The Milwaukee LGBT Film & Video Festival takes place every fall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...

. The festival was established in 1987 and is presented by the Film Department in the Peck School of the Arts of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM). Opening night and centerpiece gala screenings take place at the Oriental Theatre

Oriental Theatre (Milwaukee)

The Oriental Theatre is located in the East Side neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was built and opened in 1927 as a movie palace. The themes of the decor are East Indian, with no traces of Chinese or Japanese artwork; it is said to be the only movie palace to incorporate East Indian...

 located on the East Side

East Side, Milwaukee

East Side is a neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, considered to be a cultural and trend-setting center of the city since at least the 1960s. Encompassing an area just north of downtown Milwaukee to Shorewood, bordered by the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan, the area encompasses residences,...

 of Milwaukee.

Programming often includes multi-award-winning films and independent videos; the festival also books documentaries, coming out films, romantic comedies, films dealing with LGBT identity with age, race, and religion, and films from outside the United States. Each festival also includes series of "men's shorts" and "women's shorts" that include gay and lesbian themes, respectively.
Carl Bogner, festival director

Festival sponsorship comes from a variety of corporate and private donors. Major, sustained festival sponsorship has come from Jack H. Smith of Shorewest Realtors, Beans & Barley, Greater Milwaukee Foundation's Johnson & Pabst LGBT Humanity Fund, Cream City Foundation's Joseph R. Pabst LGBT Infrastructure Fund, and Bronze Optical.

Past Festival Highlights

2005

Adam & Steve

Adam & Steve

Adam & Steve is a 2005 LGBT romantic comedy film directed by and starring Craig Chester, who also wrote the screenplay. It deals with the lives of two gay men, played by Chester and Malcolm Gets...

, Loggerheads

Loggerheads (film)

Loggerheads is an independent film written and directed by Tim Kirkman, produced by Gill Holland and released in the United States by Strand Releasing in October 2005. After its debut at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, Loggerheads screened at...

, Unveiled

Fremde Haut

Fremde Haut is a German film released 20 October 2005. It was directed by Angelina Maccarone and stars Jasmin Tabatabai, Anneke Kim Sarnau, and Navíd Akhavan. Its English title is Unveiled.-Background:...

, The Journey, Mysterious Skin

Mysterious Skin

Mysterious Skin is a 2004 drama film directed by American filmmaker Gregg Araki, who also wrote the screenplay based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Scott Heim...

, Guys and Balls

Männer wie wir

Guys and Balls is a 2004 sports comedy/romance film by German American director Sherry Hormann about a gay goalkeeper who assembles a gay-only soccer team to play against his ex-team, which fired him due to homophobia.-Plot:Ecki lives with his parents who own a bakery in Boldrup, a...

, 100% Woman, Summer Storm

Summer Storm

Summer Storm is a 2004 German coming-of-age film directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner, starring Robert Stadlober, Kostja Ullmann, Alicja Bachleda-Curuś, and Marlon Kittel...

, Cote D'Azur

Crustacés et coquillages

Crustacés et coquillages also known as Côte d'Azur, is a 2005 French film directed by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau.-Main cast:...

2006

Boy Culture

Boy Culture

Boy Culture is an award-winning LGBT film adaptation of the 1995 novel by Matthew Rettenmund. It made its world premiere in the United Kingdom at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival on April 1, 2006, and made its debut in the United States at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2006...

, Broken Sky

Broken Sky (film)

Broken Sky is a 2006 Mexican drama film involving a love triangle between three young gay men. The film was directed and written by Julián Hernández.-Cast:*Miguel Ángel Hoppe - Gerardo...

, Small Town Gay Bar

Small Town Gay Bar

Small Town Gay Bar is a 2006 documentary directed by Malcolm Ingram that focuses on two gay bars in the rural deep Southeast United States, one in Shannon, Mississippi, and one in Meridian, Mississippi...

, Oublier Cheyenne, The Line of Beauty, The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, Lover Other, Red Doors

Red Doors

Red Doors is a 2005 American film directed by Georgia Lee. The independent film features a Chinese American family.-Plot:Red Doors tells the story of the Wongs, a bizarrely dysfunctional Chinese-American family living in the New York suburbs. Ed Wong has just retired and plots to escape his...

, Another Gay Movie

Another Gay Movie

Another Gay Movie is a 2006 gay romantic comedy film directed by Todd Stephens. It satirically follows four gay friends, Andy, Jarod, Nico and Griff, who vow upon graduating high school that they will all lose their "anal virginity" before their bull dyke friend Muffler's big Labor Day party...

, Camp Out, Filthy Gorgeous: The Trannyshack Story, 20 centímetros

2007

Nina's Heavenly Delights

Nina's Heavenly Delights

Nina's Heavenly Delights is a U.K. comedy film, directed by Pratibha Parmar, released 29 September 2006 in the United Kingdom. The film was released in the United States on 21 November 2007.-Synopsis:...

