THE 2023 FEST SCREENED OCTOBER 5th-8th
Featuring Selected Work Created in Wisconsin and International Films Made by Wisconsinites

The Basin Short Film Festival is devoted to showcasing Wisconsin-focused artists and work, while promoting engagement with local creative organizations and unique screening spaces. This fest focuses primarily on short films (30 minutes or less), and aims to feature independent cinema that fosters critical discussion and community connection. We want to celebrate the unique spirit of independent film, by providing a welcoming space for filmmakers and audience members alike.

2023 SCREENING
CATEGORIES

- Experimental & Animation

- Documentary

- Music Video & Animation

- Still Rendering:
Films Made in 48 Hours or Less

- Performance & Installation

Selected work is curated to screen everywhere from historic theaters and breweries to local creative centers and makerspaces. Prizes are awarded by category and best of show, evaluated by a diverse mix of regional media professionals and professors.


2023 VENUES AND FILMS

Caravan Wine

1221 2nd St, Stevens Point, WI 54481

Caravan Wine Shop is a stopping place for all people to find wine/ beer/ spirits/ food from all over the world, with a focus on those small producers with unique stories and practices. The dynamic space holds regular concerts & performances, galleries & exhibitions.


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.

Point Brewery Patio

2617 Water St, Stevens Point, WI 54481

A local favorite since 1857, the Stevens Point Brewery is one of the oldest continuously operating breweries in the United States. The location hasn’t changed since the beginning; although the buildings have continued to expand as does the business.


Jensen Center

487 N Main St, Amherst, WI 54406

The Jensen Community Center is committed to supporting Tomorrow River area residents of all ages by providing cultural, social, academic, business, recreational, and health-related activities.

The Landmark Coffeehouse

102 S Main St, Amherst, WI 54406

The Landmark offers unique food and drinks at a rustic and historic coffeehouse. Located in downtown Amherst, it also features an intimate performance & exhibition space on its lower level.


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.


IDEA Center

1039B Ellis St, Stevens Point, WI 54481

The IDEA Center is a co-working and makerspace in the heart of Stevens Point and is a launchpad for ideas that expand entrepreneurship to include the arts, business, community impact, and personal development.


2023 FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDENCE

Leneb Bio

Len "Leneb" Borruso

(Thursday)

Screening experimental film First Person, Leneb is a Wisconsin-based Director of the short films: "Anger", "Paint the City", "Life with Dan", "Moondog" and "Flash Mob à Trois". He is the author of the filmmaking manifesto, Neighborhoodcore and co-writes the movie review blog, LnD Report.

jason love bio

Jason Love

(Thursday & Sunday)

Wisconsin-based animator, director and producer, Jason is screening the animated short Animated Life. He helps lead the Racine Video Production Workshop, and created this project in collaboration with Kenosha Community Media and the Racine Arts Council.

NTC bio

NTC Media Studies

(Thursday, Sat. & Sun)

Faculty and Students from the Northcentral Technical College video production program screen their experimental short film The Spinning Wheel of Death.

TJ Hill

TJ Hill

(Friday & Sunday)

From stage, to musical composition, to live broadcast, to film, TJ Hill has a love for storytelling in all mediums. His work has screened throughout the midwest, and he’ll be screening A Cloudy Moon in Point. The Wisconsin 48 Hour Film project was also created and selected for the Yes We Cannes International Competition.

tina willits bio

Tina Willits

(Friday & Saturday)

Tina Willits is a social worker living in Madison, Wisconsin. She is also the Director and subject of the short documentary In Sight, Out of Mind Unfiltered. She is new to the film industry and is eager to share her story with the world. She believes that we should be talking about mental illness in an open and honest way to improve support and treatment for people living with mental illness.

Lucas Falkavage bio

Lucas Falkavage

(Friday)

A UW-Stout student who studies and works professionally in video production, Lucas is screening The Perfect Life, a 48 Hour Film project. This film was created in Stevens Point, as part of a student project in Create’s own 48 Hour Film Challenge.

