The 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival will feature 300 films on seven screens in four theaters over 15 days.
That’s a lot of math.
And there are a lot of movies that need to be sorted to find the right one.
To help you get started, we’ve put together a starter kit of 28 films to check out at this year’s festivals. The festival, run by the nonprofit organization Milwaukee Film, will run from April 11 to April 25, with screenings at the Oriental Theatre, Downer Theatre, Times Cinema and Avalon Theatre.
Tickets for the festival’s premium screenings (marked with an asterisk below) are $20. $18 for seniors 60 and older, students, educators, and military members. Milwaukee Movie members are $17.
Tickets to other screenings at the festival are $15. $14 for seniors 60 and older, students, educators, and military personnel. Milwaukee Movie members are $13. Children 12 and under are $8. All-access passes cost $625, or $525 for Milwaukee Movie Members.
Tickets go on sale from April 3rd mkefilm.org Or call us at 414-755-1965. Available from April 5th at the Oriental Theater box office. Starting April 12th, tickets will be available at other participating theaters. Note: Unlike the past three Milwaukee Film Festivals, the 2024 edition will not have a virtual component. All movies will be released in theaters this year.
Related:‘I hope this is a completely normal year’: 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival will be all in-person, downers will be back
!["Dr. Caligari's Cabinet," The 1920 silent film that helped shape the look of horror films for the next century will be screened at the 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival with live music courtesy of the Anvil Orchestra.](https://www.jsonline.com/gcdn/presto/2021/09/29/PMCA/61968e49-8ea0-4b79-8d8c-a3ace1fb2d18-caligari.jpg?width=660&height=525&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
If you want to watch a movie again that you missed the first time (even if it was a long time ago)
“The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”: The Anvil Orchestra provided live music for the big screen screening of the 1920 surrealist horror fantasy and helped shape the look of the century in cinema.
April 18th, 5:30pm, Oriental*.
“Chasing Chasing Amy”: Filmmaker Sabu Rogers talks about making Kevin Smith’s 1997 film Chasing Amy and how this groundbreaking LGBTQ romantic comedy became a cult classic and changed his life. Let’s find out.
April 21, 7:15 p.m., Oriental. April 22, 9 p.m., Avalon. April 25th, 2pm, Oriental.
“Cinebuds Live: Footloose”: Kick off your Sunday shoes with a screening of the 1984 jukebox musical that turned Kevin Bacon into a dance icon. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the audience as part of a live recording of Milwaukee Film/Radio Milwaukee’s “Cinebad” podcast.
April 14th, 12:15pm, Oriental.
![University of Wisconsin-Madison bassist and music educator Richard Davis, left, shown performing with saxophonist Benny Wallace at Milwaukee's Jazz Gallery in 1979, is the focus of a new documentary. "String Theory: The Richard Davis Method."](https://www.jsonline.com/gcdn/presto/2020/08/10/PMJS/f1984f24-2971-47ef-a427-73c7d97a8c31-Historic_mjp09262.jpg?width=660&height=488&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
If you like movies with a Wisconsin accent
“Angel of Dirt”: Madison filmmaker Wendy Schneider began filming young racers in 2006 at the Aztalan Cycle Club in Lake Mills. That’s when her lens captured her 9-year-old West, Alice, Charlotte, and Kainz for the first time. Schneider’s new documentary tells the story of Caines’ rise in the world of professional flat track motorcycle racing, including interviews with several people in the Milwaukee racing scene.
April 18, 8 p.m., Oriental. April 20, 11:30 a.m., The Times.
“corridor”: Milwaukee actor and Dr. Seuss rapper Wes Tank plays an incompetent security guard investigating a corporate murder plot in this Milwaukee mystery comedy.
April 13, 5:30 p.m., Oriental. April 21, 7:45 p.m., Oriental. April 22, 6 p.m., Avalon.
“One-Way Ticket: The Story of Greg Lutzka”: This documentary follows Milwaukee native Greg Rutzka as he travels from skateparks on the city’s south side to the X Games and the pro skateboarding circuit.
April 12, 7 p.m., Avalon. April 13, 9:45 p.m., Oriental. April 21, 10:30 a.m., Times.
