The Wisconsin Film Festival will be held from April 3-10 in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin Department of Communication Arts. The Badger Herald spoke with two of the voices behind the festival, Mattie Jacobs and Benjamin Reiser, about the event.
Jacobs, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication Arts, is currently the shipping and print coordinator for the Wisconsin Film Festival and the programmer for the “Wisconsin’s Own” section of the festival, which highlights filmmakers from or associated with Wisconsin. Reiser is the festival’s outreach program manager and has served in this role for 12 years.
The Wisconsin Film Festival features international movies with an emphasis on art house cinema, European cinema, recent film restoration and the Wisconsin’s Own segment, Jacobs said. The 2025 rendition of the festival will feature 174 films, significantly more than any other edition that Reiser has been present for, according to Reiser.
The festival will run for eight days and is split into two halves — the first showing films on campus and the second screening movies throughout Madison, Reiser said. The festival’s organizers select films from a mixture of recent releases aired at other Film Festivals and restored footage of old features, according to Reiser.
The Wisconsin Film Festival has two primary goals — to highlight films not available in Madison and to offer opportunities to watch movies in theaters rather than on a device, according to Reiser. Around 85% of films screened at the festival are not easily accessible in a theater in Madison, giving residents a unique opportunity to experience new films, Reiser said.
“We’re trying to keep [cinema] alive for older generations of people who are used to seeing films [in theaters], but also to … keep reminding younger generations this is a fun and a unique experience,” Reiser said.
Jacobs also said the festival’s mission was twofold, though he cited slightly different objectives from Reiser. For Jacobs, the festival brings the best of films across the world to Madison and celebrates Wisconsin’s filmmakers.
Specific films to look out for include Canadian director David Cronenberg’s new feature, “The Shrouds,” and an animated film from Europe titled “The Bloody Lady,” Jacobs said. The latter feature will include live accompaniment, according to Jacobs. Multiple films within the “Wisconsin’s Own” segment consist of character portraits and the section also includes a release from recent UW graduate Julian Castronovo, Jacobs said.
“[Wisconsin’s Own] will showcase the best of Wisconsin filmmaking,” Jacobs said.
The Badger Herald spoke to Reiser about any difficulties he has encountered in his 12 years of organizing the festival. One complication involves finding multiple spaces that are willing and have the proper equipment necessary to show films, Reiser said. This problem has been mitigated in recent years as closing theaters have provided the festival with projectors and other necessary equipment, Reiser said.
Other difficulties with hosting the film festival include finding sufficient personnel to staff the event, scheduling panels and Q&As with filmmakers and avoiding personal burnout, Reiser said. According to Reiser, very few event organizers continue their work past a few years.
The Badger Herald also spoke to Jacobs and Reiser about their favorite experiences with the festival. Jacobs, who had attended the Wisconsin Film Festival for years before his current role, said his favorite memories with the festival are associated with the opening night receptions. These typically feature a Q&A with filmmakers as well as a movie premiere, Jacobs said.
“It’s a nice way to meet all of the new visiting filmmakers,” Jacobs said.
Reiser said one of his favorite experiences while hosting the Film Festival was deciding to include the now-award-winning film “Hundreds of Beavers” in the “Wisconsin’s Own” segment of the festival. The screening included the cast and crew of the film performing live during the showing and was very popular among attendees, Reiser said.
Screenings will take place in and around campus and students with a valid WisCard are eligible for one free ticket to every screening at every festival venue for the duration of the festival, according to a festival guide. Students who attend the festival can experience a menagerie of works made by different directors — especially ones not typically aired in nearby movie theaters — on a location on or by campus, according to Reiser.
The experience of viewing multiple films, even those one may personally dislike, can still be of significant value, Reiser said.
“If you’re a UW student and put your trust in us, more times than not you’ll be rewarded with a chance to see something that will stick with you,” Reiser said.
Students can purchase tickets through the Wisconsin Film Festival’s eventive.
