For 10 years, the Milwaukee Short Film Festival has spent a day screening the best short cinema from Milwaukee, the United States and beyond.
This year, in celebration of the completion of its first decade, the festival expands to four days, kicking off with a launch party at Art Bar, 722 E. Burleigh St., on Thursday, May 29 at 9 p.m. and following with two nights of films -- Friday and Saturday -- at the Alchemist Theater, 2569 S Kinnickinnic Ave., and one -- Sunday -- at The Times Cinema, 5906 W. Vliet St. Admission is $10 for each event.
"I think what's helped us to become the longest running festival in the city is that a few years ago we started using industry professionals as judges, and that continues on to today," says co-organizer Ross Bigley, who notes that previous judges have included Mark Metcalf and ("General Hospital" star) Kin Shriner.
Uwe Boll, Jerry Houser, Zack Ward, Lori Kahn and Tim Lonsdale are this year's judges.
"It's important to filmmakers that submit their film to know that actual people who work, or have worked in the industry watch and honestly critique their work," says Bigley.
Although Moviemaker magazine named it "Best Local Festival" in 2006, Bigley notes that the festival still has a lot of work to do to raise its profile internationally.
"But, with us getting known nationally and Internationally -- that is where most of our films come from -- we still have problem with us being a recognizable element in the city. We hope that we can turn it around this year."
A complete schedule for the festival is available on the event's Web site -- see below -- but Bigley offers a few highlights:
"Look out for Jonathan West's first film ("Spoon One") on opening night (Friday). Also that night is the special premier of R. Michael Gull's "Victim." Michael is a nationally known stand up comedian and will do a Q&A with Jonathan that night.
"Saturday shows us a great selection on Wisconsin films; films that should be supported. We need to encourage more local filmmaking and that event itself is sponsored by Film Wisconsin. After that we have some of the best International films that you'll see nowhere else, films from Spain, Poland, Romania and Japan.
"We close out Saturday with a late night selection of films with an after party featuring the local band The Independent Idols, who just tied for first place in a battle of the bands.
"Finally, there are the juried films and awards Sunday. These films shown that day are (among) our best selections."
Looking back on a decade of festivals in Brew City, Bigley is proud of what he and his fellow organizer Dave Rogman have achieved with the Milwaukee Short Film Festival.
"To think where we started and have now evolved to is amazing to me," he says. "I didn't think that we would still be around; I thought 2-3 years tops. It's a given fact that most festivals have a very difficult time of it and can't last very long, but if you are careful with your planning and keep on track you'll stay in the game. I hope to see this last another 10 years."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
