Just weeks after the conclusion of the most successful Milwaukee Film Festival yet, another local film festival is set to begin. Tonight marks the opening night of the 32nd annual Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival. The fest, which runs through Sunday, November 12, will be “unveiling local premieres of the finest in LGBT+ cinema” with 17 screenings at three sites over the 11-day span. Here’s this year’s lineup, along with film descriptions from the Milwaukee LGBT Film Festival website.
Thursday, November 2 @ Oriental Theatre
Signature Move — (7:30 p.m.)
“The 32nd Annual Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival opens with Signature Move, a hilarious and heartfelt look at modern families and the complexities of love in its many forms. Director Jennifer Reeder will be in attendance!”
Friday, November 3 @ UWM Union Cinema
They — (7 p.m.)
“J is exploring their gender identity while taking hormone blockers to postpone puberty. After two years of medication and therapy, J has to make a decision whether or not to transition.”
Cruising. And Mom: Men’s Shorts Program — (9 p.m.)
“Work to screen will include: Cruising Elsewhere by Ryan White, The Last Gentlemen of the Vale of Cashmere by Greg Loser and more…
Saturday, November 4 @ UWM Union Cinema
Brothers Season 1 and 2 Preview — (5 p.m.)
“A narrative web series that follows a group of transgender male friends, exploring what it means to go up against traditional societal gender roles. Creator Emmett J. Lundberg and producer Sheyam Ghieth will be in attendance!”
I Dream In Another Language — (7 p.m.)
“An indigenous language is in peril as its last two speakers—Evaristo and Isauro, now both in their 70’s—haven’t spoken to each other in over 50 years. The two had a quarrel and despite their proximity, won’t talk to the other.”
And You Are? An Evening Of Women’s Shorts — (9 p.m.)
“The annual parade of tender drama and gentle comedy wherein women hazard identities to unexpected end. Program includes some grrrl power courtesy of Opening Night director, Jennifer Reeder, and maybe some outrageous animation.”
Sunday, November 5 @ UWM Union Cinema
Small Talk — (5 p.m.)
“Anu is a tomboy. Married off at a young age, Anu soon divorced her violent husband and raised her daughters alone. Since then her only romantic relationships have been with women whom, like her, earn a living as professional mourners at funerals.”
4 Days In Paris — (7 p.m.)
“Pierre walks out on his boyfriend Paul to cruise the French countryside, using the gay networking app Grindr as both his guide and compass. Meanwhile, Paul uses Grindr as a tracking device in pursuit of his wandering boyfriend.”
Monday, November 6 @ Escuela Verde
An Evening with Faythe Levine: Bar Dykes and other Communal Acts — (7 p.m.)
“Artist, historian, collector and curator Faythe Levine will recount the history of a personal encounter that lead to a meeting with, and re-circulation of, a neglected counter-cultural and queer history.”
Tuesday, November 7 @ UWM Union Cinema
Chris E. Vargas and His Video Work: Under “Construction” — (7 p.m.)
“Video maker and interdisciplinary artist, Chris E. Vargas, deploys humor in conjunction with mainstream idioms to explore the complex ways that queer and trans people negotiate spaces for themselves within institutional memory and popular culture.”
Wednesday, November 8 @ UWM Union Cinema
BPM (Beats Per Minute) — (7 p.m.)
“In early-90s Paris, a group of activists go to battle for those stricken with HIV/AIDS, taking on sluggish government agencies and major pharmaceutical companies in bold, invasive actions.”
Friday, November 10 @ UWM Union Cinema
Princess Cyd — (7 p.m.)
“High school athlete Cyd lives alone with her depressive father in South Carolina, perpetually longing to get away from it all. When her aunt, a famous novelist, agrees to host her for a few weeks during the summer, Cyd jumps at the opportunity.”
The Wound — (9 p.m.)
“Based on a coming-of-age ritual in Xhosa culture (wherein young men are circumcised and then sequestered in the woods of South Africa until they reach manhood), Xolani, an out gay musician, volunteers to mentor the men as they heal from their wounds—an excuse he uses to reignite his private affair with another mentor, Vija.”
Saturday, November 11 @ UWM Union Cinema
Umbrellas: Short Films About and Around Trans Experience — (5 p.m.)
“Program includes: Umbrella by Rhys Ernst, Queens at Heart, Transgender at War and in Love, by Fiona Dawson and more.”
The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin — (7 p.m.)
“Examining the life and work of one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, this film follows Armistead Maupin’s evolution from a conservative son of the Old South into a gay rights pioneer.”
195 Lewis — (9 p.m.)
“A dramedy about a group of women navigating the realities of being Black, queer and poly in NYC. Based in Brooklyn, the series follows Yuri and Camille as they test the boundaries of their open relationship.”
Sunday, November 12 @ UWM Union Cinema
A Place in History, Placing History: Selected Non-Fiction — (7 p.m.)
“The festival closes with this program of short films, works that reflect on the past or document interventions into the present, as a way of forging an understanding of where we are today. Or where and how we are to go.”