Several alums and faculty are screening films this spring as part of the 2025 edition of the Milwaukee Film Festival. The Peck School of the Arts is excited to highlight the incredible work that our filmmakers and artists are bringing to the Milwaukee community. We’ve rounded up some PSOA connections among the festival selections.
The Milwaukee Film Festival runs April 24 to May 8 at the Oriental and Downers theaters.
Brady Street: A Portrait of a Neighborhood
One of this year’s most anticipated offerings is “Brady Street: A Portrait of a Neighborhood,” a feature-length documentary made by doc|UWM. The film chronicles the rise, fall and rise again of one of Milwaukee’s most popular neighborhoods.
“Brady Street” was directed by Sean Kafer, teaching faculty and program director of doc|UWM, in collaboration with Brady Street Business Improvement District. More than 80 students and alums worked on this project as part of PSOA’s doc|UWM program, an endeavor that Kafer describes as “energizing.”
“It wasn’t just about making a film; it was about building relationships with each other and with the Brady Street community,” Kafer said. “That collaborative spirit is what made the storytelling so rich and meaningful.”
One of Kafer’s standout collaborators was Emanuel Zander, who worked on the film while a student. After two years in the making, Zander is excited for the documentary to resonate with the festival audience.
“I really hope the audience takes away the sense of community. Not just the community that is shown in the film, but connections that they have of their own,” Zander said. “I hope they seek out ways to make those connections stronger to make our communities stronger.”
Kafer also collaborated with Georgia Didier, a student who felt a personal connection to the film as she was living in the Brady Street neighborhood while the film was being made.
“Brady Street is such a gem in the Milwaukee community,” Didier said. “It’s the place where I grew as a filmmaker. For me, this film is very personal, and I’m just so happy I get to share a part of my growth with the rest of my community.”
“Brady Street: A Portrait of a Neighborhood” will screen at the Oriental Theatre on May 2 and at the Downer Theatre on May 4 and 7.
All That Glitters
Noah Meister (BFA 2021, Film) is bringing his feature debut, “All That Glitters,” to the Milwaukee Film Festival.
This coming-of-age film follows Christopher, a high schooler whose frustrating suburban life accidentally leads him to a drug deal gone wrong. Christopher must face the consequences of his dangerous actions.
“All That Glitters” screens at the Downer Theatre on April 29 and 30 and the Oriental Theatre on May 1.
Fresh Values
“Fresh Values” is a short film co-directed by Drew Durepos (MFA 2018, Film) and Isaac Brooks (lecturer and technical assistant, Film).
The film, set in the near future, follows an urban food co-op that adopts augmented reality technology in an effort to save their struggling store. The strategy proves too successful.
“Fresh Values” screens during The Milwaukee Show II.
Full Out
Sarah Ballard’s (lecturer, Film) short film follows high school cheerleaders fainting en masse as the result of a 19th-century hospital in France that hypnotized patients to reproduce the symptoms of hysteria for public audiences. “Full Out” is the first in a suite of films that investigates historical accounts of mass hysteria.
“Full Out” screens before Baby Doe.
Heart Shaped
Co-directed by Grace Mitchell (lecturer, Film) and Sofia Theodore-Pierce (MFA 2021, Cinematic Art), “Heart Shaped” explores seven guests staying at a themed hotel.
“Heart Shaped” screens during The Milwaukee Show I.
Home-land: Hmong American Women
Directed by Pader Xiong (BFA 2024, Film), “Home-land: Hmong American Women” is a standalone short film related to the “Home-land” video installation exhibition. Xiong’s short explores the identities of Hmong American Women.
“Home-land: Hmong American Women” screens during The Milwaukee Show I.
Mandatory Bathroom Break
Directed by Alyssa Sue Borkowski (BFA 2021, Film), “Mandatory Bathroom Break” is a short film about a moving truck employee awaiting the most important call of his life while actively on the job.
“Mandatory Bathroom Break” screens during The Milwaukee Show II.
The Phalanx
“The Phalanx” is a lyrical, experimental film that explores utopian aspirations from the point of view of a community guided by principles of harmony. Directed by Ben Balcom (assistant professor, Film), this short film was shot on the former site of Ceresco, a 19th-century agrarian commune in Ripon, Wisconsin.
“The Phalanx” screens during The Milwaukee Show II.
Black Lens Series
The popular Black Lens series presents genre-varying short films that reflect the relationship between Blackness, tension, and conflict. Ty Williams (BFA 2020, Film) is the lead programmer for Black Lens and selected the short films that will be shown this year.
