Film and Book Festival Scene Takes Off in Wisconsin

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. October 14, 2008

DECEMBER 6, 2006. What started as a unique addition to Wisconsin's arts scene has become a category of its own. Wisconsin now hosts more than a dozen film festivals, screening everything from student films to horror. More and more book festivals are also popping up in the state, including Madison's annual Wisconsin Book Festival which draws more than 10,000 visitors.

Wisconsin Film Festival Madison

Since 1999, the annual Wisconsin Film Festival brings films from around the world to theaters in downtown Madison. Presented by the UW Arts Institute and supported by dozens of campus and community sponsors, this popular event draws audiences of more than 25,000 to see independent American films, international cinema, experimental and avant-garde work and newly restored films. Juried awards are given to Wisconsin's Own and Student filmmakers, celebrating the best new local films from our state. Attendees can vote for the Steep & Brew Audience Awards. The Festival is usually scheduled in early April, with tickets on sale four weeks earlier. Theaters include campus screening rooms, commercial movies theaters, and venues like the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.

1-877-963-FILM; www.wifilmfest.org

Festival de Cine Madison

The Festival de Cine is an annual event organized by the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program (LACIS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in cooperation with the Cinematheque and other campus organizations. Each year it chooses a new theme or region, and screens between five and ten films during late February or early March. The event is free and open to the public.

http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/lacis/aboutus.html

Milwaukee International Film Festival (MIFF) Milwaukee

As Milwaukee's only broad-based international film festival and one of the fastest growing events of its kind in the nation, the mission of the non-profit Milwaukee International Film Festival (MIFF) is to present high quality, thought provoking films from around the world and the Midwest for 11 days each fall. An integral part of that mission is to bring Milwaukee's diverse communities together in an educational cultural event through the language of cinema. Screenings take place at Landmark's Oriental and Downer theatres, Times Cinema, Milwaukee Art Museum's Lubar Auditorium and Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin. Extending from the cultural and social issues presented in the films, MIFF also offers educational programs for the community such as student programming, filmmaker discussion panels and special guest speakers, as well as special cultural events, including annual gala parties.

414/225-9740; www.milwaukeefilmfest.org

It Came from Lake Michigan Film Festival Racine

Started in 2006, the It Came from Lake Michigan Film Festival is a three-day film festival in Racine that meets in October to celebrate the horror genre. The festival is an outlet for creative filmmakers to enter their horror projects to be judged by a learned panel and is also an opportunity for horror film fans to meet filmmakers, actors, and technicians. The festival also offers a myriad of classes and workshops where potential filmmakers and even casual fans can learn the craft behind independent filmmaking. Some of the classes to be held include directing, producing, makeup artistry, special effects, acting and camera work.

www.itcamefromlakemichigan.com

Wildwood Film Festival Appleton

The Wildwood Film Festival celebrates Wisconsin filmmakers and related talent. Started in 2001, the festival's goal is to support and educate high school and college students interested in independent filmmaking. The festival focuses mainly on comedies and shorts. Wildwood Film Festival also features projects from former Wisconsin residents working with major motion picture studios or television networks. The event is held annually mid-April in downtown Appleton and typically screens about 30-40 films over two days.

920/968-8730; www.wildwoodfilmfest.com

Ole Muddy Film Festival Trempealeau County

A 100 percent volunteer film festival, the Ole Muddy started in 2005 to show off films in a unique small town atmosphere, the Mississippi River village of Arcadia. The festival is a weekend long event with an awards banquet and four sessions of film viewings. Films include shorts and features in several categories including; comedy/musical, documentary, drama and animation/experimental. Films are shown at the Arcadia High School Theater.

608/534-6412; www.olemuddyfilmfestival.com

Door County Student Film Festival Door County

The Door County Student Film Festival is an annual event held in the Lake Michigan resort community of Door County. The festival, organized and run by students, showcases movies made by high school and college students from across the country. Movies from all genres are played - comedy, drama, documentary and experimental. In addition to the festival weekend in Wisconsin, Door County Student Film Festival runs a touring show called Student Films Across America, which shows the best shorts from the entire festival in theaters in dozens of cities.

920/246-7500; www.dcsff.com

Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival

The Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival presents an array of films and videos, and offers an international assortment of work in different genres, nationalities and storytelling styles. While lesbian and gay imagery has entered the mainstream, the range of available representations is still limited. This festival seeks to overcome that by showing features, documentaries, shorts and experimental work from around the world.

414/229-4758 ext. 3; www.Arts.uwm.edu\lgbtfilm

Milwaukee Short Film Festival Milwaukee

Started in 1995, the Milwaukee Short Film Festival is a local festival with an international reach. It is organized and run by Milwaukee filmmakers to give greater exposure to emerging independent and student filmmakers from not only the Milwaukee area, but from all over the world. The festival boasts numerous jury and audience awards -- including a $1000 grand prize. The festival is a one night only event that shows narrative, documentary, experimental, and animation shorts and screens at the Times Cinema in Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Short Film Festival has been named "Best Local Film Festival" by Moviemaker magazine.

www.dirtyjobfilms.com/filmfest.asp

Central Wisconsin Film Festival Stevens Point/Amherst

The Central Wisconsin Film Festival showcases emerging and established independent film and video makers. Established in 2006, the Central Wisconsin Film Festival supports film and video makers that demonstrate a high regard for moving images as artistic expression. The festival's intent is to promote understanding, tolerance, entertainment and social awareness while providing a stimulating and enriching cultural experience within central Wisconsin.

715/254-0460; www.cwfilmfest.org

Beloit International Film Festival Beloit

The four day festival in Wisconsin's gateway city of Beloit, shows about 80 films - shorts, documentaries, animated, feature length - in seven venues around the city. The venues include restaurants, art galleries, theatres, and even the chapel on the Beloit College campus. The mix of films provides an opportunity to see rare classics, foreign language films, and the latest creations of leading filmmakers as part of the Beloit Midwest Filmmakers Competition.

1-800-4-BELOIT; www.beloitfilmfest.com

Book Festivals

Wisconsin Book Festival Madison

The Wisconsin Book Festival is a five-day celebration in and around downtown Madison. Designed to delight booklovers of all walks, tastes, and ages, the festival features readings, lectures, book discussions, writing workshops, live interviews, children's events and more. The Festival is not a sales fair or "book expo;" rather, it is a series of dynamic interactive programs that celebrate the written word, writers, reading and books. Drawing a total annual attendance of around 10,000, festival events are designed to reach diverse audiences of all ages.

608/262-0706; www.wisconsinbookfestival.org

Chippewa Valley Book Festival Eau Claire

The Chippewa Valley Book Festival is held each fall at various locations around the city of Eau Claire. Wisconsin's oldest book festival features a variety of free events for all ages and interests, including a poetry evening, discussions, workshops, readings for and by kids and teens, a creative writing competition for young writers, and presentations and readings by 21 writers of regional, national and international reputation.

715/839-5004; www.uwec.edu/dc/ap/cvbf

Edgerton Book Festival Edgerton

The Edgerton Book Festival started in 2006 to celebrate the 100th birthday of Edgerton's hometown author, Sterling North. Each year the festival plans to host internationally and nationally known authors to provide multiple sessions and book signings. Food and entertainment is available, but the focus of the event is to promote the importance of reading. The festival is free.

608/884-9402; www.edgertonbookfestival.com

For free Wisconsin travel-planning guides and information, call the Wisconsin Department of Tourism at 1-800-432-TRIP/8747 or visit travelwisconsin.com. Visitors can also obtain guides and information at Wisconsin Welcome Centers, located in select state-border cities.