Entrance to the UWM Student Union Cinema featuring double glass doors framed by two tall yellow columns with white horizontal stripes. Above the doors is a sign reading ‘Union Cinema.’ Inside, the lobby has maroon carpet, silver stanchions with a red rope, and posters on gray walls.

Union Cinema

Since 1972, the Union Cinema has been providing UWM and the local community with a diverse, entertaining, and intellectually engaging film and video program.

During the academic year, the Union Cinema offers first-run foreign, domestic, documentary and experimental films, as well as “cinema classics” from all over the world. The Cinema strives to help develop a broader understanding and appreciation of the universal language of film and is a vital and unique venue for film and video.

Union Cinema

Event times vary

Upcoming Showings & Events

Immerse yourself in the world of cinema at the Union Cinema. Our weekly schedule boasts a captivating selection of films, ranging from in-depth documentaries that will ignite your curiosity to innovative experimental shorts that will challenge your perspective.

  • Still from the film Soul Patrol showing a group of soldiers in military uniforms and gear standing together outdoors.
    Soul Patrol | New release!
    November 11, 2026, 6:00pm - 8:00pm

    Soul Patrol uncovers a hidden chapter of American military history by focusing on the Vietnam War’s first Black special ops team, an elite unit operating deep behind enemy lines. With unprecedented access to this once-secretive group of African-American veterans, director J.M. Harper reconstructs their journey with an immediacy rarely seen in Vietnam War storytelling, using raw Super 8 footage, photographs, and audio recordings from their personal archives. Opening on the war’s 50th anniversary, the surviving members reunite in a hotel that becomes a surreal liminal space, where memory, brotherhood, and unresolved trauma collide. As the men reflect on their experiences,…

  • A promotional poster for
    Panther Improv Night
    November 12, 2026, 7:00pm - 9:00pm

    Join the Panther Prov Jesters in the Union Cinema for a night of Improv and interactivity! Co-sponsored by Panther imProv…

  • Still from the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind showing an alien figure with outstretched arms illuminated against a bright, glowing background.
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind | 35mm print!
    November 13, 2026, 5:00pm - 7:00pm

    Richard Dreyfuss stars as cable worker Roy Neary, who along with several other stunned bystanders experience a close encounter of the first kind – witnessing UFOs soaring across the sky. After this life-changing event, the inexplicable vision of a strange, mountain-like formation haunts him. He becomes obsessed with discovering what it represents, much to the dismay of his wife and family. Meanwhile, bizarre occurrences are happening around the world. Government agents have close encounters of the second kind – discovering physical evidence of extraterrestrial visitors in the form of a lost fighter aircraft from World War II and a stranded…

  • Underwater view of a dolphin swimming in clear blue water with bubbles rising above it.
    John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office | Milwaukee premiere!
    November 13, 2026, 8:00pm - 10:00pm

    The daring experimenter Dr. John C. Lilly dedicated his life to radical self-investigation and unlocking the mysteries of consciousness and communication. Directors Michael Almareyda and Courtney Stephens, along with narrator Chloë Sevigny, explore the life of a determined scientist and his experiments into the psychonautical unknown….

View All Union Cinema Events

Film Prints, Series, & Festivals

Close-up of a torn and weathered white paper sign with the word ‘Movie’ printed in large black letters. The top edge of the sign has a bright yellow strip, and the paper shows creases, dirt marks, and slight damage, suggesting it has been exposed to the elements.
Experimental Tuesdays
Re-evaluating cinematic conventions and exploring new styles of film-making, experimental films seek to change the narrative experience in unique new ways.

