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.

  • Direct Action
    October 15, 2024, 7:00pm - 8:30pm

    Direct Action is a contemporary portrait of one of the most high-profile militant activist communities in France: a 150-person strong rural collective.

  • Far From Home
    October 16, 2024, 7:00pm - 8:30pm

    With only his fellow immigrant housemates as a patchwork community, Husseyin perseveres with quiet dignity in the face of an alienating country.

  • El Sur
    October 17, 2024, 7:00pm - 8:30pm

    Estrella Arenas, a rural Spanish teenager with a rich imagination, dreams of her mysterious father Agustín, a man who in recent years has drifted away from her. Estrella struggles to piece together Agustín’s secret history and recalls her family’s sudden unexplained move from Seville, Spain, to the northern countryside in her youth.

  • Spirit of the Beehive
    October 18, 2024, 5:30pm - 7:00pm

    In an allegory of life after Gen. Franco’s victory in the Spanish Civil War, life in a remote village in the 1940s is calm and uneventful. Two little girls see a Frankenstein movie, and one of them starts wandering the countryside in search of this kind creature.

View All Union Cinema Events

Film Prints, Series, & Festivals

Experimental Tuesdays
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.
Share the Earth Environmental Film Series
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.
Independent Cinema
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.
Annual African American Film Series
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.
Documentary Films
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.
Festival of Films in French
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.
International Cinema
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.
Annual Latin American Film Series
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.
Cinema Classics
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.
Horror Week
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.
Queer Curatorial Fund
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.
Senior Screenings
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