The Milwaukee Film Festival may be over, but the big-screen excitement courtesy of the Oriental Theatre continues as the legendary East Side cinema will host a premiere screening of the new PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Historical Society documentary "Wisconsin Pride" next month. 

Showing at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 9, "Wisconsin Pride" takes viewers through the LGBTQ+ history of the state, the fights for equal rights, and the iconic individuals who put their stamp on Wisconsin in ways big and small – all told in interviews with historians and those who lived through it. 

"LGBTQ+ history, simply put, is Wisconsin history," said PBS Wisconsin producer Andy Soth, in a release. "This is an authentically Wisconsin story. There are so many intersections with Wisconsin traditions and our LGBTQ+ citizens."

The June premiere screening won't simply be about what's on the big screen, though, as the event will serve as a festival-like gala debut for "Wisconsin Pride" complete with a red carpet along with the filmmakers, doc interviewees, subjects, activists and more in attendance for the showing.

"Wisconsin’s LGBTQ+ communities and our allies cannot miss this opportunity,” said Milwaukee Film’s GenreQueer & Shorts programmer Jack Feria, in the release. "The gravity of honoring our trailblazers and facing our histories together, on the Oriental Theatre’s largest screen, is going to create one of the most unique Pride celebrations Wisconsin has ever seen. You cannot replicate this experience at home. This is going to be a monumental evening for GenreQueer, Milwaukee Film and Wisconsin."

Tickets to the "Wisconsin Pride" premiere are available to reserve now at Milwaukee Film's website for the low, low price of free – that's right: no dollars – thanks to the organization's Community Cinema Initiative. More information on the film is also available at MKE Film's website. 

For those who can't make the June 9 screening at the Oriental, "Wisconsin Pride" will make its TV debut on Tuesday, June 20 at 7 p.m. Milwaukee PBS. The doc will also be made avalable on PBS Wisconsin's website and the PBS app.

For more Pride Month programming at the Oriental Theatre, stay tuned to Milwaukee Film's website for more announcements and bookings. And for those missing the film festival, relive it with the MFF2023 selection "How to Blow Up a Pipeline" now playing at the Oriental – plus more Best of Fest selections to come!