How Do You Choose Your Films?

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ith 209 films laid out on the following pages, it can be a daunting task to whittle down your list to a manageable weekend full of movies. When we’re selecting the films for this year’s Festival, the goal is to pull together a very wide mix of motion pictures, to give you access to dozens of films that you’d never otherwise have the chance to see. It’s the perfect opportunity to explore and be adventurous.

The Wisconsin premier of Bill Cunningham New York screens Thursday, March 31 at the Wisconsin Union Theater, and Friday, April 1 at the Bartell. THE ALPHABETICAL FILM LIST BEGINS ON PAGE 6 TICKET INFORMATION IS ON PAGE 38 DAILY SCHEDULES IN GRID FORMAT ARE ON PAGES 20 & 21

FILM SERIES FOR 2011

Anita Eskimo Kiss Loving Lampposts Marwencol Monica & David The Red Chapel PRESENTED WITH THE UW NELSON INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Fire, Burn, Babylon How I Ended This Summer My Dog Tulip Nénette Summer Pasture Sun Come Up PRESENTED WITH THE UW CENTER FOR RUSSIA, EASTERN EUROPE, AND CENTRAL ASIA; AND THE UW RUSSIAN FLAGSHIP CENTER

Forever’s Gonna Start Tonight How I Ended My Summer My Joy My Perestroika SUPPORT FOR EUROPEAN FILM PROGRAMMING FROM THE UW CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES

PRESENTED WITH THE UW CENTER FOR EAST ASIAN STUDIES; AND THE CENTER FOR FILM AND VISUAL CULTURE STUDIES, NATIONAL CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF TAIWAN

God Man Dog Parking PRESENTED WITH THE UW OFFICE OF MULTICULTURAL ARTS INITIATIVES

Louder Than a Bomb PRESENTED WITH THE ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL

Artifact #1 Atlantiques Broad Channel Devil’s Gate Distance Get Out of the Car In Comparison In the Absence of Light, Darkness Prevails Kalendar Kempinski night side Ray’s Birds Victoria, George, Edward, and Thatcher Vineland

Restorations and Revivals 11 thru 12 Le Amiche Blood Hook Campus Smiles Cluny Brown The Evil Dead Galaxies A Letter from Colombia Madison News Reel March on Washington Night Train to Terror NYC Street Scenes and Noises On the Bowery Scratch and Crow A Study in Reds Sunday A Trip Down Market Street Before the Fire

Wisconsin’s Own

MADE BY FILMMAKERS LIVING IN OR NATIVE TO WISCONSIN, OR STUDENTS/ALUMNI OF WISCONSIN UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES

Anima Mundi Annihilation Ash At the Table: Mothers Sharing Stories Through Art The Bells of Bascom Hill Blink! Again Block The Bully Dark Ways The Death of Triforce Deux Petits Bateaux

Ellen Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone Figure In Isolation Francesca From the Archive of Vagaries The Great Work of Dr. D. Volos Tinkerpaw Haulin’ Ass I’ll Be Here In the Courtyard of the Beloved instrumental video nine Kathryn Legend Lake: A Talking Circle Lottery Ticket Love Me Tender Mary and Bill The Mushroom Sessions Oil Wrestling Open Season The Optimo Hat Company Pesticide Power Trio Rigor Mortis SHC Slaves of the Saints Spare Change A Study in Reds Style & Grace Subdued Glow They Say Even Water Has a Memory… Time Will Tell Under the Sun Westbound: The Journey of a Lifetime

This year is also perfect for getting a ticket to a program of experimental films. The director of the Ann Arbor Film Festival, David Dinnell, and two UW–Madison graduate students, John Powers and Aaron Granat, have guestcurated several clusters of the most accomplished recent experimental and avant-garde films from around the world. They’ll be introducing these programs and providing insight into how this branch of filmmaking continues to create fascinating works. Here in Wisconsin, many of us make a special effort to support local farmers — let’s support local filmmakers, too. Get a ticket to at least one feature or shorts program of films made here in Wisconsin. See the list on the left or, if you browse the online Film Guide (http://wifilmfest.org/films/), you can sort the list for “Wisconsin’s Own” titles. However you put your own Wisconsin Film Festival together, whether it’s two films over the weekend or twenty, the Festival will be a success if you try at least one new kind of movie. It’s not about having all your 2011 picks become your most favorite films of all time, it’s about sampling the many different kinds of motion pictures that talented crews around the world have made. Welcome to your Wisconsin Film Festival. — MEG HAMEL, DIRECTOR

WISCONSIN FILM FESTIVAL • MADISON • MARCH 30-APRIL 3, 2011 • WIFILMFEST.ORG • 877.963.FILM

PRESENTED WITH THE UW DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION PSYCHOLOGY AND SPECIAL EDUCATION

Rather than focus solely on the kinds of films that already fit your tastes, consider the titles that you quickly skip over when reading the descriptions. The Festival might be exactly the right time to see — if these aren’t the kind you’d normally choose — a war documentary like Armadillo, an art-house specialty like Le Quattro Volte, or an action picture like Hong Kong’s The Stool Pigeon.

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