MILWAUKEE — The 13th annual Milwaukee Film Festival kicks off Thursday, and for the first time, it’s trading in flannels for short sleeves.
Just a few months after the virtual festival wrapped up in the fall of 2020, Milwaukee Film announced its 2021 Milwaukee Film Festival will take place in the spring, largely in a virtual format, as the 2020 festival did. This is also, in part, due to ongoing renovations at the Oriental Theatre, which largely plays host to the festival.
The idea is simple: No matter what's happening with the pandemic in spring, the 2021 film festival can help you "see the world" — even from your couch.
Milwaukee Film's artistic director Cara Ogburn said bumping the festival up to the spring has been discussed in the past.
“This move to the spring is not just because we had so much fun in October that we really wanted to do it again in the spring,” Ogburn said. “We really have been contemplating a move to spring for some time. Being in spring gives us more opportunity to kind of grow and evolve and become a festival that’s for Milwaukee and that isn’t just like all the other fall festivals that happen.”
This year’s lineup includes more than 85 feature films and nearly 20 short films. It ranges from recent Oscar nominees to current fan favorites from recent festivals.
Ogburn said going virtual hasn’t altered the process in selecting the festival’s lineup.
“We watch what other festivals are showing. We attend film festivals to watch films and meet filmmakers and make those connections,” she said. “We’ve traveled to fewer festivals in-person, but we’ve traveled to virtual festivals.”
Ogburn noted that it isn’t just about finding great films, but films that Milwaukee-area movie lovers want to see. For example, the festival’s opening night feature is "Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free." The Milwaukee-favorite musician can be seen in never-before-seen archival footage and interviews that chronicles the making of Petty’s 1994 album “Wildflowers.”
Another highly-anticipated film, "Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)" is being shown on the festival's closing night. The documentary, which won both the grand jury prize and audience award at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, is part music film, part historical record, created around an event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion.
The specific curation in the virtual age is what Ogburn said has been working for them.
“Virtual film festival attendance is not the same as going on a plane, but it does mean you can watch more films,” she said.
It’s something festival attendees have heavily agreed upon.
“We really weren’t sure if our audience would come along,” Ogburn said of the all-virtual 2020 event. “There’s lots of ways to watch films in your home. We weren’t sure if adding to that would be helpful, but it turned out that it was. Our audience really came along for the ride and kind of recognized there’s great films that aren’t on your streaming platforms already.”
In December, Milwaukee Film noted that there was an attendance of 66,286 people and more than 1.7 million minutes of film viewed. It laid the foundation for the nonprofit to offer this year’s event, just months after wrapping up the fall festival.
“We found that the audience is like, ‘We actually really like this virtual offering so that we can watch more,’” Ogburn said.
There were, of course, some challenges to overcome.
“When the pandemic hit, it stopped the thing we do best: Put films on screen and put people in a room to have that shared experience of great cinema,” Ogburn said. “We had to pivot. That was the word of 2020.”
“We watched as some of our peers whose festivals were in the spring and summer [move virtually] and we discovered […] film, amongst all the other art mediums, kind of moves virtual a little easier,” she added.
There are two ways to view the films: via Milwaukee Film's website, and through apps on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV.
While viewing films on streaming platforms is now normal for many, what is missing is the chance to meet filmmakers and learn more about their projects at in-person festivals.
“A lot of it has to do with the connection of filmmakers and audiences. […] How and where do we facilitate Q&As or discussions? We did some of that last fall and we’re really proud of what we were able to do.”
This year, the Milwaukee Film Festival is offering Q&As every night throughout its two-week run, as well as several pre-recorded Q&As for audiences to enjoy.
“[We’re] really trying to create those opportunities to hear from the filmmakers, which is the thing that’s special about a film festival.”
So, what's in store for the future of the Milwaukee Film Festival?
“We are getting closer to reopening the Oriental Theatre this year,” Ogburn said. “Stay tuned.”
The 2021 film festival runs May 6-20. Tickets for individual films are $8, or $5 for Milwaukee Film members. Passes cost $175, or $100 for members. Visit here for more information.
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