Image courtesy of Saint Jawn Cinema
Blue House Film and Saint Jawn Cinema logos
What started in 2023 as a simple Instagram account for letting friends know about free backyard movie screenings evolved into a cherished microcinema space in Riverwest. In fact, one of the main reasons the founders of Saint Jawn Cinema moved into their place was the big Cream City brick wall on its side, as they affirm, “We immediately thought about projecting stuff on that wall.” In addition to having been a bonus checkpoint during the Riverwest 24, Saint Jawn Cinema has hosted screening series with themes like folk horror, killer thrillers and Czech surrealism—the last of which was influenced by one of the founders’ experience studying abroad in Prague.
Photo courtesy of Saint Jawn Cinema
Strange Choreography Riverwest Film Festival promo
A flyer for Saint Jawn Cinema's Strange Choreography Film Festival in Riverwest (2026)
This year, Saint Jawn Cinema’s fall programming kicks off with the two-day festival “Strange Choreography” this Friday and Saturday, September 11 and 12, in collaboration with Blue House Film with support from The Open Fund. “Strange Choreograph” encompasses a curated selection of shorts and features centered around bodies.
A call for submissions posted to Experimental Cinema garnered approximately 200 submissions from six continents, totaling nearly 40 hours of material. Works from 20 countries and four local filmmakers are in the roster. Films will be screened between three blocks: Corem (exploring the body as a material shaped by identity as it relates to health, disability and gender), Vellum (embracing the strange and perverse truths about the body, for mature audiences only) and Animus (examines how bodies’ lived experiences relate to one another). The arts studio Yours Truly (833 E. Center St.) will be used as a receiving area with DJ Queen Méabh spinning tunes. Folks are welcome to bring their own blankets, chairs, food and beverages.
Crime Thriller and Midwest Premiere
Then on Thursday, November 5, Saint Jawn Cinema is screening the film Mouse at Falcon Bowl (801 E. Clarke St.). Produced by Salt Lake City-based independent media company Dualist, Mouse is a crime thriller by Sundance alum Kenny Riches that draws comparisons to the Coen Brothers’ Fargo and Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite. The film has won a number of accolades at film festivals, including Best Feature, Grand Jury and Best Screenplay. Riches will be there on November 5 for a Q&A.
Two weeks later on Friday, November 20, Saint Jawn Cinema will return to Falcon Bowl for the Midwest premiere of The Foreground, directed by Ty Jacob and produced by Lonesome Bill Walker, which explores the space between the death and birth of creativity. The film is described as “oblique” by way of its approach to storytelling, driven by Jacob’s meticulous yet meditative attention to detail. “Milwaukee is the first of three destinations the main character travels to throughout the film,” the Saint Jawn folks explain. “Bill was living in Milwaukee at the time, and the shots range from inside Bill's apartment to the lake to some favorite Milwaukee spots the audience will know and love.” Blu-Ray copies of The Foreground will be available for purchase.
To get in touch, contact Saint Jawn Cinema at stjawncinema@gmail.com.
