The Wisconsin Film Festival (Festival) is presented by the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arts Institute in association with the Department of Communication Arts and is the largest university-produced film festival in the nation.
Each year the Festival brings in guest artists including filmmakers and cast. Guests participate in post-screening Q&As with Festival audiences and some guests meet with students from the Department of Communication Arts. They also attend special events during the Festival. For more details on the films, please visit the online film guide at 2018.wifilmfest.org.
Guest artists are listed alphabetically by last name:
- Ludovic Bonleux, director and producer of Guerrero
Wednesday, April 11 at 5:45 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 1 - Andrew Bujalksi, director and screenwriter of Support the Girls
Saturday, April 7 at 4:00 pm | Shannon Hall, Memorial Union - D.P. Carlson, director, producer and cinematographer of Joe Frank – Somewhere out There
Wednesday, April 11 at 8:30 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 5 - Quinn Costello, director and producer of Rodents of Unusual Size
Tuesday, April 10 at 5:45 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 5
Wednesday, April 11 at 12:30 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 5 - Bridey Elliott, director and screenwriter of Clara’s Ghost
Friday, April 6 at 8:00 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 6
Saturday, April 7 at 12:45 pm | UW Cinematheque - Bridey Elliott will also appear at the screening of Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971) to discuss the film’s influence on Clara’s Ghost
Saturday April 7 at 3:15 pm | UW Cinemathque - Antonio Méndez Esparza, director and screenwriter of Life and Nothing More
Wednesday, April 11 at 5:30 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 5
Thursday, April 12 at 1:00 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 5 - Josh Fadem, actor/comedian, presenting You’re Telling Me!
Saturday, April 7 at 11:00 am | UW Cinematheque - Josh Fadem will also appear at the screening of Snowy Bing Bongs and other Laff Riotz
Saturday April 7 at 9:00 pm | The Marquee, Union South - Lori Felker, director, producer and screenwriter of FUTURE LANGUAGE: The Dimensions of VON LMO (2018 Golden Badger Award winner)
Saturday, April 7 at 8:30 pm | UW Cinematheque - Anahita Ghazvinizadeh, director and screenwriter of They
Friday, April 6 at 6:00 pm | UW Cinematheque - Mike Gibisser, director of World of Facts (also appearing actors Rebecca Spence and Frank V. Ross)
Monday, April 9 at 6:15 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 1 - Tommy Haines, director of Saving Brinton (also appearing Michael Zahs, main subject in film)
Sunday, April 8 at 4:00 pm | UW Cinematheque
Monday, April 9 at 1:00 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 6 - Tim Hunter, director of Looking Glass
Saturday, April 7 at 5:45 pm | UW Cinematheque - Tim Hunter will also introduce Vanishing Point along with Deran Sarafian, son of director Richard Sarafian of Vanishing Point
Sunday, April 8 at 6:15 pm | Chazen Museum of Art - Bing Liu, director and producer of Minding the Gap (also appearing Keire Johnson and Zack Mulligan – two main subjects of film)
Monday, April 9 at 6:00 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 6
Tuesday, April 10 at 1:15 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 6 - Erik Ljung, director and producer of The Blood is at the Doorstep (2018 Golden Badger Award winner)
Saturday, April 7 at 1:15 pm | Shannon Hall, Memorial Union - Matt Porterfield, director and screenwriter of Sollers Point
Friday, April 6 at 8:15 pm | UW Cinematheque
Saturday, April 7 at 1:45 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 5 - Diane Quon, producer of Minding the Gap (Quon is a 2017 Golden Badger Award winner for Cliff, Superfan!)
Monday, April 9 at 6:00 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 6
Tuesday, April 10 at 1:15 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 6 - Douglas Tirola, director of Brewmaster
Saturday, April 7 at 8:30 pm | Shannon Hall, Memorial Union - Amy Scott, director of Hal
Sunday, April 8 at 11:00 am | UW Cinematheque
Monday, April 9 at 3:30 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 5 - J.P. Sniadecki, director and producer of El Mar la Mar
Tuesday, April 10 at 7:45 pm | AMC Madison 6 – Cinema 1 - Rachel Wolther, director and screenwriter of Snowy Bing Bongs Across the North Star Combat Zone
Saturday, April 7 at 9:00 pm | The Marquee, Union South
In addition to this great line-up, many of the Wisconsin’s Own filmmakers whose films are a vital part of this year’s Festival will also be in attendance. The Golden Badger award-winning filmmakers will also attend the Opening Night Celebration on April 5 at the Wisconsin Union Theater – Shannon Hall at the Memorial Union (800 Langdon Street) starting at 7:00 pm with Pete Schwaba of Wisconsin’s Public Television’s Director’s Cut as host.
This year’s Golden Badger Awards honorees are:
- The Blood is at the Doorstep | Directed by Eric Ljung
- FUTURE Language: The Dimensions of VON LMO | Directed by Lori Felker
- Great Light | Directed by Tony Oswald