Favorites at 2025 Wisconsin Film Festival; Project Projection titles announced
I ended up seeing 16 programs at this year's Wisconsin Film Festival, and these five films stood out.
Click here for Now Playing In Madison, week of April 14, 2025
To be honest with you, I spent most of the post-Festival weekend catching up on sleep. As efficient as I tried to be in terms of running around from screening to screening, I was still pretty tired by the end of the Festival on Thursday. So, of course, I went to another screening (Milk Punch at the Bartell) on Friday! Then I took it easy with some good books and several long naps Saturday and Sunday.
But there’s no rest for the wicked. I know you’ve been hitting your refresh button all day, waiting for the new installment of Moving Image Madison! Thank you for your patience.
I saw a total of 16 films/programs at the 2025 Wisconsin Film Festival. I provided an overview of my opening weekend in my last post. I simply don’t have it in me this morning to cover the remaining seven films/programs. So here’s a list of my top five favorites with a few notes. Like the last post, no plot summary, just my reactions.
Top Five
Afternoons of Solitude | Albert Serra | Spain | 2024 | 126 minutes
This is the strongest observational documentary I’ve seen in a long time. Spanish director Albert Serra (whose narrative features include Death of Louis XIV and Liberté) delivers some stunning images and moments that can abruptly shift from hypnotic choreography to shocking violence.
It reminded me quite a bit of the work by the Sensory Ethnography Lab (De Humani Corporis Fabrica and MANAKAMANA in particular) it its unflinching willingness to show the brutality of bullfighting in long often uninterrupted detail. A common critique of the observational documentary tradition is that its dependence on what happens spontaneously in front of the camera does not provide an opportunity for analysis of social structures or ideology. Well, in Afternoons the ideology that continues to prop up bullfighting is laid bare in the discussions between acclaimed Peruvian matador Andrés Roca Rey and his colleagues on their team bus. Or, I should say more accurately, in the endless praise that his colleagues shower on him, because Roca himself does not say much during the film. Their praise combines an odd combination of juvenile extreme machismo with a warped perspective of the bulls as the unreasonable aggressor.
Some viewers, however, will be reluctant to watch the repeated killing of the bulls in the ring, dragged off unceremoniously time after time. The degree to which the filmmakers, and we the viewers, are complicit in propping up the ideology of bullfighting is a question that demands personal contemplation.
Not knowing much about bullfighting going into the film, I was struck by two aspects of Roca’s presence in the ring. First, the praise he receives from his colleagues for his bravery is completely justified. But since we only have access to the objective reality of what happens in front of the camera, we can only speculate what drives him back into the ring despite the obvious danger (unless we buy into the ideology that his colleagues have internalized). Second, our inferences about what’s going on in his head are distorted by the stylization of his movements within the ring. These movements range from contortions of his body, seemingly to project an idealized masculine form, to distortions in his facial expression, which convey a crazed energy in contrast to his usually calm countenance.
Most of the action takes place in medium shot framing or full body framing. There’s very little sense of the scale in which the spectacle takes place (the whole arena). This reminded me of Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno, 2006) which for the most part focused on French soccer player Zenedine Zidane over the course of an entire match. The intimacy this creates is enhanced by a brilliant sound design, which often includes the breathing of the bullfighters as well as the bull. As hypnotic as many of the images are, you also can’t escape them. Even if you close your eyes, what you hear can be just as vivid and nightmarish.
The Bloody Lady with live accompaniment by claire rousay | Victor Kubal | Slovakia | 1981 | 73 minutes
This was the biggest “don’t miss” screening of the Festival (possibly tied with Cocksucker Blues, which of course I missed). Personally, I enjoyed the film more than I enjoyed the live accompaniment, which was certainly serviceable.
I was unfamiliar with Kubal’s work, though as I mentioned in my weeknight tickets post, I’ve been following Arbelos Films’ re-issues of European animated features with great interest. Paraphrasing Jonathan Richman, Kubal seems to love color, and he lets it show. The colors in this restoration really pop off the screen.
There’s a gentleness to the visual design, despite the horrifying places the plot takes us. Kubal’s character animation features many light touches and details with little jokes, especially with the animals who flock around the Lady Báthory before she turns evil. The mix of tones probably shouldn’t work as well as it does, but the leisurely pace serves both the gentle and horrific moments. rousay’s motifs also help punctuate transitions between tones, particularly concerning scenes with Lady Báthory and the woodsman.