Joel Sacramento bio

Joel P Sacramento

(Sunday)

A Chicago native and founder of the digital media company Meter Studio Inc, Joel is a Madison-based filmmaker with a colorful background as a cinematographer and producer/director. He’s traversed the globe, framing everything from TV commercials and travel shows, to broadcast news and documentary films. Awakening Wanda is a 48 Hour short created for the Wisconsin 48 Hour Film Fest.

chelsey grant bio

Chelsey Grant

(Thursday & Saturday)

A professional actor who received her BFA in Acting from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Chelsey co-produced and stars in the experimental film Visitant of Paris. The project is the culmination of a multi-year collaboration with Parisian Director and friend Jérémy Strohm.

michael leffler bio

Michael Leffler

(Thursday)

Milwaukee-based animator and recent-alumnus of MATC and Peck School of the Arts at UWM, Micheal screens animated shorts The Vending Machine and Ghost’s Best Friend.

DEREK PIOTROWSKI bio

Derek Piotrowski

(Friday & Sunday)

A Stevens Point-based filmmaker, Derek is screening the music videos 1000 Words, I Don’t Care and King and Queen. He collaborates with musicians and locations across the state, and operates DJP Media where he focuses on authenticity in storytelling and a shared vision with his subjects and clients alike.

Nate Sheppard

Nate Sheppard

(Friday & Saturday)

Based in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, Nate is a multimedia creative with a focus on video and music production. He’s screening the short documentary The Birth of the Modern Snowmobile, and has worked on a wide range of projects across the state; including a feature-length documentary, an online arts festival, cinematic poems and dance films, escape rooms and multimedia art installations and music performance.

Morgan Jones bio

Morgan Jones

(Saturday)

Morgan has degrees in linguistics, philosophy, and film, and is an award winning director of shorts. She brings her love of character into her films, and her work circles around children's play, artists work, and existential explorations. Her short documentary Three Hours Per Frame: Creating Of Wood follows the creation of a celebrated stop-cut animation and renowned stop-motion artist, Owen Klatte, who debuted his craft with Gumby episodes and went on to work on James and the Giant Peach and Nightmare Before Christmas.

Glen Obear bio

Glen Obear

(Sunday)

Glen Obear is a Madison-based stop motion animator and musician. His passion for exploring how music and art combine to tell unique stories is showcased in Dream Sequence, a music video created for the Chicago-based band De Stijl (Ehmed Nauman and René Bedolla).


2023 AWARDS

Grand Jury Prize

Derek Piotrowski for King and Queen, 1000 Words and I Don’t Care (Music Video)

Best of the Basin

Nate Sheppard for Birth of the Modern Snowmobile and The Cybernetic Forest (Documentary and Installation & Performance)

Best Student Film

NTC Media Studies for The Spinning Wheel of Death (Experimental/Animation)

Independent Spirit Awards

Sara Sowell for Girl Who is

Carly Bandock for Rain: A Poetic Video

Michael Leffler for Ghost’s Best Friend

Joel P Sacramento for Awakening Wanda

Pamela Oliver Muñoz for Blind Love

Best In Category Awards

Morgan Jones for 3 Hours Per Frame: Creating of Wood (Documentary)

Len "Leneb" Borruso for First Person (Experimental)

Jérémy Strohm and Chelsey Grant for Visitant of Paris (Experimental)

Glen Obear for Dream Sequence (Music Video)

Jason Love for Animated Life (Animation)

Sara Sowell for Dada’s Daughter (Installation & Performance)

Tj Hill for A Cloudy Moon (Still Rendering: 48 Hour Film)


Jurors award prizes to work that shows significant technical and artistic achievement. Best In Category cash prizes are awarded with amounts dependent on pending sponsorship and the number of awards given. 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.