“I am your host”: This documentary by Milwaukee artist and filmmaker Alicia Krupski explores the world of Kenosha Public Access Cable’s horror host, who created a community and a cult following.
The Times, April 15, 9 p.m. April 21, 8:30 p.m., Avalon. Downer, April 24, 9:15 p.m.
“String Theory: The Richard Davis Method”: Legendary bassist Richard Davis, who became a respected music professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, gets a well-deserved spotlight in this documentary portrait.
April 13, 11 a.m., Times. April 15th, 2:30pm, Oriental. April 20, 6 p.m., Oriental.
!["four daughters," The film, one of this year's nominees in the documentary feature category, will be screened at the 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival.](https://www.jsonline.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2023/12/09/PPAS/71863218007-four-daughters-photo-10.jpg?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
If you loved “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer,” or anything else at this year’s Oscars.
“Robot’s Dream”: The festival’s closing night film, scheduled for commercial release soon, is an Oscar-nominated animated feature about a dog who makes a robot friend while battling loneliness.
April 25, 7:30 p.m., Oriental.
“Io Capitano”: The drama, nominated for this year’s Oscar for Best International Feature Film, tells the story of two Senegalese teenagers who embark on a dangerous journey to the Mediterranean and dream of a new future in Europe.
April 19, 6:45 p.m., Oriental. April 23, 4 p.m., Oriental. April 25, 4:30 p.m., Oriental.
“Four Daughters”: The film, nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, weaves together performances and interviews to tell the story of a Tunisian woman and her four daughters, two of whom have been radicalized.
April 13, 11 a.m., Oriental. April 23, 12:30 p.m., Times. April 25, 6:30 p.m., Oriental.
“totem”: Oscar, Mexico’s entry for best international feature, follows a family as they prepare for the patriarch’s birthday party, as seen through the eyes of his 7-year-old son.
April 23, 3:45 p.m., Avalon. April 24th, 6pm, Downer.
![Dolly de Leon and Keith Kupferer play middle-aged Juliet and Romeo in this drama. "ghost light."](https://www.jsonline.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/01/18/USAT/72271196007-ghostlight-still-1.jpg?width=660&height=397&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
If you like movies that take you to another place (place or time)
“Evil does not exist”: In the latest drama from Oscar-nominated director Ryusuke Hamaguchi (“Drive My Car”), people living in a village on the outskirts of Tokyo may see their water supply threatened by plans to build a glamping complex nearby. Know that.
April 22, 5 p.m., Oriental. April 25, 6pm, Times.
“Ghost Light”: A construction worker joins the local production of “Romeo and Juliet,” and his life begins to imitate art in this Chicago-centered indie drama.
April 16, 6 p.m., Oriental. Downer, April 17, 3:15 p.m. April 25, 6 p.m., Oriental.
!["Every dirt road tastes like salt" ' will be screened at the 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival.](https://www.jsonline.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2023/09/20/PNJM/70910811007-all-dirt-roads-taste-of-salt.jpg?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
“Every dirt road tastes like salt”: Writer/director Raven Jackson’s debut feature film follows a woman’s life in rural Mississippi and all the events that shaped it, from grief to hope.
April 17, 3:30 p.m., Times. April 20, 8 p.m., Times. Downer, April 25, 3:30 p.m.
“Queen of my dreams”: After her father dies while returning to Pakistan, a young woman goes back and forth between growing up in Canada and her mother coming of age in Pakistan 30 years ago. This film is the highlight of the festival.
April 19, 6 p.m., Oriental. Downer, April 21, 12:15 p.m.
“We have grown up now”: In this heartwarming drama, two young best friends find a way to survive while living in 1992 Chicago.
April 13, 1:15 p.m., Avalon. April 23, 7 p.m., Oriental.
“Concrete Utopia”: Home to some of the world’s best post-apocalyptic movies, this sci-fi drama from South Korea is set in a world nearly destroyed by a massive earthquake as people scramble to break into Seoul’s only remaining apartment building.
April 16, 8:30 p.m., Avalon. Downer, April 18, 9:30 p.m. April 23, 8:45 p.m., Avalon.
