Inside the Milwaukee Film Festival: A City That Shows Up for Storytelling
- Pope Enterprises
- May 26
- 3 min read
The Milwaukee Film Festival isn’t just a film festival.
It’s a statement.
A reminder that Milwaukee is not just consuming stories. It’s creating them.
A City That Shows Up
At the Milwaukee Film Festival, the experience feels immediate.
Not distant.
Not curated for appearance.
But lived.
Audiences react in real time.
Filmmakers stay for conversations.
Stories extend beyond the screen.
And that presence defines everything.
More Than a Festival
Executive Director Susan Kerns defines the purpose:
“This festival is about more than films it’s about creating a space where stories connect people and communities in a real way.”
That connection isn’t theoretical.
It’s visible in every screening, every Q&A, every moment where a film becomes a conversation.
Stories Rooted in Truth
The most powerful work came from lived experience.
For Paulina Lule (Sherman Park)
“These are real stories, real people, real experiences. I wanted to make sure it felt honest to the community.”
That honesty grounded the festival.
It made the stories feel immediate and necessary.
Expanding the Language of Film
Not every film followed a traditional structure.
With Makin' Cake, Dasha Kelly approached storytelling as something layered:
“This isn’t just about baking. It’s about access, history, and who gets to participate in something we think is universal.”
Filmmakers like Yinan Wang brought quiet, intimate storytelling into focus, while others leaned into experimentation.
Together, they showed that storytelling here isn’t fixed.
It’s evolving.
A Film That Leads With Feeling: Aromavision
Some films ask to be understood.
Aromavision asks to be felt.
Created by collaborators including Shun Powell, Adam Smith, and cinematographer John Carlo Rosillo, the film prioritizes atmosphere over explanation building an experience that unfolds through tone, texture, and emotion.
“We wanted the audience to feel something first before they even understood it.”
That philosophy defines the project.
Instead of guiding the audience through a fixed narrative, Aromavision creates space inviting interpretation rather than controlling it.
Collaboration as Creative Language
The film is also a reflection of collaboration.
Multiple voices shaping one vision.
Each role contributing to something unified, even as it explores abstract ideas.
And that process mirrors something larger happening across the festival:
The strongest work isn’t always singular.
It’s shared.
Trusting the Audience
What sets Aromavision apart is its restraint.
It doesn’t over-explain.
It doesn’t simplify.
It trusts the audience to engage, interpret, and feel.
And in doing so, it becomes something more personal.
The Work Behind the Work
Across conversations, one reality remained consistent:
There’s no formula.
No guarantee.
Just persistence.
“You don’t always know if it’s going to work… you just have to keep going.”
That mindset came from filmmakers across genres documentary, narrative, experimental.
Documentary as Human Reflection
In Now! More! Yes!, Max Hey focused on resilience:
“It’s about the human spirit how people keep going even when everything falls apart.”
And in UECK, directors Steve Farr and Michael T. Vollmann explored legacy through the life of Bob Uecker:
“It wasn’t just about what he did it was about what he meant to people.”
These films reminded audiences that storytelling can preserve memory.
Music, Emotion, and Identity
For artist Mie, storytelling began with sound:
“The music is the emotion it’s what connects everything.”
That same idea appeared across films emotion driving experience, not just narrative.
Chaos, Honesty, and Creative Risk
Some of the most memorable films leaned into unpredictability.
Director Annapurna Sriram (F*cktoys) embraced that:
“It’s messy, it’s weird, it’s chaotic… but that’s life.”
And in Flytrapper, Georgia Lee King explored unstable relationships:
“Even when things fall apart, there’s still something real there.”
These stories didn’t chase perfection.
They chased truth.
Stories That Ask Questions
Projects like Your Attention Please leaned into reflection over resolution.
With voices like Sara Robin and Jack Lemay:
“We’re asking people to think about the world they’re living in.”
These weren’t films with answers.
They were invitations to reflect.
Redefining Success
At this festival, success isn’t measured by scale.
It’s measured by connection.
From Bright Beautiful World: The Infectious Joy of Pat McCurdy:
“Success isn’t about being famous. It’s about building something that people keep coming back to.”
That idea shifts the focus.
From visibility…
To impact.
A Shared Creative Energy
What stands out most isn’t competition.
It’s support.
Filmmakers show up for each other.
Share space.
Share ideas.
Because here, growth feels collective.
The Bigger Picture
The Milwaukee Film Festival isn’t trying to replicate anything else.
It’s building its own identity.
Through:
Local storytelling
Artistic experimentation
Documentary truth
Emotional honesty
The Takeaway
This isn’t just a place to screen films.
It’s a place to connect.
To experiment.
To be seen.
And Milwaukee is doing it on its own terms.
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