Film

Explore Madison’s art-house screenings and the adventurous corners of local cinema.

In the foreground of an image in a forested area, a woman in a white lab suit lays on the grass in the fetal position. Behind her, yellow tape that faintly reads "crime scene do not enter" is wrapped in a semi-triangular shape around a cluster of trees.

Mortal and moral inquiries at the 2025 Wisconsin Film Festival

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Wisconsin Film Festival
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April 3, 2025

Our writers ponder four incisive, formidable documentaries (and essay films) screening as part of the fest from April 4 through 10.

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Two woman stand in front of a red parked car at night outside. The woman on the right holds her phone up with her right hand, closer to her face, while the other woman leans in slightly with her arms folded. Both women stare ahead with calm, neutral expressions that suggest they are listening attentively.
“Thank You For Banking With Us!” offers a rich, uplifting portrait of resistance to patriarchal oppression
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Wisconsin Film Festival
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April 2, 2025

The Palestinian dramedy by filmmaker and academic Laila Abbas premieres locally at the Wisconsin Film Festival on April 5 and 7.

A still image from the film "Shanghai Blues" shows a young couple sitting somewhat anxiously on a couch that's in front of a bedroom area behind them. They stare at each other intently with straight faces. The woman on the right's left arm is resting on the arm of the couch, while the man on the left is holding a thin, elongated wooden prop or piece of a wooden frame that's resting on the floor.
The lovesick silliness of “Shanghai Blues” turns exhilaratingly bittersweet
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Wisconsin Film Festival
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March 31, 2025

Tsui Hark's lively romantic comedy from 1984 screens in a new 4K restoration at the Wisconsin Film Festival on April 7 and 10.

A frame from the short film "Choose The Pond" shows a middle-aged woman wearing a long-sleeve purple and red tie-dye shirt. She sits in profile at a desk in a corner, and looks ahead at a computer monitor, while speaking on the phone.
“Choose The Pond” testifies to the power of self-advocacy
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Wisconsin Film Festival
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March 30, 2025

Susan Borri's inspiring documentary short premieres locally at the Wisconsin Film Festival on April 5.

A color-muted image shows a middle-aged male hospital patient laying on a bed out of focus. Behind him is a younger woman sitting in the middleground of the frame. She is in focus, and stares affectionately at him with her left hand cradling her chin.
“Relationship To Patient” navigates physical and emotional discomfort with refreshing candor and humor
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Wisconsin Film Festival
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March 27, 2025

Caroline Creaghead's compelling narrative short film makes its local premiere at the Wisconsin Film Festival on April 6.

A photo of an urban alleyway during the day. Along either side of the alley are vertical rows of garbage and recycling bins against fences and houses. The bins extend into the distance. The road itself is free of cars and pedestrians.
“The Year” presents a prosaic alleyway as a poetic gateway
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Wisconsin Film Festival
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March 25, 2025

A conversation with Milwaukee-based filmmaker Grace Mitchell, whose experimental short makes its local premiere at the Wisconsin Film Festival on April 4.

A still frame from the film "Milk Punch" shows three characters in their 20s standing near the windows of an appliance store in daylight. They hover around a stereo boombox in the foreground. The balding man on the right puts his left hand on top of it, inspecting it, while the woman in the center inspects a cassette tape case. To the left, the other long-haired man stares with an derisive expression.
“Milk Punch” revels in a Madison beautifully adrift
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Wisconsin Film Festival
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March 24, 2025

Erik Gunneson's locally shot 2000 feature returns to the Wisconsin Film Festival in a new digital restoration for its 25th anniversary on April 5.

A spliced, shuffled image that consists of 12 thin horizontal strips of different shots of an urban environment. The complete image in daylight contains fragments of streets and graffitied walls.
There’s always more to see and sensorially absorb in Tuohy and Barrie’s experimental films
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Film
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March 19, 2025

Mills Folly Microcinema presents eight shorts by the Australian creative partners on March 26 at Arts + Literature Laboratory.

A mid-motion still frame shows dozens of soldiers and civilians who've gathered outside in a demonstration. Centered in the frame is a young person reaching towards the camera and staring directly into the lens; they're waving what looks to be a cloth flag.
“The Battle Of Algiers” radically confronts the horrors of French imperialism
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Film
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March 10, 2025

UW Cinematheque presents the innovative and still-urgently relevant 1966 film of political upheaval on March 14.

Five people sit at an elongated table in a moviehouse lobby. Two are seated on the right side, closer to or in the foreground, while the three on the left sit further away in the middle ground. All of them carefully pore over printed materials on the table. Other attendees mill about in the background.
The sights and shape(s) of the 2025 Wisconsin Film Festival
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Film
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March 9, 2025

Seven writers size up the programming patterns in the eight-day celebration of movies, which runs April 3 through 10 across UW–Madison campus and beyond.