, Shelter

Shelter (2007 film)

Shelter is a 2007 American film directed and written by Jonah Markowitz. It stars Trevor Wright, Brad Rowe, and Tina Holmes. It was the winner of "Outstanding Film – Limited Release" at the 2009 GLAAD Media Awards, Best New Director and Favorite Narrative Feature at the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film...

, FtF: Female to Femme, The Bubble

The Bubble (2006 film)

The Bubble is a 2006 romantic drama directed by Eytan Fox telling the story of two men who fall in love, one Israeli and one Palestinian...

, Beyond Hatred

Beyond Hatred

Beyond Hatred is a 2005 French documentary film written and directed by Olivier Meyrou.The documentary tells the story of a French couple seeking justice after the homophobic murder of their gay son, 29-year old Francois Chenu. He was murdered by neo-fascist skinheads in 2002...

, For the Bible Tells Me So

For the Bible Tells Me So

For the Bible Tells Me So is a 2007 American documentary film directed by Daniel G. Karslake about homosexuality and its perceived conflict with religion, as well as various interpretations of what the Bible says about same-sex sexuality...

, Colma: The Musical, Itty Bitty Titty Committee

Itty Bitty Titty Committee

Itty Bitty Titty Committee is a feminist, lesbian-related comedy film directed by Jamie Babbit. It was released on 28 September 2007.The film had its premiere at the international film festival Berlinale on 9 February 2007, where it was nominated for a Teddy Award for Best Feature...

2008

Were the World Mine

Were the World Mine

Were the World Mine is a 2008 romantic musical fantasy film directed by Tom Gustafson and written by Gustafson and Cory James Krueckeberg.Were the World Mine is a story of gay empowerment, inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream...

, It Is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse, But the Society in Which He Lives

It Is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse, But the Society in Which He Lives

It Is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse, But the Society in Which He Lives is a 1971 German camp film directed by Rosa von Praunheim...

, La León

La León

La León is a 2007 Argentine drama written and directed by Santiago Otheguy. Set in Northern Argentina, the film tells the story of a homosexual fieldworker, Álvaro , and his relationship with a local bully, El Turu...

, Butch Jamie

Butch Jamie

Butch Jamie is a gender-bending comedy film that premiered in July 2007 at Outfest: the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Writer, director, and lead actress Michelle Ehlen won Outfest's Grand Jury Award for "Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film." The film was produced independently...

, Save Me

Save Me (2007 film)

Save Me is a 2007 film directed by Robert Cary about Mark , a drug-addicted homosexual man who is admitted into an ex-gay program run by Gayle and her husband Ted...

, The Lollipop Generation

The Lollipop Generation

The Lollipop Generation is the first feature film by G.B. Jones.The Lollipop Generation premiered as the Gala Feature presentation of the Images Festival in Toronto on April 3, 2008....

, A Horse Is Not A Metaphor, XXY

XXY (film)

XXY is a 2007 Argentine film written and directed by Lucía Puenzo. The film stars Ricardo Darín, Valeria Bertuccelli, Inés Efron and Martín Piroyansky...

, A Jihad for Love, Water Lilies

Water Lilies (film)

Water Lilies is a 2007 French film and the debut as a screenwriter and director of Céline Sciamma.-Plot:The film tracks the sexual awakenings of three 15-years-old female friends over the course of a single summer...

, Jerusalem Is Proud to Present

Jerusalem Is Proud to Present

Jerusalem Is Proud to Present is a 2008 documentary film directed by Nitzan Gilady about the 2006 World Pride Festival, an LGBT festival held in Jerusalem. It follows the lives of members of the Open House, Jerusalem's LGBT community center, who are planning the events, thr threats they and their...

, The World Unseen

The World Unseen

The World Unseen is a 2008 historical drama film written and directed by Shamim Sarif, adapted from her own novel. The film is set in 1950s Cape Town, South Africa during the beginning of apartheid...

, Saturn in Opposition

Saturno contro (film)

Saturno contro is a 2007 Italian drama film directed by Ferzan Özpetek. The Turkish title is Bir ömür yetmez. The U.S. title is Saturn in Opposition and had its U.S. premiere at Frameline in San Francisco on 20 June 2008.-Plot:...

, Chris & Don: A Love Story

Chris & Don

Chris & Don: A Love Story is a 2008 documentary film that chronicles the life-long relationship between author Christopher Isherwood and his much younger lover, artist Don Bachardy. Chris & Don combines present-day interviews, archival footage shot by the couple from the 1950s, excerpts from...

, Japan Japan

Japan Japan

Japan Japan is a 2007 film directed by Lior Shamriz, starring Imri Kahn.- Cast :- Plot :The film tells the story of Imri, who at 19 goes to live in Tel Aviv, but dreams of moving to Japan. Through his relationships and encounters and in diverse cinematic tools, we are introduced to the young man's...

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