![Legendary documentary filmmaker Frédéric Wiseman investigates the ingredients used in one of France's top restaurants. "Menu Plaisir — Les Troisgroses."](https://www.jsonline.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/02/27/PMJS/72759803007-menus-plaisirs-image-1.jpg?width=660&height=349&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
If you like movies by legendary filmmakers
“Anselm”: This acclaimed documentary was shot in 3D by German film master Wim Wenders to capture the life and work of contemporary artist Anselm Kiefer. The result is an immersive art-making experience rarely seen on screen.
April 13th, 12:30pm, Oriental*.
“Menu plaisir les troisgros”: Director Frédéric Wiseman’s painstakingly illustrated new documentary is an in-depth (four hours!) investigation of France’s Michelin-starred restaurant and the four generations of families that run it.
April 14th, 11am, Downer.
“monster”: When her son starts acting strange, a mother looks to his teacher for answers, but things turn out to be quite complicated in this latest drama from award-winning Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda (“Shoplifters”).
April 16th, 8pm, Downer. April 10, 6:45 p.m., Times. April 22, 2 p.m., Oriental.
![Los Angeles Times columnist Carolina Miranda is one of the arts writers interviewed for the documentary "It's out of the picture."](https://www.jsonline.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/04/01/PMJS/73166205007-carolina-miranda-interview.jpg?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
If you like movies that capture both the good and bad aspects of the “new normal”
“Another body”: In this alarming documentary, a college student begins investigating how his own deepfake porn was leaked online and attempts to reclaim his identity from the dark digital underground.
April 18, 3:30 p.m., Avalon. April 24, 8:45 p.m., Oriental.
“Outside the photo”: Former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel art critic Mary Louise Schumacher traveled across the country to report on the state of art criticism and the challenges facing art writers in this new documentary.
April 12, 5 p.m., Oriental. April 13, 3:45 p.m., Avalon. April 24, 3:30 p.m., Avalon.
“Breaking News”: Frustrated with white, male-dominated newsrooms, a group of women and LGBTQ+ journalists banded together to launch 19th* News. This documentary chronicles their journey.
April 13th, 4pm, Downer. April 19, 7:15 p.m., Oriental. Downer, April 25, 2:45 p.m.
![June Squibb plays an elderly woman in the comedy who hunts down a scammer with the help of a computer from her grandson (Fred Hechinger). "Thelma."](https://www.jsonline.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/01/18/USAT/72270777007-thelma-still-1-june-squibb-fred-hechinger.jpg?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
If you like movies that give women back their voices (and stories)
“Thelma”: A 93-year-old grandma (June Squibb) gets tricked by a phone scammer and decides to take revenge in this geriatric action movie, which became a fan favorite at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
April 14, 4 p.m., Oriental. April 15th, noon, Oriental. April 18, 7 p.m., Oriental.
“Copa ’71”: Do you remember when women’s soccer teams from around the world came together in 1971 for the first Women’s World Cup? No? That’s because the soccer world did everything in its power to bury it. This documentary brings it back to light.
April 16, 5 p.m., Times. April 17, 1 p.m., Oriental.
![Shari Lewis and her sock puppet alter ego are the focus of documentary "Shari & lamb chops," 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival Opening Night Movie.](https://www.jsonline.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/03/26/PMJS/73104564007-film-festival-stills-44.jpg?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
“Shari & Lamb Chop”: This portrait of puppeteer Shari Lewis, who influenced generations of children with her sock puppet alter ego “Lambchop,” is the festival’s opening night film. (Opening night tickets include admission to the festival’s opening night party at Villa Terrace Museum of Decorative Arts, 2220 N. Terrace Ave.)
April 11th, 6pm, Oriental*. 12:30pm. April 12th, Downer.
“The Hurricanes”: A documentary filmmaker tells the story of the short-lived 1970s women’s professional football team, the Houston Helicanes, whose members included the filmmaker’s mother, by encouraging women to play on the field. Connect to current efforts to level the playing field.
April 14th, 8pm, Downer. April 17, 6:30 p.m., Oriental. April 25, 1 p.m., Avalon.