Photo: Milwaukee Film - mkefilm.org
Oriental Theatre Milwaukee
The Oriental Theatre
Never saw John Carpenter’s version of The Thing in a theater? You’ll get a chance to jump from your seat when this year’s Milwaukee Film Festival showcases the 1982 science-fiction horror classic on 35mm.
The Milwaukee Film Festival is returning to cinemas for the first time since the pandemic began. However, it will like many such events retain a hybrid status with many options for viewing movies from home. The other news is that MFF has settled on Spring for its annual run, this year from April 21-May 5.
The upcoming festival will run at three historic cinemas, the Times, the Avalon and the recently, beautifully refurbished Oriental. The 2022 MFF features 284 films, including 134 feature-length fiction and documentaries and 150 short subjects. At least 75 out-of-town movie people—including directors, actors and the subjects of documentaries‚ will be in Milwaukee for the festival, making it a node in the industry’s circulatory system. All films on the program will enjoy at least one live screening. According to MFF Artistic Director Cara Ogburn, 52 percent of the features and all of the shorts will be accessible virtually.
This year’s MFF is composed of 15 programming tracks. The eclectic Art & Artist series includes films such as Set! a documentary on “competitive table setting,” and imperfect, about a troupe of disabled actors performing Chicago. Highlighting this year’s Black Lens is Neptune Frost, an Afro-future science-fiction musical; and Let the Little Light Shine, about a Black elementary school fighting erasure by gentrification. Topping Cine Sin Fronteras, What We Leave Behind is a powerful documentary of a family separated for 50 years by the Mexico-U.S. border.
Cinema Hooligante is the midnight movie category (perfect for The Thing). Delivering on the promise of its name, Cream City Cinema embraces eight locally made features and 39 shorts. Among the Documentary Festival Favorites are the search for a snow leopard in the Himalayas, Velvet Queen; and Speaking Truth to Power, featuring Congresswoman Gwen Moore. On the Film Feast menu, The Pursuit of Perfection explores Japanese cuisine and We Feed People looks at World Kitchen’s mission of providing food as humanitarian aid. Genrequeer is MFF’s LGBTQ track while North American Independent shows work by indie filmmakers from the U.S. and Canada.
There will be something for everyone at MFF. Rated K: For Kids values the formative influence can have on children. Short is Better includes this year’s Oscar-winning short subject and the music-oriented Sound Vision has Spike Lee’s collaboration with David Byrne, American Utopia; and Vinyl Nation, documenting the resurgence of LPs in our digitized world. The features and documentaries of Teen Screen were chosen by 12 Milwaukee area high school students. Worldviews samples from recent fiction films from around the world including Javier Bardem in The Good Boss and the festival’s opening night’s feature, The Pez Outlaw.
For more information, visit mkefilm.org.
