Our Third Annual Film Fest Screened October 9th-12th 2025
Featuring Selected Work Created in Wisconsin and Workshops Lead by Wisconsinites.
This fest is exclusively focused on Wisconsin-based artists and projects, providing a platform for local creators and bolstering creative engagement throughout our region.
SCREENING CATEGORIES
Short Films (30 minutes or less)
- Experimental
- Documentary
- Music Video
- Narrative
- Animation
-Found Footage
This fest focuses primarily on short films (30 minutes or less), and aims to feature independent cinema that fosters critical discussion and community connection. Selected work is curated to screen everywhere from historic theaters and cafes to local creative centers and makerspaces, promoting engagement with grassroots arts orgs and unique screening spaces.
2025 Venues and Films
Screenings and filmmaker talkbacks were scheduled alongside live performances and interactive demos, as well as panels on regional creative spaces, projects and resources (ft. local filmmakers, writers, actors and founders of regional creative spaces).
We don’t just screen films, we’re committed to creating space and programming for filmmakers, musicians, writers, animators, composers and designers to network and platform their work. Screenings took place alongside professional panels, interactive workshops and live performances, encouraging collaboration across mediums and formats. Contributors to the fest were also invited to continue their creative momentum year-round, participating in our shared resource network and regular meetups. These resources provide access to shared equipment, talent and funding to enhance the scale and scope of Wisconsin filmmaking.
Filmmakers in Attendance
Nate Sheppard
A multimedia creative with a focus on video and music production. Based in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, Nate was the 2019 recipient of the Northern Arts Council’s Indiviual Artist Grant and has worked on a wide range of projects including directing a feature-length documentary, creating an online arts festival, and designing multimedia art installations.
Winter Williams
Winter Williams (locally known as Ashley) is an award-winning American film and theater actress, best known for her breakout roles in cult horror The Human Centipede, revenge thriller Julia, and crime drama Albanian Gangster. Currently, Williams is co-creating a one-woman show with playwright Denmo Ibrahim, while continuing her film collaborations with her husband, filmmaker Matthew A. Brown.
Ethan Kulinski
A recent graduate from UW-Stout's video production program. At 22 years old, Three Chicken Dinners marks his first directorial effort since 2023's Good Stuff, gathering an ensemble of acting talent from throughout Wisconsin and Minneapolis. Ethan has interest in pursuing a variety of filmmaking roles, with hopes of continuing to build his body of work as a writer, director, and cinematographer moving forward.
Leyf C Varga
Audio Artist, Composer & Musician, Leyf is the creative force behind the band misc_alt_. Beyond composing and performing music, they write, direct and produce their own videos, including You’ll think of It featured in this year’s fest, and other music video work featured in past festivals.
Matthew A. Brown
Matthew A. Brown’s feature film directorial debut, Julia, was released in the US in AMC cinemas in October 2015 after winning multiple awards at the world’s leading genre film festivals and selling to over forty international territories. His sophomore feature, Albanian Gangster, was released in theaters via AMC Independent in October 2020, and he is currently in post on his third feature, Illyrian Blood, a sequel to Albanian Gangster. His next project, Killdeer, a dramatic thriller set on North Dakota’s Bakken oilfields, shoots this coming February, 2026.
Daniel Ratcliff
Small Town Rock Stars is Daniel's first directing experience. He’s been a C-FAM student for 5 years, writing and starring in the C-FAM production Transaster, performing in Thar Be Pirates and Snow White, and running sound on Snow White. Daniel is a Transgender Man who is passionate about lifting voices in the LGBTQ community.
Travis Agnew
Madison native Travis Agnew has lived all over the United States and traveled the globe gathering a flood of experiences. Travis co-directed and performed in Light Shines in the Darkness, focusing on gritty songs with passion and energy that wrestle with brokenness. He aims to write songs that move the human heart and make you feel things.
Matt Osowski
A Central Wisconsin-based composer and musician. Matt has worked on projects in Seattle, WA; Los Angeles, CA; Minneapolis, MN; and throughout the state of Wisconsin. He’ll be leading a studio workshop during the fest, covering recording and editing techniques.
