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Members-Only Screenings
Keep updated on our monthly members-only screenings. Free with your current Milwaukee Film Membership!
One of the most popular benefits of membership is FREE monthly members-only screenings of films like you'd see in the Milwaukee Film Festival. It's like a teeny tiny film festival each month so you don't miss the fest so much.
All screenings are at the Landmark Oriental Theatre on Milwaukee's East Side at 7:00p. We also like to gather for Happy Hour at The Hotel Foster nearby from 5:30-6:30p, and it would be great to see you there.
Sound like fun? Join Milwaukee Film as a member today.
Upcoming Screening dates:
February 27
March 27
April 24
May 29
June 26
July 24
August 21
September 11 (MFF 2013 Members Box Office Open)
October 2 (MFF 2013 Super Secret Members Screening!)
November 20
December 18
Next Screening
April 24, 7:00 PM
USA/ 2013/ 96min. / dir. Shane Carruth
Hailed as “heart-stoppingly beautiful, quite literally overwhelming,” by The AV Club’s Sam Adams, Upstream Color presents a stunning examination of human connections. This much-anticipated sophomore feature from director Shane Carruth (Primer, 2004) follows Kris (Amy Seimetz) as she struggles to piece her life back together after being drugged and robbed by a mysterious thief. As Kris begins her new life, she uncovers significant connections to other victims, as well as the natural world around her. With meticulous sound design and pristine cinematography (not to mention beautifully edited by MFF 2011 alum David Lowery, Pioneer), Carruth creates an immersive experience that will surely stick with you.
Remember in November when we told you Holy Motors would be a film unlike any you’ve seen before? Upstream Color tops that. Join us for this screening of what is already one of the most talked about films of the year, coming to you exclusively as a Milwaukee Film Member.
The screening takes place on Wednesday, April 24 at 7 pm at the Landmark Oriental Theatre. You’re probably going to want to talk about this film afterwards, so we invite you to join us back at Hotel Foster following the screening for a conversation lead by Programming Manager, Angela Catalano.
Please RSVP now: kristopher@mkefilm.org. Space is limited and tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservation closes on Monday, April 22. (If you do not receive a reply to your RSVP, please call me at 414-755-1965 x204.)
Hey, Kristopher! What if I'm NOT a member, but I want to come to this and all subsequent screenings, and I want to get lots of great deals on festival tickets and merchandise, and - whoa! Slow down, friend. I have just the solution. BECOME A MEMBER THIS VERY MINUTE and all your movie-related dreams will come true!
Past Screenings
March 27, 7:00 PM
ITALY/ 2012/ 76min. / dir. Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
Neither documentary, nor fictional drama, Caesar Must Die is a brilliant mélange of the two by the renowned Taviani Brothers. The film was shot entirely in the maximum security block of Rome’s Rebibbia prison, home to men serving long sentences for murder, drug-trafficking, and Mafia-related activities. Theater director Fabio Cavalli works with (and, at times, polices) the inmates to produce Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, a play steeped in murder, conspiracy, and revenge. This Golden Bear winner at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival is a fascinating and provocative look at the real-life consequences of lies and betrayals among men who value power above all else.
"How can anyone not adore Paolo and Vittorio Taviani’s CAESAR MUST DIE? In a scant hour and a quarter it enlarges your notion of what theater and cinema, what art itself, can do—it dissolves every boundary it meets. --David Edelstein, New York Magazine
February 27, 7:00 PM
FRANCE/ 2012/ 96min. / dir. Stephane Robelin
Stéphane Robelin's latest film focuses on five aging friends who opt out of retiring at a senior home to try a youthful experiment of moving in together into a spacious house, owned by their friends Annie (Geraldine Chaplin) and Jean (Guy Bedos). Joining them is the borderline womanizer Claude (Claude Rich) as well as the bon vivant Albert (Pierre Richard) and his wife Jeanne (Jane Fonda), a philosophy professor. This is Fonda's first French-language role since Jean-Luc Godard’s Tout Va Bien in 1972.
