Bay View’s historic Avalon Atmospheric Theatre hosted the Milwaukee International Short Film Festival September 11-12. Created by the Milwaukee Independent Film Society in 1994, the annual festival brought together filmmakers from across Wisconsin and beyond for two days of short films spanning drama, comedy, horror, and more. This year’s roster was chock-full of Peck School of the Arts faculty, alumni, and students who worked with local creatives to bring their short films to the silver screen.
Interdisciplinary artist Tommy Simms (BFA 2011, Painting & Drawing) collaborated with local rock band Fuzzysurf to film Never Fell in Love, a murder mystery music video that ends with an unexpected twist. Simms had to work quickly under a tight timeframe.
“Fuzzysurf had found a performance space, and when they saw it, they knew they had to film a music video there,” Simms said. “They pitched a murder mystery to me. At that time, we had two days to make a movie.”
After only one day of planning, the group filmed the entire video in a single night. Within two weeks, the finished product was released to the public.
“The guys were great to work with. They took my direction and ideas and ran with it,” Simms said. “We had everything filmed in one night in a matter of a few hours.”
Senior film student Nathaniel C. Blumin’s The Sketch explores the inner world of a police sketch artist as the weight of his career causes his life to unravel. From the beginning of the project, Blumin partnered with his peers, drawing on their talents and support to create the narrative.
“It was an inviting experience in the sense that I wanted everyone to be heard and see my vision in their own way,” Blumin said. “I especially wanted my friends in film school to collaborate, so they already knew how to work together and what to do.”
The Milwaukee International Short Film Festival marked Blumin’s first time having his work shown at a festival.
“When I heard about the Milwaukee International Short Film Festival, I thought it would be perfect to submit to since my film and my crew are based in Milwaukee,” Blumin said. “When they picked my film, I was very touched and super excited.”
Kim Reese’s (BFA 2025, Film) May Day is a deeply personal story about a girl who peers into the future on her 16th birthday. The film debuted its debut at UWM’s Spring 2025 Senior Screenings. Reese created the film through connections she made during her time at UWM.
“As the film ambassador, I was able to make amazing connections with people whom I still work with today,” Reese said. “This whole project was a culmination of the four years I spent at PSOA.”
This was Reese’s second time showing at this festival, following her short film Maria last year. Returning to the festival gave her another opportunity to connect with Milwaukee’s filmmaking community. “I’ve been part of the festival twice now, and each time I’ve gotten to meet such amazing people,” Reese said. “I got to work with people I already know and love and meet new people who I love to work with.”
Other Featured Filmmakers:
- 馬小麥 (Little Madeline McGuire) | Madeline McGuire (BFA 2025, Film)
- From Section 48 to King Drive | Yinan Wang (Lecturer, Film & BFA 2017, Film)
- Sherman Park | Paulina Bugembe-Kuwahara (Former Lecturer, Film)
- Human Error | Emma Kipp (BFA 2026, Film)
- Witchy Women | Courtney Peterson (BFA 2025, Film)
- It’s Not About the Bacon | Daniel Wilson (BFA 1991, Film)
Story by Payton Murphy ’28 (BFA Film)