The 6th annual Wisconsin Film Festival opens this evening with an eclectic mix of films, parties and discussions guaranteed to delight film professionals and enthusiasts alike. The festival gives the Madison community an opportunity to experience independent filmmaking from around the world. More than 140 films will be screened over the weekend at theaters in downtown Madison.??A wide variety of films, from Japanese horror to activist documentaries, will be shown.
The festival will present a number of special series of related films unique to the Wisconsin Film Festival. Many of these screenings will be Madison, Midwest or even worldwide premieres.
The \Musically Inclined"" series focuses on the many ways music has been used as a form of social protest across the globe. The series begins Thursday with ""Festival Express,"" the opening film of the 2004 Wisconsin Film Festival. The documentary is compiled from rare footage of rock legends the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and The Band from their 1970 Canadian summer tour.
The UW's Asian-American studies program is sponsoring a special series of Asian-American cinema that deals with the cultural and political differences encountered by many immigrants. The film ""Sumo East and West"" will feature a special appearance by amateur sumo wrestler Manny Yarborough.
The UW's European Studies Alliance is sponsoring the series ""Near and Far: Films from the New Europe,"" which includes films from Iceland, France, the Czech Republic and Ireland.??""Intermission,"" an independent Irish film set in Dublin and starring Colin Farrell will screen, as well as many films screened at several international festivals. A unique part of this year's festival is the special series ""Danish Cinema Behind Dogme,"" which features films from contemporary Danish filmmakers.
The Global Film Initiative's ""Global Lens"" series is composed of films from developing countries.?? The films were chosen from international film festivals including Cannes, Toronto and Rotterdam.??The focus of this series is to encourage cross-cultural awareness via cinema. ""Mango Yellow"" (Brazil, 2002) and ""Ticket to Jerusalem"" (Palestine and the Netherlands, 2003) will continue at the Orpheum after the festival's end.??In addition, from April 16 to 17, the UW Cinematheque will screen ""Nothing"" (Cuba, 2001) and ""Margarette's Feast"" (Brazil, 2002), the remaining films of the ""Global Lens"" series. For more details, go to .
Above all, the festival will highlight Wisconsin filmmakers, both professionals and students. James Benning, a UW-Madison alumnus and Milwaukee native, will present his ""California Trilogy,"" a series of experimental films with an emphasis on the natural and urban landscapes of California. The trilogy has been featured at the Sundance, London and Berlin Film Festivals.??
Time magazine film critic and UW alumnus Richard Schickel will present his new documentary ""Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin.""
The ""Wisconsin's Own"" series will feature emerging and student filmmakers native to Wisconsin. A student film program will award the festival's best narrative and experimental/documentary student shorts, including filmmakers from the UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee campuses. Films made by local elementary school, middle school and high school students will also be screened as part of the ""Young Visions and Voices"" series.
For filmmakers and filmgoers alike, the ""Insider"" series will feature a number of talks and discussions with visiting filmmakers and industry insiders. Featured Wisconsin Film Festival screenwriters and writer/directors will be present to discuss writing and developing their projects. These talks are free and open to the public and will take place at various locations around campus, including caf??s and Memorial Union.
A major addition to this year's film festival is the taping of the pilot for the Independent Film Channel's new film trivia game show, scheduled to premiere in July. Celebrity host and film buff Chris Gore will be on hand for the IFC Ultimate Film Fanatic Challenge Friday at 7 p.m. in the new Lakefront on Langdon in the Memorial Union. This sneak preview of the show and local Madison competition will be the first of its kind. Contestants will be signed up on first-come basis at the IFC table in Memorial Union between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Friday. Prizes will be offered to both winners and participants.
Although many films have sold out (referred to as ""standby"" by the ever-optimistic festival director and UW-Madison alumna Mary Carbine) in advance, with some effort, it is still possible to obtain tickets. For standby films, theaters will have a limited number of tickets available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. Lineup begins a half-hour before the show and tickets will be sold after other ticket holders are let in. Empty seats will also be sold at curtain time.??Tickets for shows that have not sold-out can be found at the film's specific theater the day of the show.
The festival runs until Sunday evening. Tickets are $4 for students with a valid ID and $7 for the general public. A complete list of available films, event descriptions and general festival updates can be found at the Wisconsin Film Fest Web site, .