“Writer-director Stéphane Robelin treats aging with humor and grace...[and] the film's central performances reflect both its celebration of age and a sense of wistfulness.” – NPR
January 30, 7:00 PM
USA/ 2012 / 108min. / dir. Eugene Jarecki
Filmed in more than twenty states, award-winning filmmaker Eugene Jarecki's The House I Live In captures heart-wrenching stories from individuals at all levels of America’s War on Drugs. From the dealer to the grieving mother, the narcotics officer to the senator, the inmate to the federal judge, the film offers a penetrating look inside America’s longest war, offering a definitive portrait and revealing its profound human rights implications.
"2012′s BEST DOCUMENTARY! The House I Live In should be seen by everybody." - The New York Times
December 19, 7:00 PM
USA/ 2012 / 97min. / dir. Travis Fine
Travis Fine's moving film has garnered an impressive number of Audience Awards from festivals across the country - Tribeca, Chicago and Seattle, to name a few - including awards for what is being hailed as the best performance of Alan Cummings' career.
Inspired by a true story from the late 1970s and touching on legal and social issues that are as relevant today as they were 35 years ago, Any Day Now is a powerful tale of love, acceptance and family. When a teenager with Down syndrome (Isaac Leyva) is abandoned by his mother, a gay couple (Alan Cumming and Garret Dillahunt) takes him in and becomes the loving family he's never had. But when their unconventional living arrangement is discovered by authorities, the men are forced to fight a biased legal system to save the life of the child they have come to love as their own.
November 28, 7:00 PM
FRANCE / 2012 / 115min. / dir. Leos Carax
Hailed as "beautiful madness" byIndiewire and garnering extensive critical acclaim, Holy Motors marks the wildly entertaining return of award-winning filmmaker Leos Carax (The Lovers on the Bridge; Pola X).
Join Monsieur Oscar on his rollicking, soulful journey by limousine through the streets of Paris as he transforms into multiple characters for a series of mysterious “appointments." Melding film noir, romantic drama, musical, crime thriller, and anime, Carax’s mirthful, mind-bending masterwork is a ravishing fever dream of becoming, unraveling and starting all over again. Praised by Manohla Darghis as "an episodic work of great visual innovation,"Holy Motors is certain to be unlike any film you've seen.
September 12, 7:00 PM
DENMARK / 2011/ 93min. / dir. Mads Brügger
In this unbelievable act of gonzo journalism, Sundance Grand Prize winner Mads Brügger (The Red Chapel, MFF 2010) sneaks hidden cameras into the Central African Republic's underworld of political corruption. By adopting the persona of an international businessman - complete with power suit and sunglasses - he tracks diamond smugglers through a dangerous maze of murders and bribery schemes, jabbing even the scariest characters with his absurdly funny barbs.
August 22, 7:00 PM
USA/ 2012/ 100min. / dir. Nicholas Jarecki
Richard Gere, in an "Oscar caliber" (Rolling Stone) performance, portrays a troubled hedge fund magnate desperate to complete the sale of his trading empire in this acclaimed, gripping thriller from the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Building on the chemistry and charisma of an outstanding cast, including Susan Sarandon, Brit Marling, Tim Roth, and Nate Parker, director Nicholas Jarecki's auspicious debut leads us through a suspenseful tale of love, loyalty, and Arbitrage — buying low and selling high.
July 18, 7:00 PM
USA/ 2012/ 91min. / dir. Behn Zeitlin
Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in "the Bathtub", a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink's tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack -temperatures rise, and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink's health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother.
June 27, 7:00 PM
RUSSIA/ 2011/ 109min. / dir. Andrei Zvyagintsev
Winner of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize in 2011, Elena is a gripping, modern twist on the classic noir thriller. Sixty-ish spouses Vladimir and Elena uneasily share his palatial Moscow apartment—he’s a still-virile, wealthy businessman; she’s his dowdy former nurse who has clearly “married up.” But a sudden illness and an unexpected reunion threaten the dutiful housewife’s potential inheritance, she must hatch a desperate plan… Masterfully crafted by award-winning Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev (Golden Globe nominee, The Return) and featuring evocative, Hitchcockian music by Philip Glass, Elena is a subtly stylish exploration of crime, punishment and human nature.
