We created a treasure hunt for the 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival. Here’s the first clue.

In case you missed it, the 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival is set to run April 24 – May 8. It’ll feature approximately 200 feature-length and short films from around the world (and Milwaukee, of course) screening at the Oriental and Downer theatres. It’ll also feature panel discussions, Q&As, an Opening Night party, the Milwaukee Record-sponsored Cinema Hooligante program, and much more. Find the complete list of films HERE. Get your tickets and passes HERE.

Oh, and MFF25 will feature one more thing: A TREASURE HUNT CREATED AND EXECUTED BY MILWAUKEE RECORD.

Here’s the deal: The treasure hunt (official name “Milwaukee Record’s Milwaukee Film Festival Treasure Hunt Brought To You By Milwaukee Record And The Milwaukee Film Festival”) will span the full 15 days of MFF25. It’ll include both virtual clues that will be found online, and physical clues that will be found in the real world. The virtual clues may or may not involve some basic metadata. The physical clues will be located on the East Side, in or near the Oriental and Downer. Certain clues—both virtual and physical—will only be available during short, specific windows of time.

Beyond the general online and real-world sleuthing, the treasure hunt may or may not require participants to attend one specific MFF25 film, one specific MFF25 event, subscribe to one free email newsletter, and be 21 or older. A general familiarity with the East Side may or may not be helpful, too.

What’s at the END of the treasure hunt? Glad you asked! Over the course of the 15-day hunt/festival, one lucky sleuth will discover a combination code. That combination code will open a physical box that will be found in a physical location on Closing Night. Inside the box will be a “Movie Star” dual membership for Milwaukee Film valued at $400, some goodies from Milwaukee Record, and $200 cash! Fun!

Oh yeah: the treasure hunt begins…NOW! Here’s the first clue!

And here’s a hint: This clue points to a second clue that’s already out there in the real world. Maybe you’ve already seen it! If so, ignore this one! If not…who are these characters and what do they have in common? Is there something else that can be gleaned from this .jpg?