2024 Milwaukee Film Festival unveils 1st movies, including Oscar contenders, 'Footloose'

Documentaries by two of filmdom's most revered directors, two of this year's Oscar-nominated movies that haven't reached Milwaukee theaters yet and a 40th anniversary screening of the Kevin Bacon classic — yes, classic — "Footloose" are among the first batch of titles announced for the 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival.

The 16th annual festival, organized by nonprofit Milwaukee Film, will run from April 11 to 25. The Oriental Theatre is the festival's flagship location; the rest of the theater lineup is expected to be finalized soon.

According to Milwaukee Film, showtimes and locations, and the whole festival lineup, will be unveiled March 27.

First titles for 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival: 'Robot Dreams,' 'Footloose,' 'Menus-Plaisirs'

As part of promoting a Leap Day flash sale for advance tickets and passes for the festival, Milwaukee Film Thursday disclosed the first batch of titles of the 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival. They are:

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"Anselm": German film master Wim Wenders' portrait of artist Anselm Kiefer, shot in 3-D and 6K resolution, had been expected to be an Oscar nominee for best documentary feature but was snubbed. (Wenders' other great movie from 2023, "Better Days," landed an Academy Award nomination for best international feature.)

"Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros": No documentary filmmaker takes a deeper, more painstakingly detailed dive into his subjects than Frederick Wiseman, and the latest by the 93-year-old master is no exception — an immersive study of a restaurant in France that has had three Michelin stars for more than half a century, and of the family that has run it for four generations.

"Footloose": Kevin Bacon moves to a small Midwestern town where they've banned dancing, and sets out to do something about it in a 1984 jukebox musical doesn't feel that much out of step with today. It's showing under the festival's "Cinebuds LIVE!" banner, connected to the podcast from Milwaukee Film and WYMS-FM (88.9), aka Radio Milwaukee.

"Robot Dreams": This year's wild-card Oscar nominee for best animated feature tells the story — dialogue-free, though it's not a silent movie — of a dog who, in a bid to conquer loneliness, builds himself a robot companion.

"Four Daughters": Another of this year's Academy Award nominees for best documentary feature, this movie uses a mix of performance and interview to tell the story of a Tunisian woman and her four daughters, two of whom have been radicalized.

"Green Border": A family of Syrian refugees become trapped in the no man's land between Belarus and Poland in this drama by European director Agnieszka Holland.

"Let the Canary Sing": Cyndi Lauper's story, from her pop-punk feminist beginnings to today, is the focus of this new portrait.

"Mountains": In this drama, a Haitian demolition worker is assigned to dismantle his own gentrifying neighborhood.

"Riddle of Fire": In a fairytale of sorts, three children sent on an errand have all sorts of adventures in a festival-circuit award-winning feature-film debut by Weston Razooli.

"Bye Bye Tiberias": This documentary follows Emmy-nominated actor Hiam Abbass ("Succession") as she returns to her Palestinian hometown years after leaving to pursue an acting career in France.

"Rosa and the Stone Troll": In this animated Danish children's movie, a fairy sets out to rescue her butterfly friend after the latter is kidnapped by an evil stone troll.

"Unsyncable": This documentary follows senior athletes competing at the U.S. Masters Artistic Swimming Championships.

Where you can get Milwaukee Film Festival tickets on Leap Day

The Milwaukee Film Festival's Leap Day flash sale is Feb. 29 only at mkefilm.org/flash. It includes a ticket six-pack for $70, $55 for Milwaukee Film members; a 10-pack for $105, $90 for members; and all-access passes for $475 ($375 for members).

The 2023 Milwaukee Film Festival reported in-person attendance of 29,718, up 58% from the 2022 festival. In 2019, the last year before the pandemic, the film festival had a record 87,618 attendees.

In recent months, Milwaukee Film has dealt with some significant turnover in its management ranks. In January, President and CEO Jonathan Jackson, who had been with the organization since before the beginning, stepped down. Other departures included Geraud Blanks, co-founder of Milwaukee Film's Black Lens program and most recently the nonprofit's chief innovation officer, and Maureen Post, most recently director of strategic partnerships.

Following Jackson's exit, Anne Reed, the retired president and CEO of the Wisconsin Humane Society, was named interim CEO of Milwaukee Film.

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