May 30, 7:00 PM
USA/ 2011/ 94min. / dir. Lisanne Pajot & James Swirsky
Premiering at Sundance and ultimately winning the festival's World Cinema Documentary Editing Award, Indie Game: The Movie has collected an impressive amount of positive reviews. The film follows four indie video game developers who put everything they have into launching their own games. This documentary speaks to the incredible self-discipline and creativity that this new breed of interactive artists must employ in order to compete with major game development companies.
April 25, 7:00 PM
Germany / 1929 / 110 min. / dir. G.W. Pabst
Milwaukee Film is excited to partner with UWM’s Center for International Education’s (CIE) conference entitled World Cinemas, Global Networks to host this screening of G.W. Pabst’s silent film, Pandora’s Box (1929), complete with live musical accompaniment by Swedish film score composer, Matti Bye.
Regarded as a classic Weimar film, Pandora's Box follows the life of Lulu, played by Silent Screen icon Louise Brooks, a hedonistic young woman who dances her way into the hearts of numerous men and then destroys them.
This unique event will showcase the tremendously talented Bye, who has performed live accompaniments at the Cinéma du Panthéon in Paris, France; the Kino Arsenal in Berlin, Germany; Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and many others. Bye is regarded as one of the most important Swedish film score composers, with credits that include the Ingmar Bergman documentary Images from the Playground (2009) and Everlasting Moments (MFF 2009).
April 4, 7:00 PM
USA / 2011 / 87 min. / dir. Lee Hirsch
Over 13 million American kids will be bullied this year, making it the most common form of violence experienced by young people in the nation. The new documentary film, Bully, directed by Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker Lee Hirsch, brings human scale to this startling statistic, offering an intimate, unflinching look at how bullying has touched five kids and their families.
February 29, 7:00 PM
USA / 2011 / 80 min. / dir. Constance Marks, Philip Shane
Being Elmo brings you the incredible story of Kevin Clash who, as early as 10-years-old, began building and performing with puppets in the hopes of one day working with his idol, Jim Henson. Directed by Constance Marks, this film illustrates the perseverance, talent, and little bit of luck that it took for Clash to achieve his dream. Both uplifting and insightful, Being Elmois that special kind of documentary that makes you believe in the magic of childhood.
THE INNKEEPERS
January 25, 7:00 PM
USA / 2011 / 100 min. / dir. Ti West
As an aging hotel prepares to close for good, its last two employees, Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) are determined to prove the longstanding legend that the hotel is haunted. The final days of the hotel bring odd guests, and when the basement is the last place to check for paranormal activity, Claire and Luke may be too far into the hotel's sordid past to stop their investigation. Director Ti West (House of the Devil, MFF 2010) delivers a creepy, slow-burning ghost story that hearkens back to such classic horror films as The Haunting and House on Haunted Hill, while creating a contemporary niche of its own.
Award-winning director James Marsh (Man on Wire) takes the viewer on an emotional journey of the life of one very special chimp, Nim, who became the focus of a radical experiment in the 70's. Can an ape learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child? Fascinating and heartbreaking all at once, this film explores the barrier between animal and human. And if that barrier can be broken, at what cost to all involved?
NORWAY / 2010 / 88 MIN / DIR. ANNE SEWITSKY
GERMANY/2010/96 MIN/DIR. RALF HUETTNER
Most seaside vacations do not involve stealing cars, tricking doctors or outrunning angry politicians, but Vincent's not taking an ordinary road trip. The young Tourette's sufferer has escaped from a mental hospital with his obsessive-compulsive roommate and anorexic, pot-smoking dream girl. Whether speeding through the Alps or wheedling their way out of prison, the motley travelers take life by the horns, determined to see how far they can get despite the labels they wear. In addition to dominating the German box office, this crowd-pleasing dramedy nabbed the best picture prize at the country's 2011 film awards.