Barnplotter
A visual DJ and multimedia installation artist from Stevens Point, Barnplotter produces a variety of installation and performance work for Flowstate Galleries, Project North Festival and many more regional arts events. Their installations will be featured throughout the fest.
Samuel Karow
After receiving his BFA in film from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Sam is now a professional video artist based in Appleton, Wisconsin.Sam’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. His award-winning short film 3 Miles East was included in the 64th Cannes Film Festival Court Métrage.
Sam Calaway
Chicago resident with a BFA in Acting and a minor in Media Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Sam has acted in film and theater and created many of their own films. They’ve collaborated with Minneapolis-based musicians on film/video and have been nominated for the Jimmy Awards twice. Sam’s work explores what it means to be an outsider, and the love and connection that can be found when we confront these fears in ourselves and each other.
Nels Lindquist
A Milwaukee-based filmmaker with deep ties to Wisconsin. He runs I’m Cold Productions where he creates everything from music videos to advertisements to documentary and fiction filmmaking.
Allison Lange
An undergraduate student at UW-Stevens Point, majoring in graphic design and English. With a strong connection to the campus media studies department, she is particularly interested in filmmaking that focuses on the visual elements and shot construction.
Matthew Balz
Milwaukee-based Screenwriter and Director, Matthew enjoys translating abstract ideas into visual media. Having grown up in a smaller countryside town, they were raised on an endless parade of films; domestic and foreign, new and old, narrative and bat-sh** crazy. Now, they’re working on a cooperative venture to create original forms of cinema and storytelling to inspire and enlighten all scope of audiences.
Jamison-Jupiter Clauer
Experimental Filmmaker & Film Editor. A recent University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point graduate, Jamison has created/participated in projects that have been in the Wisconsin Film Festival and CinePoint. They specialize in experimental film and sound editing, with a lean towards creating projects about transgender experiences.
Tj Hill
TJ Hill has had a love for storytelling in all mediums. He and his frequent collaborator (and brother), Aaron Hill, were fortunate to have their short film, “A Cloudy Moon” go to the Cannes Short Film Corner in 2023; picking up many awards along the way. He prides himself on forging cohesive partnerships in creating entertainment while pulling no punches within the craft.
Wisconsin Computer Club
An active organization of collectors and enthusiasts who promote community around retro tech and media throughout the state. They’re running an interactive workshop that will feature rare and retro media of all-kinds, and multiple interactive stations/systems.
Crestwood Art
Animation and art from the students at Crestwood Elementary school in Madison, WI. Art Instructor and Editor, Luke Bassuener, is joined by his 4th and 5th grade classes, who participated in a large-scale collaborative animation project. Their resulting short film, Timun Mas, follows a range of past collaborative animation projects -- animated and voiced entirely by elementary students.
2025 AWARD WINNERS
Grand Jury Prize – $500
Three Chicken Dinners by Ethan Kulinski
Best of the Basin - $100
SCAPEGOAT by Andrew Egan
Best Student Film - $100
See You Around by Sam Calaway
Best In Category Awards - $50
-Best Music Video: Light Shines in the Darkness by TJ Hill and Travis Agnew
-Best Experimental Films: A Sick Beat & Grooms on Hold by Samuel Karow
-Best Animation: Timun Mas by Crestwood Art
-Best Found Footage: A Date With Your Family by Joel Sacramento
-Best Narrative (Scifi/Drama): Paradox Chamber by Matthew Evan Balz
-Best Narrative (Drama): Strings by Nettie Dellheim
-Best Documentary: Mendota: Symphony of a Lake by Levon Blackburn
Prizes are awarded by category and best of show, to work that shows significant technical and artistic achievement. Jurors are generally filmmakers, film industry professionals, critics or curators who have a commitment to supporting regional filmmakers and film culture in Wisconsin. Often, jurors have Wisconsin roots or are UW alumni.