The 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival cometh! Yes, the 18th annual cinematic blowout is set to take over the screens of the Oriental and Downer theaters April 16-30. It’s gonna be great. (The Downer, in case you missed it, was recently purchased by Milwaukee Film.) Advance ticket packages and passes are available NOW.
Need more incentive to get those advance tickets? On Tuesday, Milwaukee Film unveiled 10 titles that will be part of MFF26, plus the festival’s official artwork. The latter is from Milwaukee digital design studio Northern Ground, which also created Milwaukee Film’s new logo and website:
Okay, on to the films. The just-announced set includes plenty of new titles, a new silent-film performance from the Anvil Orchestra, AND the return of the Stop Making Sense screening/dance party. Hell yes. Here’s the full list, courtesy of Milwaukee Film. (Full program books will be available beginning April 2.)
Cookie Queens (dir. Alysa Nahmias, 2026, USA)
It’s cookie season, and pressure is rising as four tenacious Girl Scouts strive not only to be top-sellers in their troops, but to simply get through the thousands of dollars of cookies that they’ve pledged to sell. Deadlines approaching, trophies on the line, TV appearances, questions of capitalism, no sugar-free cookies?! Doc Queen Alysa Nahmias crafts a sweetly profound documentary navigating the $800 million business in which girlhood and ambition collide.
The General with Live Orchestra Accompaniment by Anvil Orchestra
(dirs. Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman, 1926, USA)
A beloved MFF tradition, Anvil Orchestra returns to the Oriental Theatre to celebrate the 100th birthday of Buster Keaton’s The General with live orchestra accompaniment. One of the most revered comedies of the silent era, this one-night-only musical screening is not to be missed.
I Want Your Sex (dir. Gregg Araki, 2026, USA)
When fresh-faced Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) lands a job with artist and provocateur Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde), his fantasies come true as she taps him to become her sexual muse. Elliot finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal, and murder. Director Gregg Araki captured the voice of a generation in the 90s and he’s using it to beg Gen Z to change their puritanical ways.
Misan Harriman: Shoot the People (dir. Andy Mundy-Castlei, 2025, USA)
Featuring conversations with Rep. Ilhan Omar and Martin Luther King III, this urgent and compelling documentary follows Nigerian-born British image-maker Misan Harriman, best known for his powerful photographs of grassroots protests against climate change inaction, Gaza atrocities, George Floyd’s murder, and more. However, even as his images provoke palpable reactions, as a self-described person of privilege, Harriman shares his doubts about his work’s effectiveness while reflecting on his life’s work.
Obsession (dir. Curry Barker, 2026, USA)
After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for, but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price. “”A simple, well-trodden concept transforms into a shocking and unsettling descent into abject horror in Barker’s capable hands, ensuring that his latest is destined to become horror’s latest, well, obsession.”” (Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting)
Paper Trail, part of Shorts: Let’s Get Animated (dir. Don Herzfeldt, 2026, USA)
One of many films in this year’s “Let’s Get Animated” program of short films, Don Hertzfeldt’s latest animated work was awarded the Short Film Special Jury Award: Creative Vision at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Paper Trail allows viewers to witness a life through paper, in this singular new creation from two-time Oscar-nominee Don Hertzfeldt.
Powwow People (dir. Sky Hopinka, 2025, USA)
A celebration of the overlapping arts of music, dance, food, and dress packed into the cultural tradition of the powwow, vérité-style documentary directed by MFF and UWM alum Sky Hopinka, Powwow People is grounded in the rhythms, relationships, and lived experience of a contemporary Native gathering. Rather than entering as outside observers, the filmmakers organized the powwow itself, inviting dancers, singers, vendors, and community members to participate in the making of this film.
Stop Making Sense (dir. Jonathan Demme, 1984, USA)
The return of a sacred MFF tradition! Make sure all aisles are clear for dancing as Jonathan Demme’s essential concert documentary chronicling multiple nights of propulsive performance from the iconic Talking Heads (including magnetic frontman David Byrne and Milwaukee’s own Jerry Harrison) is sure to burn down the house once again. A24’s new restoration of this iconic film gains momentum like a runaway freight train, the show (and Byrne’s iconic suit) only gets bigger as it rolls along.
TheyDream (dir. William David Caballero, 2025, USA)
After twenty years of chronicling his Puerto Rican family’s life and devastating losses, MFF alum William David Caballero seeks to remember and make sense of his family’s complicated relationship. Expanding on the multiple shorts he has created about his family and through laughter and tears, Caballero and his mother craft animations that mirror scenes from their lives. Winner of the NEXT Special Jury Award for Creative Expression at Sundance Film Festival, this autobiographical documentary is proof that every act of creation is also an act of letting go.
What Does That Nature Say to You (dir. Hong Sang-Soo, 2025, South Korea)
A young poet drops his girlfriend off at her parents’ house and is amazed by its grandeur. He bumps into her father, meets her mother and sister, and they all end up spending a long day together; fueled by conversation, food, and libations. In his 33rd feature, multi-MFF alum Hong Sang-soo spins a bitterly comic fable on the trials of living simply and righteously in our world.
“We’re overjoyed to announce this year’s Milwaukee Film Festival which will mark our 18th Film Festival birthday! Reaching our 18th year is an incredible milestone and a testament to the community that has supported the Milwaukee Film Festival since the beginning,” Milwaukee Film’s Executive Director Susan Kerns says in a press release. “To honor the Festival’s legacy while looking ahead to the great things to come, we’ve programmed over two weeks of tremendous cinematic events including world premieres, the best international films, some early sneak peaks, and classics like Buster Keaton’s The General with live musical accompaniment. The Festival has always been about more than just great movies—it’s about bringing together the community we love and celebrating what makes Milwaukee special.”
Oh, and if you’ve made it this far, stay tuned for the return of Milwaukee Record’s MFF treasure/scavenger hunt. It’s part of our annual sponsorship of the festival’s Cinema Hooligante program, and it’s gonna be a hoot.
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