a diverse urban haven. Longtime resident Julilly Kohler puts it best:
“It’s people that make the street. It’s really about people and getting people involved.”
Friday, May 2 | 3:30 PM | Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema)
Sunday, May 4 | 12:30 PM | Downer Theatre (North Cinema)
Wednesday, May 7 | 8:30 PM | Downer Theatre (North Cinema)
The Notorious Network: A Devilish Dish
“The Notorious Network: A Devilish Dish” is an animated short playing before the film “AJ Goes to the Dog Park.” Director Sam Aria is a UWM Alum. Here’s the synopsis:
“It’s boss appreciation month at The Notorious Network, and the only thing that can satisfy Mr. Devilson is a meal cooked by his least favorite branch. Now it’s up to Vile, Gerablo, Murk, and Foxwell to prepare a meal he’ll forever cherish.”
Friday, Apr 25 | 10:00 PM | Oriental Theatre (Herzfeld Cinema)
Tuesday, Apr 29 | 9:00 PM | Oriental Theatre (Lubar Cinema)
Friday, May 2 | 8:45 PM | Downer Theatre (North Cinema)
Full Out
“Full Out” is a short film playing before the film “Baby Doe.” This film is the inaugural work in a suite of films investigating the intricate threads between historical accounts of mass hysteria, the body’s capacity for knowing, and the ways collective resonance can both fracture and heal.
This film seeks to explore how the body’s uncontrollable impulses can act as both a site of vulnerability and an instrument of resistance. Director Sarah Ballard is a UWM Alum with a Master’s in Cinematic Arts who now teaches at UWM in the FVANG Department.
Sunday, Apr 27 | 2:00 PM | Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema)
Monday, May 5 | 7:00 PM | Oriental Theatre (Herzfeld Cinema)
LUKi & the Lights
“LUKi & the Lights” is an animated short playing in the “Shorts: Let’s Get Animated” Program. Co-Producer Melinda S. Kavanaugh is a UWM Alum with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from Boston University, a Master’s in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis, and a Doctorate in Social Welfare from UW-Madison. Kavanaugh now teaches at UWM as a professor in the School of Social Welfare.
The story follows an active, charming and upbeat robot named LUKi who enjoys hanging with friends. One day after work while playing soccer, LUki’s arm begins to malfunction. After a trip to the doctor, LUKi is diagnosed with ALS.
Tuesday, Apr 29 | 7:15 PM | Downer Theatre (South Cinema)
Friday, May 2 | 12:45 PM | Downer Theatre (South Cinema)
Monday, May 5 | 4:15 PM | Downer Theatre (North Cinema)
The Milwaukee Show
The remaining UWM Alumni featured in the Milwaukee Film Festival are part of the Milwaukee Show Shorts Programs, a collection of shorts from local filmmakers.
Heart Shaped
“Heart Shaped” is an experimental short film playing in The Milwaukee Show 1 that examines the overlapping lives of seven guests staying at a themed hotel in Wisconsin. This film was funded in part by the BRICO forward fund from Milwaukee Film.
Co-Directors Grace Mitchell and Sofia Theodore-Pierce are both UWM Alumni with Master’s in Film Arts. Mitchell currently teaches at UWM in the FVANG Department, and Theodore-Pierce taught at UWM for two years after grad school.
“Both being alums and having gone to the Milwaukee Film Festival for years, it’s always exciting to be part of it. It’s such a communal atmosphere, and the Oriental Theatre is so seminal to our experience of Milwaukee as artists and film viewers,” said Mitchell.
This film is their second film to be featured in the Milwaukee Film Festival. Their first film was “Pet World,” a short film about the intimacy of parking lots featuring one by the airport where people sit in their cars watching the planes land, and another outside a mega pet store.
“That film was all shot in parking lots all around Milwaukee, and for this film we had the idea to shoot it within Motel Rooms as a container for these transient stories of people,” said Theodore-Pierce.
Monday, May 5 | 6:00 PM | Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema)
Home-land: Hmong American Women
“Home-land: Hmong American Women” is a short film playing during the Milwaukee Show 1 related to the Home-land video installation exhibition. 2025 is the 50th anniversary of the Hmong people’s resettlement into the US. The short film follows 5 Hmong-American Women.
Director Pader Xiong is a UWM Alum with a Bachelor’s in Film Arts. Xiong transferred from UW-Madison in the midst of the pandemic, so the majority of her first 3 semesters were virtual or hybrid classes.
“My favorite part was probably the filming of the Hmong clothing that’s featured in the film,” said Xiong. “Overall, I wanted to empower and highlight Hmong women, our progress, our work and our stories.”
Monday, May 5 | 6:00 PM | Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema)
Fresh Values
“Fresh Values” is a short film playing in The Milwaukee Show 1 about a struggling urban food co-op that adopts AR technology to save their store. The strategy proves too successful.
Co-Directors Drew Durepos and Isaac Brooks are both UWM Alumni with Master’s in Film. Brooks is currently teaching at UWM in FVANG Department, and Durepos taught at UWM for four years.
“I’m pretty grateful that the film is going to premiere in one of our home cities,” said Durepos. “I love Milwaukee, I’ve spent a lot of time there. I love the Milwaukee Film Festival.”
Monday, May 5 | 6:00 PM | Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema)
Mandatory Bathroom Break
“Mandatory Bathroom Break” is a short surrealist comedy playing in The Milwaukee Show II about an employee continuing to work his job while in the back of a moving truck. The film explores a very unhealthy relationship with productivity through humor and absurd art direction.
The entire short takes place in the back of a truck, which is slowly filling with water from the storm outside. The film was funded with donations from a GoFundMe, and donors could earn a Shoutout on Instagram, a Special Thanks in the credits, a Poster from the movie, or an Executive Producer credit.
Director Alyssa Sue Borkowski is a UWM Alum.
Tuesday, May 6 | 6:00 PM | Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema)
The Phalanx
“The Phalanx” is a short experimental film playing in The Milwaukee Show II about Ceresco, a 19th-century agrarian commune in Ripon, Wisconsin. Founded in 1844 and disbanded in 1851, Ceresco was one of several communes across North America inspired by the writings of French philosopher Charles Fourier.
These fleeting but potent attempts to imagine alternative ways of living now serve as a lens to explore the fragility of collective ideals. Weaving together archival materials, literary adaptation, and a performative collaboration with students, the film lingers in the echoes of this brief, failed experiment in communal living.
Director Ben Balcom is a UWM Alum with a Master’s in Film who now teaches at UWM in the FVANG Department.
Tuesday, May 6 | 6:00 PM | Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema)