THE 2024 FEST SCREENED OCTOBER 10th-13th
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.

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 take place alongside professional panels, interactive workshops and live performances, encouraging collaboration across mediums and formats. Contributors to the fest are 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.

SCREENING CATEGORIES

Short Films (30 minutes or less)

- Experimental

- Documentary

- Music Video

- Narrative

- Animation

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.


2024 Venues and Films

Screenings and filmmaker talkbacks were followed by live performances and demos, as well as panels on regional creative spaces, projects and resources (featuring local filmmakers, writers, actors and founders of regional creative spaces).

In the Pines Studio

6746 Lone Pine St, Stevens Point, WI 54482

In The Pines Studio is an intimate, multifaceted gathering space which aims to inspire and nurture innovation, collaboration, and growth. The studio fosters creative community through a variety of classes, workshops and community meetups.


The Annex

1136 Main St, Stevens Point, WI 54481

Part of the historic Opera House renovation in downtown Stevens Point, The Annex is a gathering space for any occasion, hosting music and events in a picturesque historic setting.


Great Northern Distilling

1011 2nd St, Stevens Point, WI 54481

Great Northern Distilling elevates the cocktail to an art form. As the region’s first and only distillery, they are committed to small batches using high-quality ingredients from local farmers.


CREATE

1300 Maria Drive, Stevens Point, WI 54481

CREATE Portage County’s new headquarters and collaborative hub. Renovations are nearly completed on this local landmark, and will soon be home to new offices, labs, studios, and a commercial kitchen. The unique setting for work, meetups, and events will house a variety of professional tools and equipment to satisfy the most ambitious creators.


Filmmakers in Attendance

Tate Justin Bunker (Thursday and Saturday)

Bunker has been involved with more than 250 commercial projects and his other accolades include one Emmy Award and two Emmy nominations, three Milwaukee Film Festival "Best Milwaukee Filmmaker” awards, and a Paris Film Festival “Best Cinematography" prize for his short Starlite.

Nate Sheppard (Thursday)

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.

Abby Morgan (Thursday)

A Milwaukee-based artist and recent graduate of UW-Stevens Point. Abby holds a BA in arts, entertainment and media management, with an interest in exploring complex human stories.

Samuel Karow
(Thursday and Saturday)

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.

Cole J Sheldon
(Thursday and Friday)

An independent filmmaker from Sheboygan, WI. He immerses himself in stories that explore the depths of emotion and what it means to be human, always trying to incorporate a hint of nostalgia in every film he creates.

Tj Hill (Friday and Saturday)

From stage, to musical composition, to live broadcast, to film, TJ Hill has had a love for storytelling in all mediums his entire life. His short films have been featuredin a variety of festivals, including the Cannes Short Film Corner in 2023.

Halley Innes
(Friday and Sunday)

Halley is a student of Riverside Elementary in Ringle, WI. who writes and records her own original music. She also creates music videos with her dad, who teaches Video Production at NTC in Wausau, WI

Matt Osowski (Friday)

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.

Alex Grant
(Fri, Sat & Sun)

A Stevens Point-based Cinematographer dedicated to helping artists, creators, and small organizations authentically connect with their audiences. Alex is the Head of Production at Thousand Lumens Visual Marketing and has created a variety of independent films, from short documentaries to music videos.

Nels Lindquist
(Friday and Sunday)

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.

Max Blaska (Saturday)

Max is a Madison-based writer and filmmaker, and has co-written five short films (the latest being Last Rung On The Ladder, a Stephen King Dollar Baby adaptation). With a degree in psychology, he wants to merge film and performing arts with mental health advocacy, and hopes to start a non-profit that would nurture young performing artists who have been affected by mental illness.

Melonie Gartner (Sunday)

Manitowoc-based Director, writer and executive produce, Melonie was born in Saigon and raised in Chicago. She’s been awarded "Best Female Director" and has been accepted by various film festivals nationally and internationally.

Nick Sansone (Sunday)

Nick is an M.A./PhD student in Film at UW-Madison. He previously received his M.A. in Humanities from the University of Chicago and a B.F.A. in Film & Television Directing from DePaul University in Chicago.

Emily Odegard (Sunday)

An up-and-coming filmmaker from River Falls, Wisconsin. Ever since Emily could talk she’s had a knack for storytelling, and is currently working towards her BFA in Musical Theatre, BA in Arts Management, and minor in Media Studies (film emphasis) at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point.

Sydney Schmidt (Sunday)

Sydney has been making videos her whole life, whether it was short films or music videos. She recently graduated from UW-Stout in video production, creating narrative short films, documentaries, advertisements and product videos.


2024 AWARD WINNERS

Grand Jury Prize – $500
The Inhabitants by Tate Justin Bunker, Shana McCaw, and Brent Budsburg

Best of the Basin - $500
A.K.A. Kobi "Suga Shack Flow" and "Living Intentionally" by Alex Grant

Best Student Film - $250
Mirrored by Abby Morgan

Best In Category Awards - $100
-Best Music Video:
The Thirties “Baltic Avenue” and Ethan Bott "Ain't No Honky Tonks in Michigan" by Nels Lindquist

-Best Experimental Film: Idiot, Relax by Samuel Karow

-Best Animation: Hurdles by Pamela Oliver Munoz

-Best Narrative (Drama): Last Rung On The Ladder by Jeff Blankenship (co-written by Max Blaska)

-Best Narrative (Comedy): My Fair Dairy by TJ Hill

-Best Documentary: 1991 by Saif Alsaegh

Independent Spirit Awards - $50
Pete's Castle by Nate Sheppard

Spark Plug by Cole J Sheldon

Halley Innes "Hey Life" by Halley and William Innes

Good Soup by Emily Odegard

FIELDTRIP by Sydney Schmidt

Swept Off by Melonie Gartner

Would've, Could've, Should've by Nick Sansone

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.