Wisconsin Film Festival: Announces Dates for 2005 and Highlights 2004 Event

CONTACT:
Mary Carbine, (608) 262-6578, mary@wifilmfest.org or Lori Wilson at Funnel Inc., (608) 251-5481, lori@funnelinc.com

MADISON, Wis. (June 28, 2004) – Wisconsin Film Festival organizers today announced the dates for next year’s Festival. The 7th annual Wisconsin Film Festival, a public program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arts Institute, will take place in Madison Thursday, March 31 through Sunday, April 3, 2005.

In 2004, the Festival screened more than 140 films from 26 countries, including 45 films by filmmakers with Wisconsin ties, with record-breaking ticket sales of 24,000. Highlights included the opening night Midwest premiere of “The Yes Men” (United Artists) with Milwaukee filmmakers Chris Smith, Sarah Price and Dan Ollman in person, special appearances by Danish filmmakers Lone Scherfig with “Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself” (ThinkFilm) and Anders Thomas Jensen with the premiere of “The Green Butchers” (Newmarket), and the Wisconsin premiere of the award-winning documentary “The Corporation” (Zeitgeist) with co-director/producer/writer Mark Achbar and co-writer Harold Crooks in person. Filmmaker Mark Moskowitz presented his acclaimed documentary “Stone Reader” (Jet Films) and told audiences his distributor encouraged him to participate because “the Wisconsin Film Festival is one of the best film festivals you’ll ever go to.”

The 2004 Festival also hosted a special live “IFC Ultimate Film Fanatic” film fan competition (premieres on the Independent Film Channel (IFC) TV this summer) with celebrity host Chris Gore (“Film Threat,” “The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide,” “My Big Fat Independent Movie”), who enthused, “My favorite regional film festival. Great films, great parties, Wisconsin rocks!”

According to UW student William Temby (“The Daily Cardinal”), the Festival is “a UW event not to be missed, just as unique as game days at Camp Randall and State Street on Halloween weekend . . . I can guarantee you’ll get a memorable movie-going experience”

The Festival also presented a “From the Wisconsin Film Festival” edition of the nationally-syndicated National Public Radio interview program “To the Best of Our Knowledge,” and partnered with the New York-based Global Film Initiative and UW College of Letters & Science to present the “Global Lens” series of international film and World Cinema Day educational outreach program for more than 400 high school students.

In addition to “The Yes Men’s” Smith, Price and Ollman, participating filmmakers with Wisconsin ties included UW-Madison alumnus and “Time” film critic Richard Schickel, and the winners of the “Wisconsin’s Own” and Wisconsin student filmmaker juried competitions, including Milwaukee native Aaron Greer (“Not Color Blind, Just Near-Sighted”), UW-Madison alumnus Scott Rice (“The Adventures of Mad Matt”), Madison native Lauren Hollingsworth (“Interference”), Milwaukee filmmakers Theresa Columbus and Didier Leplae (“Chaza Show Choir”) and Xav Leplae (“I’m Bobby”), and Madison “Wis-Kinoite” Aaron Yonda (“Death”). A complete list of 2004 competition winners is at ; a complete list of “Wisconsin’s Own” films is at .

Other innovations in 2004 included the advent of online ticket ordering, which exceeded all projections and was made possible through the work of Festival sponsors IMS (Interactive Media Solutions) and Planet Propaganda. On the website launch day film fans were ready and eager to devour the 2004 schedule with a 27 percent increase in visitor volume over the 2003 launch date. Overall, 2004 online film “wish list” registrations almost doubled from 2003. “Clearly, the Festival schedule announcement and ticket on-sale date has become an event in and of itself for indie film fans,” said Festival director Mary Carbine.

This year, the Wisconsin Film Festival had a 14 percent increase in ticket sales / gate attendance (to 24,000 from 21,000 in 2003), an 8 percent increase in out-of-town advance ticket buyers, and a 14 percent increase in total estimated visitor direct spending. Wisconsin Department of Tourism Deputy Secretary Genyne Edwards praised the Wisconsin Film Festival as helping to put Wisconsin on the map as a cultural tourism destination. “ We are so proud of the Wisconsin Film Festival. In only seven years it has become one of the cornerstones of Wisconsin’s cultural attractions. The Film Festival is not only a great launching pad for independent producers; it’s becoming a great magnet to bring even more travelers to our
state.”

It’s estimated that 2004 Festival patrons spent almost $276,000 on lodging, food, and beverages alone in downtown Madison over the four days of the Festival, a more than $33,000 increase over last year. When combined with operational direct spending, the four-day Festival generated an estimated $391,000 in local dollars for Madison and Wisconsin.

The Festival budget was $165,000 (a 6 percent increase from 2003), which covered major expenses such as bringing in filmmakers and speakers to participate in Festival programs, shipping heavy 35mm films (which can add up for a Festival of this size), rent equipment, and outsource technical services. As with most nonprofit arts events, revenues from ticket sales and merchandise offset only 40 percent of this budget; the majority of funds come from grants and community sponsorships. Festival purchases are often negotiated at a steep discount, with many area businesses generously donating use of facilities or services such as marketing, design, advertising, and public relations. With the value of in-kind donations factored in, the 2004 combined cash and in-kind operating budget for the Festival topped $614,000.

“Festival sponsorship is such a great investment for area businesses,” says Carbine. “Businesses can connect with enthusiastic Festival audiences, support a valued community event, and help sustain a strong economy and workforce.” To learn about supporting the Festival next year, potential sponsors can contact Carbine at (608) 262-6578 or mary@wifilmfest.org.

In 2005, the Festival will continue its commitment to offering a variety of films and genres-from experimental shorts and documentaries to feature films, plus a showcase for Wisconsin filmmakers-and to fostering an enthusiastic, community atmosphere that helps attract key films and talent. “I was so impressed by the scope and energy of last year’s festival,” 2003 guest Roger Ebert. “[Festival Director] Mary Carbine is a strong and intelligent programmer who doesn’t just assemble a list of films but enriches the Madison film-going community with particularly apt and sometimes unexpected choices.”

The Wisconsin Film Festival is a public program of the UW-Madison Arts Institute. 2004 Festival community sponsors, funders and contributors include Planet Propaganda, Funnel Inc., The Evjue Foundation, 105.5 Triple M, Charter Communications, Isthmus, Shepherd Express [Milwaukee], Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission, Downtown Madison, Eastman Kodak Company, Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau, IMS (Interactive Media Solutions LLC), Independent Film Channel, Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club, Midwest Airlines, Steep & Brew, University Book Store, Wisconsin Film Office (Wisconsin Department of Tourism), Burne Photo Imaging, CineFilm Laboratory, Great Big Pictures. i^3 (i-cubed), DataVision, Eiki, IATSE Local 251 (Projectionists Union), Lonya Nenashev, Roscor, Bongo Video, Danish Film Institute, IFP/Chicago, Milwaukee Independent Film Society, Ronee Bergman, and the Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum.

Major Venues and Partners include the Bartell Theatre, Club Majestic, Orpheum Theatre, Hillel at University of Wisconsin, University Square Theatres, UW Cinematheque, and the Wisconsin Union Directorate Film Committee (Memorial Union Play Circle).

University of Wisconsin-Madison sponsors include the Anonymous Fund, Asian American Studies Program, Center for Interdisciplinary French Studies, Department of Communication Arts, European Studies Alliance, a program of the International Institute, Mosse/Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies, University Lectures Committee, University Research Park, WAA-GLBT Alumni Council, and the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research. World Cinema Day funders include the UW Brittingham Trust, the UW College of Letters & Science, The Evjue Foundation and the WEAC Human Relations Committee.