Often blending with other art forms including song, dance, paint, performance, Experimental Tuesdays are a weekly highlight of experimental art pieces both old and new. Sponsored by the Department of Film/Video/Animation/New Genres.
Animated robot WALL-E sits on a pile of trash under a starry twilight sky. The robot has binocular-like eyes and tank-like treads, gazing upward as if curious or hopeful. A red cooler lies nearby, and the background shows a gradient of purple and orange hues, suggesting sunset or sunrise.
Share the Earth Environmental Film Series
The Union Cinema has been showing films on environmental topics for almost 20 years through the Share the Earth Environmental Film Series.
The Share the Earth Environmental Film Series is a monthly film series that shows documentaries and narrative films that focus on the environment, communities of the world, and our behavior as a species.
A dimly lit hallway with blue tones shows a child sitting on the carpet facing a closed door. The child’s back is to the viewer, wearing a loose long-sleeved shirt. A small bright light, possibly from a nightlight or candle, glows on the wall to the right, casting an eerie reflection. The scene feels unsettling and quiet.
Independent Cinema
These films, by being independent of a major studio, allow filmmakers greater freedom to create something unique to their vision. Some of the greatest genre-defining films began as independent films, including Paranormal Activity, The Terminator, Pulp Fiction, Boyhood, The Blair Witch Project, Star Wars, The Evil Dead, and so many more.
Independent Cinema offers a look at fantastic new indie films.
African American male wearing a gray suit and black tie sits at a table with multiple microphones in front, suggesting a press conference or formal announcement. The background is a dark green curtain, and the setting appears official and professional.
Annual African American Film Series
Presented by UWM Sociocultural Programming, the Annual African American Film Series features a variety of films in February in honor of Black History Month and throughout the year. The Annual African American Film Series screens films from all walks of life focused on topics of diversity that are very relevant to modern society.
A crowded outdoor scene with people standing close together, many holding smartphones and cameras to record. Some individuals wear hats and patterned face coverings, including one with an American flag design. The background shows more people and flags, suggesting a public gathering or protest.
Documentary Films
Through the cinematic art of non-fiction, documentary film-making seeks to explore reality through the lens of the motion picture camera. Known for capturing history in motion and informing the curious, documentary films offer insight on new and exciting worlds.
Two people walk side by side along a dimly lit city street at night. The street is lined with old buildings, some with illuminated windows and warm streetlights casting a soft glow. The individuals wear dark jackets, and the scene conveys a quiet, urban atmosphere.
Annual Festival of Films in French
The Festival of Films in French celebrates France’s cinematic legacy by featuring both contemporary and classic French films. Although the creation of motion pictures was a worldwide effort, the Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis, are often credited with pioneering modern filmmaking. Their Cinematograph was the first true motion picture camera, projector, and printer. Their film L’arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotat (The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station) famously caused audience members to flee in fear during its first screening.
A black and white photograph showing a group of children and a woman embracing in a huddle on a sandy beach by the ocean waves. From Alfonso Cuarón's film Roma.
International Cinema
International Cinema features films from around the world and in many different languages to showcase and highlight the cinematic achievements of filmmakers outside of the United States in one of the only venues in the greater Milwaukee area where these films are likely to be seen on the big screen.
A solitary figure standing on a dark beach at twilight, silhouetted against the reflective waves and the distant horizon, with dark cliffs on the right.
Annual Latin American Film Series
Latin America produces some of the finest international films that exist today. It is the mission of the Annual Latin American Film Series to present these films to the Milwaukee community, covering a broad a range of genres.

Featuring films of multiple languages and diverse cultures, the Annual Latin American Film Series allows otherwise unseen cinema to be seen at the Union Cinema.

Presented by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
A figure wearing a red spacesuit with an orange life support backpack walks away down a bright white, geometrically structured, futuristic corridor in a scene from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Cinema Classics
From Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope to the Lumière brothers’ Cinematograph, motion pictures have evolved over a century. At the Union Cinema, we aim to redefine “classic cinema” by screening historically significant films like Giant, Malcolm X, and Little Women, alongside cult classics like Sister Act and Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion.

Cinema Classics presents a series of films from around the world and across decades, showcasing many in their original formats, bringing them back to the big screen in all their glory.
A terrifying, extreme close-up of a person's wide, staring, pale blue-green eyes and forehead in near-total darkness, which is the iconic poster image for the horror film The Blair Witch Project.
Horror Week
When it comes to emotions created by art, almost no art form is more effective than the genre of horror. Being able to evoke both laughter and fear, horror movies are best enjoyed in a crowded cinema with your friends. It is the entertainment we seek to bring every year with Horror Week.

Occurring annually around Halloween, the Union Cinema is proud to showcase the best of classic and modern horror.
Two people stand near the edge of a calm lake with mountains in the distance under a clear sky. One wears a maroon western-style shirt with white embroidery, and the other wears a shiny silver blouse with a red belt. The serene outdoor setting suggests a reflective moment. This image is from the film Desert Hearts, a romantic drama set in the American West.
Queer Curatorial Fund
Continuing the tradition of the MKE LGBT Film/Video Festival and honoring its founder, Carl Bogner, the Union Cinema, with support from the LGBTQ+ Resource Center, regularly presents films that reflect the many facets of queer life.
A collage of four images representing themes from senior film projects: top left shows a person sitting alone in wooden pews inside a dimly lit church; top right is an extreme close-up of a vivid green eye with a yellow iris; bottom left features a stylized digital rendering of a human head in shades of blue and purple; bottom right displays a weathered skull in dark tones, suggesting decay or mortality. The combination evokes ideas of isolation, perception, technology, and death, highlighting the diversity of experimental student films.
Senior Screenings
Each semester, the Union Cinema works with UWM’s Dept. of Film/Video/Animation/New Genres to showcase the fantastic work of graduating seniors. This is a great celebration of the talented artists coming out of UWM’s nationally-recognized film program. Everyone is invited!

Admission & Membership

The Union Cinema brings you an amazing array of films each week. And there’s no question that we’re the best deal in town to have that big screen movie experience, watching films that are often not shown elsewhere.

Admission

  • UWM Students: Free
  • Members: Free
  • Non-Members: $5.00

If you’re a frequent Union Cinema patron, please consider supporting us by becoming a member!

Membership

Annual Memberships

  • UWM Students: Membership is included with tuition fees
  • General Public: $50
  • Campus Community / Alumni / Seniors / Veterans: $40

Family Memberships

  • General Public: $75 (includes one additional person)
  • Campus Community / Alumni / Seniors / Veterans: $60 (includes one additional person)

Membership Benefits

  • Free admission to all screenings
  • Free small popcorn on Wednesday nights
  • Two free guest passes per semester

Memberships can be purchased at the Union Cinema during operating hours.

Contact Us with Membership Questions