Screening 56 international and local movies
Wega Arts’ International Film Festival will feature 56 films from around the world, including one made in Weyauwega.
The film festival opens on Wednesday, Nov. 9, and runs through Saturday, Nov. 12.
After two years of virtual festivals, the festival is now returning to the Gerold Opera House.
Some filmmakers will be available for questions following the screenings of their films.
Wednesday
Wednesday’s schedule includes two groups of short films, shown at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., ranging from animation to documentaries, and coming from as close as Wisconsin and as far away as Kyrgyzstan and Singapore.
Wednesday’s schedule culminates with an 8 p.m. screening of Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless,” the 1960 French New Wave classic.
Starring Jean-Paul Belmondo as a wandering criminal named Michel and Jean Seberg as his American girlfriend Patricia, the film was Godard’s first feature-length work and represented Belmondo’s breakthrough as an actor.
Thursday
At 1:30 p.m. Thursday, there will be a free screening of “Trooper Hook,” starring Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea.
This 1957 Western focuses on bigotry and racial hatred. When Apache chief Nanchez is captured by the cavalry, his white wife and infant son are returned to civilization by Sgt. Hook, but Nanchez escapes custody and attempts to reclaim his son.
Film historian Jack Rhodes’ introduction of the movie was videotaped while he was in hospice.
Thursday also features two documentaries to be shown beginning at 3:45 p.m.
“Milwaukee Night and Day” is a 19-minute film about 10 years on a single block in the city of Milwaukee.
“Seeds of Life” is a feature-length documentary about Sister Maria Marciano, who serves the poor in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Another Wisconsin documentary will screen at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. “Musher” is about four women who participate in the annual dog sled race in Copenhagen.
At 7 p.m. the festival will show “Minnesota Tiger Man.” This documentary tells the story of Grant Oly, a man who started a Siberian tiger habitat in his yard after taking in a tiger cub. His facility expanded to include seven fully-grown tigers and thousands of square feet of exhibits.
Oly spends eight years involved in legal battles, ultimately leading to the Department of Homeland Security stepping in, seizing the tigers and throwing Oly in jail.
At 8 p.m., “Seven Days” presents an anthology about seven women all performed by actress Ellyn Jameson. She plays a homeless teacher, wealthy housewife, single mother, social activist, sex worker and same-sex partner. Director Corey Kupfer studied film at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Friday
Showing at 2 p.m., “Inside a Funeral Hall” is a Korean film about how a family handles the death of their grandmother.
Two more groups of short films are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. The second group will be five Wisconsin-based films.
Friday is also Psychofest, featuring 12 horror, sci-fi and thrillers from the United States, India, Australia, Iran, Iceland, Spain and Austria, beginning at 7 p.m.
Psychofest concludes at 10:15 p.m. with “All Through the Hall,” a German film about a security guard working the night shift in a warehouse.
“I wanted to create a film noir heist thriller that ends up being a western,” according to director Falko Jakobs.
Saturday
“The Great Weyauwega Train Derailment” opens the final day of the festival at noon Saturday.
Produced by Wega Arts, the film tells the story of the derailment from the memories of those who were there. More than 40 local people were interviewed.. The film also includes original songs and music by Madison-based folk singers Lou and Peter Berryman.
At 2:30 p.m., a group of five short films will be screened, including a 30-minute documentary called “Dairyland.”
Directed by Taylor C. Pipes, “Dairyland” focuses on a fourth-generation Wisconsin dairy farmer who struggles to keep his farm open while the state sees record family farm bankruptcies, closures and rising suicide rates among agricultural workers.
“Menina Casilda” will be shown at 4 p.m. Set in Madrid during the covid lockdown, this Spanish feature film tells the story of Diego, a 35-year-old unemployed actor, who kidnaps Menina, a 20-year-old college student.
At 5:45 p.m., the festival will show a second group of short films, including “When Will the Warmth Come?” a video diary set in Ukraine during the Russian invasion, and “Nakam,” which is set in Ukraine during the German occupation in 1943.
Screening at 7:30 p.m., “A Life On The Farm” is a documentary about Charles Carson, a farmer and frustrated filmmaker who made bizarre videos for his neighbors in rural England. Described as described as “Monty Python meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” the film tells a poignant story about life, death and the power of amateur movie making.
The festival closes with an awards ceremony at 9:30 p.m. Friday.
Admission
Wega Arts offers the full festival pass for $40, which admits guests to all screenings, as well as day passes for each day of screenings.
A Wednesday pass is $10, Thursday pass is $15, Friday and Saturday passes are $20. The only individual ticket sold is for “The Great Weyauwega Train Derailment” at $10. Go to bit.ly/3ziwihi to purchase passes.
Located at 136 E. Main St., Weyauwega, the Gerold Opera House features a full bar as well as food from the Wega Bistro. There is a mix of table seating and theater seating at the Gerold.