Department Chair Rob Yeo says it best: "With the success of our alumni, faculty and students, enthusiasm about our film program is at an all-time high. The word has gotten out and we are attracting new students from all over the world. Our freshman class is one of the largest to date and we continue to grow. It's a terrific time for UWM Film!"
Here are some highlights:
- Two UWM Film alums earning glowing reviews in The New York Times within three days: On February 15th, Chris Thompson's "The Jeffrey Dahmer Files" opened its theatrical release in New York City and was featured as a "Critic's Pick." The Times also highlighted "The Powerbroker: Whitney Young's Fight for Civil Rights," a documentary that was co-directed and edited by alumna Christine Khalafian. It premiered nationwide on February 18th as part of the Independent Lens series on PBS. Click to read article
- Faculty member wins Best Wisconsin Film at this year's Beloit International Film Festival: Faculty member Tate Bunker's feature "Little Red" took home this prestigious award. The only double award winner at the festival, "Little Red" also earned an Executive Directors Award for Best Actress for lead actress Hannah Obst.
- MFA student awarded the "Directors Citation" at the 2013 Black Maria Film & Video Festival: Josh Weissbach received this distinction for his most recent film, storm crossings: shifting geometries. Josh's earlier work, 106 River Road, was accepted for screening at The International Experimental Film Exposition, the Berlin International Directors Lounge and the Ann Arbor Film Festival, the oldest and largest showcase of experimental work in the world.
- UWM Film Students at Cannes Film Festival: This year will also see the return of UWM Film to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, as three undergraduate students will represent the Peck School of the Arts in internship positions with The American Pavilion. Alex Headly, Moira Tracey, and Gregory Bishop will all participate in this unique, immersive and exciting experience.
- docUWM releasing new Cream City Soundcheck Video: A new video for Cream City Soundcheck will be released Friday, February 22nd in the Pabst newsletter and website. The project is a unique musical documentary series created by students of UW-Milwaukee in collaboration with The Pabst Theaters Organization. Each video has bands exploring Milwaukee's unique cultural landscape and performing at historic venues. The video will feature local band Kane Place Record Club, whose members include many Peck School Alumni.
- Prestigious solo exhibition for faculty member: Assistant Professor Steve Wetzel recently exhibited a solo installation through nAbr gallery at the MDW Art Fair in Chicago, and read his essay entitled Puzzling Out Edification: A Scholar in Love-Performed at the IUGTE Conference ("Theatre Between Tradition and Contemporaneity") in Leibnitz, Austria. Wetzel will screen his new video, Incorporating Guilt Within an Autonomous Robot, at the Wisconsin Film Festival, the 51st Ann Arbor Film Festival, and UWM's Center for 21st-Century Studies conference The Dark Side of the Digital.
-
BFA alumna working as editor for new Nicktoons series: BFA alumna Robyn Braun moved to New York in 2009 and has been working on a number of television productions, working her way up as an editor. Robyn will receive her first official editor credit (since docUWM) for her role on Alien Dawn, a new series that premieres Friday, Feb. 22nd on Nicktoons at 10/9c.
For media inquiries, please contact Ellen Friebert Schupper, Director of Marketing and Community Relations at schupper@uwm.edu or 414-229-6771.
