The Wisconsin Film Festival Is Worth The Trip

By Victoria Pietrus in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 11, 2013 8:40PM

Madison boasts many things: Wisconsin's flagship university, Badger sports, a vibrant music scene, scrumptious cheese, thoughtfully planned bike paths, and one of the best film festivals in the Midwest. The 2013 Wisconsin Film Festival begins Thursday, April 11 and runs through April 18. It presents a striking range of independent films, including but not limited to documentaries, shorts, animation, and narrative projects.

Presented by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Arts Institute in association with the Communication Arts Film Studies Program, one of the country’s largest campus-based film festivals will feature American and world films as well as intentional attention paid to Wisconsin filmmakers. In its 15th year, what makes this film festival special and worth attending even for out-of-towners is its accessible, home-grown community feel for viewers and not just critics — unlike the big film festivals the average movie-goer typically hears about but never attends. Utilizing five locations in and around the university campus, festival-goers are treated to small, intimate viewings that include attendees from a wide-range of film lovers, including students, professors, and a variety of local Madison folks.

A few highlights from this year’s festival include four Spaghetti Westerns, a genre much-discussed following 2012’s Tarantino film, Django Unchained. Also, 56 Up is the latest installment in the highly acclaimed eight-part series of British documentaries that follow the lives of 14 children since 1964 spanning 49 years; one subject from the series will attend Saturday night’s showing. Joss Whedon’s black-and-white take on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing was shot in 12 days at his house in between working on last spring’s Avengers. In Lore, Australian writer and director Cate Shortland tells the story of the final hours of the Third Reich from the perspective of an SS officer’s teenage daughter.

You don’t need to be a film buff to appreciate the plethora of films offered at this festival. Madison is a small enough city that you feel incredibly connected to fellow festival-goers, but the quality and breadth of the content is no small-town effort. With stories from all over the globe, with special attention to Midwestern artists, the Wisconsin Film Festival is one you won’t want to miss.

Tickets are $10 each or $5 with a University of Wisconsin student ID