Milwaukee, Wisconsin — The 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival, held over two vibrant weeks, wrapped up last Thursday, leaving a significant impact on the local arts community. The festival, sponsored by Associated Bank, showcased an impressive array of films, engaging audiences and celebrating cinematic creativity.
Attendance numbers released by Milwaukee Film indicate that the festival attracted 32,004 viewers across 265 public screenings. This year’s lineup featured a total of 209 films, including 97 feature films, of which 49 were documentaries and 48 were works of fiction. Additionally, 112 short films were screened. The festival provided a platform for 80 filmmakers and industry guests, as well as numerous local creators. Notably, nearly half—45 percent—of the feature films were directed by women or nonbinary filmmakers.
The festival also saw significant fundraising achievements, raising $150,550 through its REEL Impact Drive. The campaign received an initial boost from a generous $10,000 donation by Susan and Robert Mikulay. On the final day of the festival, Jim and Santha Kerns matched an additional $3,000, which was quickly met by contributions from supporters.
Recognizing outstanding contributions to the arts, Milwaukee Film presented the Abele Catalyst Award posthumously to Carmen and Bill Haberman during the festival’s opening night. This honor acknowledges individuals or entities vital to the festival’s mission.
The festival’s jury awards celebrated exceptional films across various categories. The Luminaries Jury Award was given to “Middletown,” directed by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, while the Special Mention went to “Pavements,” directed by Alex Ross Perry. In the Emerging Fiction category, the award was presented to “Outerlands” directed by Elena Oxman, with special mentions for “Color Book” and “DJ Ahmet.”
The Emerging Documentary Jury recognized “Remaining Native” by Paige Bethmann, with special mentions for “Life After” and “A Mother Apart.” The Cream City Cinema Jury honored three films: “Zastava Brothers,” “What Happened to Dorothy Bell?,” and “CYCLE,” while also giving special mentions to several others. The Shorts Jury Award went to “It Shouldn’t Rain Tomorrow,” directed by Maria Trigo Teixeira.
The Kids’ Choice Jury Award was bestowed upon “The Carp and the Child,” directed by Morgane Simon and Arnaud Demuynck. Special mentions in this category were given for various achievements in animation and impactful messaging.
The festival concluded with the announcement of the Audience Award winners: “The Librarians,” directed by Kim A Snyder, was named Best Feature, and “Jane Austen’s Period Drama,” by Julia Aks and Steve Pinder, received the title of Best Short.
Milwaukee Film is also looking ahead, scheduling the next festival for April 16-30, 2026. Last year marked the launch of the Dialogues Documentary Festival, a four-day event aimed at fostering conversations through documentary films. The second edition will take place from September 18 to 21 this year.
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