The Wisconsin Film Festival

Why Go? A good selection from the festival circuit screened in a friendly college town atmosphere.

Festival Website: www.wifilmfest.org/

Festival Description

Begun in 1999 under the auspices of the University of Wisconsin, this Madison-based festival has thrived under the energetic leadership of Meg Hamel, who has been in charge since 2005.

Timing: four days at the beginning-middle of April

Programming

Some of the top titles from the fest circuit are augmented by selected revivals and a focus on local filmmakers.

Tickets

Can be purchased online at a cost of $7 each, with a discount for multiple purchases. Many screenings fill up, but ticket holders ordinarily needn’t wait in line.

Screening Schedule

Screenings begin at 5pm on Thursday, 3pm Friday, and  11am on Saturday and Sunday.

Festival Venues

Ten venues are used, ranging from the cavernous Orpheum to the gleaming new Contemporary Art Museum Theater.

Special Guests

A few local filmmakers

Surroundings

Madison, both a college town and a state capital, strikes some people as a place locked in a sixties time warp. But you’ll find the atmosphere friendly and laid back. Several picturesque lakes add to the scenic charm.

Getting There

The Van Galder Bus Line runs from Chicago’s O’Hare airport to the Wisconsin Union, just down the street from all the festival venues.

Getting Around: You can easily walk to everything.

Restaurants

• L’Etoile is the best in town and is close to most of the festival theaters.  Co-owners Tory and Tracy Miller are promoters of Alice Waters-style local ingredients prepared with simplicity and care. 25 N Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703  (608) 251-0500.   www.letoile-restaurant.com

• Cosi, part of an Italian-themed fast food chain, is right across the street from the MMCA. It’s cheap, pleasant, and the food is quite good.  250 State St, Madison, WI 53703 (608) 257-2140 www.getcosi.com

Excursions

Taliesin, Frank Loyd Wright’s home, is about an hour’s drive west and well worth touring.

The Festival Year by Year

2009

Best Films I Saw

• Revanche. A thinking person’s thriller from Austria’s Gotz Spielmann.

• Three Monkeys. Turkey’s Nuri Bilge Ceylan has created a searing portrait of a family on the edge. Elegantly shot in desaturated digital video and movingly performed by a stellar cast.

Unexpected Pleasure

The vintage short film extolling the virtues of Wisconsin used as the festival logo.

2010

Best Films I Saw:

• My Year Without Sex. Sarah Watt’s worthy followup to her 2005 Look Both Ways features a  suburban Melbourne wife and mother facing some of life’s big questions as she recovers from a near-fatal illness. Postmodern-ish chapter titles may strike some as a bit on the cute side, but they lighten the mood of this thoughtful study while drawing attention to its status as a metaphysical conundrum rather than a simple slice of life exercise as some commentators have claimed.

• Barking Dogs Never Bite. It appears that the artistry of Bong Jun-ho (The Host, Mother)  emerged fully formed with this, his first film. Initially released in 2000, its sly commentary on guilt and redemption is cast in the form of a black comedy. Not recommended for PETA members.

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