The Milwaukee Short Film Festival was modestly formed in 1994 by Ross Bigley as a means to give area filmmakers a venue and an audience for their work. Only four films were submitted and all four were shown on the local public access station, MATA 14.
The festival was not an annual event in the begining, the next two happened periodically over the next six years with Ross becoming too busy with his own projects to continue on. So in 1999 he put the idea to rest.
In the fall of 2002 while prepping a feature film Ross was approached with the idea of bringing back the festival. With his new LLC, Old Skool Productions, he began efforts to bring back the festival and to fund it himself.
The records for the first three festival were destroyed when our storage locker flooded. Going on memory, the first festival featured work by Chris Marks, Mark G.E. (The Phantom Limb) and Ross Bigley (Deadmen).
Please follow the sub pages for complete details on every festival from 2003 on.
We held two festivals in 2003. One in June, the other in November. Records for the June festival are incomplete.
Bean Head Cafe
1835 N Martin Luther King
07.June/2003
Every Waking Hour
by Andrew Rosas
A Cheese Box In Milwaukee
by Daniel Day
Frozen Moment
by Eric Gerber
Take A Chance
by Michael Moynihan
A Stranger's Place
by Jill Cothern
The Language Lesson
by Michael John Moynihan
East Saint Paul
by Andrew Rosas
Hell is Other People
by Lisa D. Gildehaus
4th Milwaukee Short Film Festival Winner:
Best Film:
A Cheese Box In Milwaukee
by Daniel Day
2003 Festival Film
Take A Chance
FOUNDLING PUPPETS Puppet Video by Michael John Moynihan, originally created for an International Art Festival in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, celebrating Scandinavian culture of Norway, Sweden, Denmark & Iceland. A comedy about gender preference and Sex reassignment surgery (SRS), gender reassignment surgery, aka sex-change operation
21-22.Nov/2003
Bean Head Cafe
1835 N Martin Luther King
Friday Nov 21st, 2003
Forever Wonder (Whitefish Bay)
by Christopher Zahn
I produced this film at the point where I thought I had A.D.D. because I couldn't focus my mind. People in general process more than one thought at one instance and thats where this film generates from.
Broshennye (Milwaukee)
by Andrew Rosas
Since the fall of Communism in the Soviet Union, many Russian families have been left behind in the financial depression.The lack of social programs such as social security to provide care for the elderly has left this responsibility to their families. Many familes can scarcely support their families much less their elderly parents who need constant care, I visited one such hospital an hour north of St. Petersburg.
"OOOh. . .Doctor!" (Milwaukee)
by Mariko Ujihisa
A boy has an old obsession with his high school crush, and he confesses details of a recent stalking to his new doctor.
Solvay (Milwaukee)
by Eric Gerber
When everything is gone, all that's left are memories of Solvay.
The Optic Nerve (Milwaukee)
by Kyle Altadonna
no information given.
The Frightful Spider (Milwaukee)
by Tate Bunker
Based on the nursery rhyme of Miss Muffet. I wanted the film to be as close to dance as film could be.
watch film here:
http://www.tatebunker.com/films/theFrightfulSpider.html
Entanglements (Glendale)
by Ki -Seub Shin
An experimental essay about egoism in our lives, since a lot of big and small troubles all over the world between a person to person, or nation to nation, there is no reason for that.
Kevin Verosa (Milwaukee)
by Bradley Scott Sullivan
A young man with a tortured childhood and haunting memories does everything he can to prevent his hate from spreading even further.
That I Am (Milwaukee)
by Brian Lewis
A young man is forced to deal with the insecurity brought on by the strained relationship with his mother.
Concupisence (Milwaukee)
by Sean Kafer
no information given
2003 Festival Film
Broshennye (Left Behind)
Since the fall of Communism in the Soviet Union, many Russian families have been left behind in the financial depression.The lack of social programs such as social security to provide care for the elderly has left this responsibility to their families.
Saturday Nov 22nd, 2003
Degrade (Milwaukee)
by Kookhee Choi
Experimental descriptions of an alley which we may encounter everyday life, getting clear and realistic from abstract images and sound..
Museum of Sleep (Milwaukee)
by Eric Gerber
This video explores the abandoned Milwaukee Solvay Coke Co. An industry developed in the late 1800's and was used primarily for coal manufacturing. It has since been forgotten.
Resistance (Chicago)
by Peter Dolan
Mir-No lives in the city, hiding from a fate she won't accept. Her sister, Kel-Er hunts Mir-No in a local nightclub.
The Dirty Job 2 (Milwaukee)
by Ross Bigley
The second in a series of 5 films. Special Agent Michelle of the DSI polices a hidden demon population living amoungst us. Her mission, to kill everyone, but not everyone will stay dead.
Homage to Ourselves (Milwaukee)
by Stacy Barton
An experimental documentary which conveys a man's connection to his past, his family members long gone.
Memory Process (Milwaukee)
by Adrian Quezaire
A man sits motionless as his mind races through the past, present and future.
Gaucher (AKA "Lefty:) (Milwaukee)
by Jeff Fitzsimmons
A dark comedy set in 1960's France. A pathetic man who has accomplished nothing in life wants desperately to address his shortcomings by forcing his children to succed where he could not, but he has no children, he only has a cat.
Dreams of America (Whitefish Bay)
by Christopher Zahn
I wanted to capture the hopes and dreams of the main character, Mariko Ujihisa. Since she was a little girl she had dreams of coming to America, but everyone would tell her to stop dreaming, but she didn't.
5th Milwaukee Short Film Winners
Best Film:
Gaucher by Jeff Fitzsimmons
Honorary Mention:
Dreams of America by Christopher Zahn
Honorary Mention (acting):
Mariko Ujihisa(Dreams of America)
2003 Best Film
Gaucher (Lefty)
A short film by Jeff Fitzsimmons. Patrice is a pathetic man who has accomplished nothing in his life. He wants desperately to correct his shortcomings by forcing his children to succeed where he could not. Unfortunately, he has no children - he has a cat.