In this writer’s opinion, there isn’t a bigger staple in the Wisconsin Film Festival than “Wisconsin’s Own.” The short films in particular showcase homegrown talent and productions shot in the state, offering wide varieties of genre and style that tap into a profound sense of place. If the Wisconsin Film Festival were a party, the short film collection is its nacho platter, a solid base topped with zest, spice and plenty of cheese. (To overextend this metaphor: classic films are the beer, undistributed indies are the cake, and the Korean imports are the banana Laffy Taffy I end up eating anyway.)
The “Wisconsin’s Own” shorts also represent, to much more success, part of what I try to do here in providing a platform to the state’s talented and often unsung artists. So bring your filmmaker Q&As and your Hitchcock restorations. I’ll take this stuff every year:
“Hill Stories”
Tewosret Vaughn’s “Hill Stories” takes a casual, conversational approach to exploring family and future. Largely concerned with interactions between a young woman and her grandfather (as well as an extended trip to a favorite frozen lake), Vaughn conjures an emotional rawness with a film that could be considered found footage if it didn’t play like a heartfelt video diary.
“Mono No Aware #1”
Beginning with bright summery colors, the decaying blues and green smudges in Julie Wolterstorff’s cinematic collage bring to mind the changing of the seasons. Blurred, distorted images imitate the window scene of an endless car ride, turning to brown, orange, and gold over the methodical crescendo of distorted sound. A largely silent audience suggested some reluctance to Wolterstorff’s avant-garde piece, though the ensuing Q&A afterward did little to raise the appeal of an already alienating sub-genre. It’s a shame, too. Apparently the first in a series of works, the textures in “Mono No Aware #1” were unmatched by anything else in the program, but Wolterstorff’s disposition could have stayed in Milwaukee.
“The Round Barns of Vernon County”
Only in Wisconsin could a survey on circular barn designs receive whistles and cheers, and that’s exactly how audiences reacted to David Weber Macasaet and Shahin Izadi’s mini-doc. Macasaet and Izadi aren’t afraid to delve into dicier territory, touching on Wisconsin’s checkered past with cultural homogenization and race relations in the Cheyenne Valley. Exploring the state’s innovation and uniqueness through an agricultural and architectural rarity, “Round Barns” uses its subject matter like any good documentary: to broaden its own conversation.
“Bike Trip”
Cut from the same mold as a GoPro commercial (minus “Chicken the Dog”), Sam Kirchoff employs a first-person perspective in documenting a cycling trip in northern Wisconsin. The state’s featured forests and vistas should be beautiful, but Kirchoff’s fascination with re-orienting the viewer’s experience goes hand in hand with distorting it as the entire short was shot on Hi8 video. Viva la analog.
“Bingo Night!”
Who could’ve guessed three grannies robbing a bingo hall would have been the audience favorite of the evening? Well, besides me. The short stretches plenty in convincing us Mindy Sterling (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) would stick up her local VFW, but that all melted away to uproarious laughter and an enthusiastic crowd — many of whom I’m guessing were a part of the production. Then again, community is a part of the appeal, and director Jordan Liebowitz has undeniably shot a fun, cheeky piece in his old college town.
“Smoky Places”
The only music video (and sole source of animation for that matter), designer Michael DiMilo really makes it count. Wisconsin roots rockers The Tri-Tonics lay down a steady groove while DiMilo uses the song’s singular qualities as a springboard for a host of colorful characters. “Colorful” is only implied here, as they’re animated in a charming black and white style, but the hipsters and anthropomorphic animals that populate apartment buildings and dive bars are designed uniquely enough to cut through the smoke.
“Inside & Out”
Eric J. Nelson’s “Siszilla” is a brick ton of fun, so I wasn’t surprised to get a kick out of his mockumentary on Kyle Seekings, a metal-loving car wash employee with a penchant for taking his sign twirling to tubular degrees. Short and sweet, Nelson’s smirking short appears to span across years and seasons, adding another layer of comedy by virtue of ridiculous dedication. And whether it’s Nelson’s doing or the playlist stylings of Seekings himself, the metal selections are top notch. (I realize the 2014 Golden Badger awards have already been doled out, but could the jury offer a one-time honorary trophy for Best Use of Metallica’s “Four Horsemen?”)
“Strings of Colors”
I’m finding that the best of this year’s festival features are documentaries that resist traditional structures and tropes like talking heads and title cards (see also: Approaching the Elephant, Rich Hill). Count this docushort by Sharan Mohanadoss (of UW-Milwaukee’s Union Theatre) among them. With production value galore, Mohanadoss takes his camera to the streets of India to observe the rigorous practices of Indian dressmakers. They string together threads and ring out feet long ropes of drape as bicyclists and taxis zip past in this gorgeously shot piece. “Strings of Colors” affords its subjects the same respect and attention they pay to their craft.
“Before You”
The film fest’s guide was right to draw a comparison between editor/cinematographer Michael. T. Vollmann’s short and a certain arthouse director, although I’ll take things a step further and argue this should have been called “To the Malickian Wonder.” In all seriousness, without the dreamy omniscience that flows through the memories of Vollmann’s romantic relationships and the birth of his child, “Before You” would play like a self-serving cheese fest. Instead, this 2014 Golden Badger Winner pulls notes from “Goodnight Moon” for a charming love letter to life’s coincidences and happenstances. Amazingly, it was shot entirely on an iPhone 4S. I still have trouble keeping my thumb out of Snapchats.