It would have been interesting to hear from rousay after the screening, but alas there was no Q & A session scheduled.
The Spook Who Sat By the Door | Ivan Dixon | USA | 1973 | 102 minutes
See “Halftime Report” post
Endless Cookie | Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver | Canada | 2025 | 97 minutes
This was a pure delight, in the great tradition of animation and personal documentary hybrids that have come out of Canada (Chris Landreth’s Oscar-winning short Ryan (2004), about animator Ryan Larkin, comes to mind as one of many examples). The frame-story for Endless Cookie is that Seth Scriver receives a grant to make an animated film based on recorded interviews with his half-brother Peter. Seth is white, Peter is Indigenous. Seth travels to Peter’s Shamattawa home which sets off a series of vignettes that range from memories of Toronto in the 1980s to more recent accounts of contemporary Indigenous experience.
In addition to insights about memory, culture, politics and family life, Endless Cookie also brings the recorded interviews to life with a wildly stylized animation style that goes beyond “cartoony.” Family members and pets are represented by figures of a wide range of shapes and colors often with exaggerated noses. In the case of Seth’s niece and Peter’s daughter, Cookie, she is literally a chocolate chip cookie head with a torso, arms, and legs.
There are in-jokes about independent filmmaking (Peter is supposed to finish the film in six months, but it takes him several years), but the best moments are the quiet observations about Peter’s family. Sometimes the animation provides simple punctuation to a word or a sound on the soundtrack, grounding the fanciful animation to the reality that was recorded (and even if it were re-recorded and mixed, the voices themselves add this layer of authenticity).
Scratchmen, Elvis, and You: the Films of Heather McAdams
See “Halftime Report” post.
Honorable Mentions
Pavements
Wisconsin’s Own Experimental Shorts and The Sea, The Silence and The ‘Smiths
See “Halftime Report” post for both programs.
Shanghai Blues
Regrets
I had tickets for Cocksucker Blues and Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other, and I regret missing both of them. Zach Zahos has a 600+ word response to Cocksucker Blues in today’s post at Movie Time with Zach. And Rob Thomas reviewed Two Strangers at Not That Rob Thomas last week.
Partial lineup announced for Project Projection screening, Wednesday, April 30, 7pm at Mills Folly Microcinema
A partial lineup has been announced for the Mills Folly Microcinema “Project Projection” screening of local film and video on Wednesday, April 30, 7:00pm at Arts + Literature Laboratory. Project Projection screenings showcase work by filmmakers in Dane County, focusing on experimental film, short documentaries, animation, and music videos.
Filmmakers can still submit films 10 minutes and under to be considered for this screening. The final deadline is Monday, April 21. There are no submission fees, and you can submit your film using the submission form at the Project Projection event page at artlitlab.org.
This screening list is in alphabetical order by the filmmaker’s name. Descriptions can be found at the Project Projection event page. The screening order will be determined shortly before the screening date.
Looking for the Ghosts: The Very Black History of American Heavy Metal Music | Selena Baker | 2025 | 8:44
A Painted Film | Blake Barit | Work in Progress | 8:00
Glitch Dance | Blake Barit | 5:00
Mumbumper–F*ckin Leaf Blowers | Taylor Cherry | 2025 | 2:17
Neuroview | Brandon Coventry | 2023 | 3:00
LOUKA–Inside Out, Upside Down | Austin Duerst | 2025 | 3:38
The unseen | Tim Geurkink | 2020 | 4:02
Do Not Stop | Tim Geurkink | 2018 | 5:08
Honky Tonk Angels | Meggen Heuss | 2025 | 3:48
Wacker Neuson | James Kreul | Work in Progress | 8:00
In Mind | Claudia Krogmeier | 2024 | 2:34
Mother Knows | Claudia Krogmeier | 2024 | 2:06
Some Sugar | Claudia Krogmeier | 2024 | 2:23
Unlearning | Claudia Krogmeier | 2025 | 2:47
Bob and Paul Meet… | Vincent Mollica | 2024 | 8:05
The America Next Door | Al Rasho | Work in Progress | 3:39
Apartment 1904 | Al Rasho | 2025 | :34
გაგვემარჯვოს (Gagvemarjvos) / May We Be Victorious | Vivienne Timchenko | 2024 | 2:43
The lineup is subject to change. The most likely change will be the removal of mine if I can’t finish it in time! (Or I’ll remove it if we get more submissions pushing the program running time.)