USA / 2011 / 92 MIN / DIR. MIKE CAHILL
Rhoda Williams, a bright young woman recently accepted into MIT's astrophysics program, aspires to explore the cosmos. John Burroughs, a brilliant composer, has just reached the pinnacle of his profession, and is about to have a second child with his loving wife. On the eve of the discovery of a duplicate Earth, tragedy strikes, and the lives of these strangers become irrevocably intertwined. Estranged from the world and the selves they once knew, the two outsiders begin an unlikely love affair, which reawakens them to life. But when one of them is presented with the opportunity to travel to the other Earth and embrace an alternative reality, which new life will they choose? In this auspicious debut, director/co-writer Mike Cahill offers a taut, superbly conceived science-fiction romance that marks the emergence of the multitalented actor/co-writer Brit Marling. Marrying character with high concept, ANOTHER EARTH lures audiences to go where no one has gone before. –Sundance Film Festival
PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES
(USA / 2011 / 91 MIN / DIR. ANDREW ROSSI)
June 29, 7:00 PM
In the tradition of great fly-on-the-wall documentaries, the film deftly gains unprecedented access to the New York Times newsroom and the inner workings of the Media Desk. With the Internet surpassing print as our main news source and newspapers all over the country going bankrupt, Page One chronicles the transformation of the media industry at its time of greatest turmoil. Writers like Brian Stelter, Tim Arango and the salty but brilliant David Carr track print journalism’s metamorphosis even as their own paper struggles to stay vital and solvent, while their editors and publishers grapple with up-to-the-minute issues like controversial new sources and the implications of an online pay-wall. Meanwhile, rigorous journalism is thriving—Page One gives us an up-close look at the vibrant cross-cubicle debates and collaborations, tenacious jockeying for on-record quotes, and skillful page-one pitching that brings the most venerable newspaper in America to fruition each and every day.
THE HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER
(ISRAEL, GERMANY, FRANCE, ROMANIA / 2010 / 103 MIN / DIR. ERAN RIKLIS)
May 25, 7:00 PM
This award-winning, touching tragic-comedy follows the HR manager of Israel’s largest bakery who finds himself the unlikely chaperone of the body of a young Russian woman as he sets out to save the reputation of his business. Eran Riklis, the acclaimed director of The Lemon Tree (MFF 2009) and The Syrian Bride, brings a poignant and personal approach to a story that speaks to the ever-present threat of violence in Jerusalem. Winner of five Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and the Audience Award at the Locarno International Film Festival.
POTICHE
(FRANCE / 2010 / 103 MIN / DIR. FRANCOIS OZON)
April 27, 7:00 PM
Set in 1977 in a provincial French town, POTICHE is a free adaptation of the 1970s eponymous hit comic play. Catherine Deneuve is Suzanne Pujol, a submissive, housebound ‘trophy housewife’ (or “potiche,”) who steps in to manage the umbrella factory run by her wealthy and tyrannical husband (Fabrice Luchini) after the workers go on strike and take him hostage. To everyone’s surprise, Suzanne proves herself a competent and assertive woman of action. But when her husband returns from a restful cruise in top form, things get complicated. Gérard Depardieu plays a former union leader and Suzanne’s ex-beau who still holds a flame for her. Acclaimed writer-director François Ozon (“Swimming Pool,” “Under the Sand,” “Time to Leave,”) who had previously directed Ms. Deneuve in the international hit "8 Women", twists the original play on its head to create his own satirical and hilarious take on the war between the sexes and classes.
FAREWELL
(FRANCE / 2009 / 112 MIN / DIR. CHRISTIAN CARION)
March 30, 7:00 PM
1981, the height of the cold war. Pierre Froment (Guillaume Canet, "Tell No One"), an ordinary French engineer based in Moscow meets with KGB Colonel Grigoriev (Palme d’Or and Golden Bear winner Emir Kusturica, "Underground" ) is thrust into the biggest theft of Soviet information in history. Ronald Reagan called it “one of the most important espionage cases of the 20th century.” Based on the astonishing true story. Directed by Christian Carion, the Academy Award® nominated filmmaker of "Joyeux Noël" (Merry Christmas).
CARLOS
(FRANCE, GERMANY / 2010 / 265 MIN / DIR. OLIVIER ASSAYAS)
February 23, 7:00 PM
From the early 1970s until his capture in 1994, Carlos the Jackal was the world's most notorious and deadly celebrity terrorist. French filmmaker Olivier Assayas ("Summer Hours"; "Irma Vep" ) mounts a fast-paced, epic, three-part dramatic biography, starring Edgar Ramirez as the sophisticated, intelligent and egotistical assassin.
