The 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival cometh! From April 24 through May 8, 96 feature films and 112 short films will light up the screens of the Oriental and Downer theatres. (The full lineup can be found HERE. Tickets are available HERE.) Using the magic of a Milwaukee Record Sponsor Pass (love ya, Cinema Hooligante!), I plan on seeing 40 features and six shorts programs, and attending one party.
Will I actually pull it off? Absolutely not. But I’ll give it a shot.
So here’s my wildly ambitious, never-gonna-happen-but-I’ll-try-anyway MFF25 itinerary. Some notes: like previous years, this itinerary flagrantly ignores A.) my everyday work responsibilities, B.) my everyday family responsibilities, and C.) my sanity. Think of it like a “fantasy” itinerary. It does, however, factor in other commitments. I’m co-hosting WMSE’s Local/Live on April 29 and May 6, for example, and I’m going to the Nick Cave show on April 30. So…maybe I’ll pull this thing off? Ha. Who am I kidding.
But, like I said, I’ll give it a shot. I’ll update this article with the stuff I actually get to, and maybe include brief reviews, too. Cool? Cool! See you at the festival!
THURSDAY, APRIL 24
Opening Night: Sally
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 6 p.m.
Opening Night Block Party
Outside the Oriental | 8 p.m.
FRIDAY, APRIL 25
Secret Mall Apartment
Oriental Theatre (Lubar Cinema) | 1 p.m.
The Shrouds
Oriental Theatre (Lubar Cinema) | 6:15 p.m.
Dead Lover
Oriental Theatre (Lubar Cinema) | 9 p.m.
Shorts: The Best Damn F*#@ing Midnight Program Ever. Shit.
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 11:59 p.m.
SATURDAY, APRIL 26
Desperately Seeking Susan
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 11:30 a.m.
Middletown
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 3 p.m.
Move Ya Body: The Birth Of House
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 6:15 p.m.
Vulcanizadora
Downer Theatre (North Cinema) | 9:45 p.m.
SUNDAY, APRIL 27
Boys Go To Jupiter
Downer Theatre (South Cinema) | 10 a.m.
Kensuke’s Kingdom
Oriental Theatre (Herzfeld Cinema) | 12:15 p.m.
Slice Of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts.
Oriental Theatre (Herzfeld Cinema) | 2:30 p.m.
Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 5 p.m.
Gallagher
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 8 p.m.
MONDAY, APRIL 28
Color Book
Oriental Theatre (Lubar Cinema) | 1 p.m.
Fine Young Men
Oriental Theater (Lubar Cinema) | 4:30 p.m.
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror with live accompaniment by Anvil Orchestra
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 6:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, APRIL 29
I’m Your Venus
Downer Theatre (North Cinema) | 1 p.m.
Sister Midnight
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 9:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30
Row Of Life
Oriental Theatre (Herzfeld Cinema) | 3:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, MAY 1
Shorts: Grab Bag 2025
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 3 p.m.
Creede U.S.A.
Downer Theatre (South Cinema) | 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 2
Can I Get A Witness?
Oriental Theatre (Lubar Cinema) | 12:30 p.m.
Brady Street: Portrait Of A Neighborhood
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 3:30 p.m.
The Diamond King
Downer Theatre (South Cinema) | 6:45 p.m.
What Happened To Dorothy Bell?
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 10 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 3
The Librarians
Oriental Theatre (Lubar Cinema) | 10:30 a.m.
Peacock
Oriental Theatre (Lubar Cinema) | 1:45 p.m.
One To One: John And Yoko
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 6 p.m.
The Home
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 9 p.m.
The Ugly Stepsister
Downer Theatre (South Cinema) | 11:15 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 4
Kids Shorts: Size Large
Downer Theatre (North Cinema) | 10 a.m.
CYCLE
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 1:45 p.m.
Harvest
Downer Theatre (North Cinema) | 3:15 p.m.
Shorts: Surprise, Surprise
Downer Theatre (South Cinema) | 7:15 p.m.
MONDAY, MAY 5
Remaining Native
Oriental Theatre (Lubar Cinema) | 3:30 p.m.
Cloud
Downer Theater (South Cinema) | 6:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, MAY 6
Shorts: Stranger Than Fiction
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 12:30 p.m.
Balomania
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 3 p.m.
Black Lens Shorts
Oriental Theatre (Herzfeld Cinema) | 10 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7
Ernest Cole: Lost And Found
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 12:30 p.m.
Janis Ian: Breaking Silence
Oriental Theatre (Herzfeld Cinema) | 4:30 p.m.
40 Acres
Oriental Theatre (Abele Cinema) | 8:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, MAY 8
Undercover
Oriental Theatre (Lubar Cinema) | 12 p.m.
Separated
Oriental Theatre (Lubar Cinema) | 3 p.m.
Magic Farm
Downer Theatre (North Cinema) | 6 p.m.
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