Now Playing In Madison: User’s Guide
Check the venue’s website (click venue name), especially after Wednesday for weekend openings and closings.
Brief notes under titles of interest to me are not endorsements unless noted.
Snarky comments are not negative reviews, I have not seen the films unless noted.
UW-Cinematheque
AMADEUS
BONA
Restored 4K DCP of Lino Brocka’s drama which premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight of the 1981 Cannes Film Festival, but has been hard to see until this restored version was showcased in the Cannes Classics section during this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
WUD Film
ZOOLANDER
HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE, THE
AMC Fitchburg
AMATEUR, THE
BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND, THE
CHEECH AND CHONG’S LAST MOVIE–4/20 EARLY ACCESS
Advance screening on 4/20 at 4:20pm (get it?). Regular opening is Friday, April 25.
CHOSEN: LAST SUPPER, THE
COLORFUL STAGE! THE MOVIE: A MIKU WHO CAN'T SING
Anime musical based on the mobile game Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage!.
DEATH OF A UNICORN
DISNEY'S SNOW WHITE
DROP
FRIEND, THE
HELL OF A SUMMER
JAAT
Hindi-language action drama starring Sunny Deol, and directed by Gobichand Malineni (his Hindi-language debut, known Telugu-language films like Veera Simha Reddy).
KESARI CHAPTER 2: THE UNTOLD STORY OF JALLIANWALA BAGH
Hindi-language historical courtroom drama starring Akshay Kumar, concerning the court case following the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre
KING OF KINGS, THE
LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA, THE
MICKEY 17
MINECRAFT MOVIE, A
PRIDE & PREJUDICE 20TH ANNIVERSARY RE-RELEASE
If you do the math, you’ll realize that this is the Keira Knightly / Matthew Macfadyen verison directed by Joe Wright in 2005.
SACRAMENTO
SINNERS
Supernatural action-horror film starring Michael B. Jordan in a dual role, and directed by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed, Fruitvale Station).
SNEAKS
In the sketchy animated feature of the week, Sneaks follows the adventures of a designer sneaker (Named Ty, get it?) whose valuable sister-designer-sneaker is stolen.
UGLY STEPSISTER, THE
Norwegian body-horror thriller that debuted at 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
WARFARE
WEDDING BANQUET, THE
Remake of the Ang Lee 1993 romantic comedy. Like the original, this remake is co-written by James Schamus. Stars Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone. Screened at the 2025 Wisconsin Film Festival.
WOMAN IN THE YARD, THE
WORKING MAN, A
Marcus Point Cinema or Marcus Palace Cinema
AMATEUR, THE
BEETLEJUICE
CHOSEN: LAST SUPPER, THE
COLORFUL STAGE! THE MOVIE: MIKU WHO CAN'T SING, A
DISNEY'S SNOW WHITE
DROP
FRIEND, THE
HELL OF A SUMMER
HOP
Part of “Hop to the Movies!” event Saturday, April 19, that includes Easter egg hunt and photo ops with the Easter Bunny.
KING OF KINGS, THE
LORD OF THE RINGS MARATHON: EXTENDED EDITION, THE
Another day-before-Easter special event. Start the journey at 11:30am at either Point or Palace.
MINECRAFT MOVIE, A
PRIDE & PREJUDICE 20TH ANNIVERSARY RE-RELEASE
SINNERS
TITANIC
Fan Faves series.
WARFARE
WILD ROBOT, THE
The other feature option for “Hop to the Movies!”
WOMAN IN THE YARD, THE
WORKING MAN, A
Flix Brewhouse
AMATEUR, THE
CHOSEN: LAST SUPPER PART, THE
DAZED AND CONFUSED 30TH ANNIVERSARY
Interesting Flix Pix choice for Easter Sunday, April 20.
DROP
HELL OF A SUMMER
HOP
KING OF KINGS, THE
MINECRAFT MOVIE, A
PRIDE & PREJUDICE 20TH ANNIVERSARY RE-RELEASE
SHREK
Flix Picks “Shrek at Night” promotion, Saturday, April 19.
SINNERS
WARFARE
WORKING MAN, A
Looking Ahead
Mills Folly Microcinema
The Death Spiral Tour: Body Prop by M. Woods, Wednesday, April 23, 7pm, Arts + Literature Laboratory
Project Projection Spring 2025: Local Film and Video, Wednesday, April 30, 7pm, Arts + Literature Laboratory. (Filmmakers: final submission deadline Monday, April 21.)
Thanks for these tips!