Moviegoers recently spoke with Milwaukee Film’s Education Director Susan Kerns about the launch of a new filmmaking showcase for youth (18 and under) entitled The Milwaukee Youth Show that’s a part of this year’s Milwaukee Children’s Festival which itself is an annual fixture of the Milwaukee Film Festival.
The Milwaukee Youth Show, a youth-skewing offshoot of the festival’s The Milwaukee Show, an annual showcase of the best shorts from local filmmakers, makes its inaugural bow at the 2012 Milwaukee Film Festival this Saturday, Sept. 29 at 11 a.m. at the Oriental Theatre.
Kerns, an educator, and filmmaker in her own right (in 2010, she co-founded a production company, Gal Friday Films, with Kara Mulrooney) and a major force behind Milwaukee Film’s Collaborative Cinema program which, according to Milwaukee Film’s website “provides high school students, college students, and emerging film professionals with an enhanced understanding of filmmaking at all stages,” has long wanted to implement a similar showcase for local filmmaking youth.
“People had mentioned the idea [for The Milwaukee Youth Show] in the past,” Kerns says, “and this year I made the time to really make it happen. A lot of film festivals are showcasing works by young people, and since we have so much talent in the greater Milwaukee area, we wanted to do the same.”
“Plus, The Milwaukee Show is such a great event that I wanted to create something similar for younger kids and really ignite their passion for showing films to an audience. How many 12-year-olds get to premiere a film at The Oriental Theatre? It’s a uniquely Milwaukee opportunity, and I’m thrilled we’re able to offer it!”
According to Kerns, there were approximately 60 submissions for the show’s inaugural year (17 entries were selected) which made for a challenging, yet enjoyable screening and selection process.
“We watched all of the films with our Children’s Screening Committee (the adult committee, not the youth committee). We tried to choose a sampling of all of the different kinds of films that were submitted — from stop-motion animation to longer fiction and documentary/essay films. We have a great variety.”
There were also submissions from organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs and Arts@Large, which made the final cut and will be a part of the 53-minute program.
For films to be taken under consideration for The Milwaukee Youth Show, the primary filmmaker (i.e. the director) had to be 18-years-old or younger, Kerns said. However, the involvement of people over 18 in other capacities varied from project to project. Many teens submitted class projects where their teachers presumably helped to shape the final films, Kerns shared.
She has high hopes for the future of The Milwaukee Youth Show even before it begins.
“People seem really excited about [it]! This is the first year. We sold out the smaller theater at the Oriental, so it has been moved into the main house, which is tremendous!”
“We had some students who worked on Collaborative Cinema submit their films to the Milwaukee Youth Show, and several people who submitted have been involved with the Collaborative Cinema screenwriting program. It’s nice to see that crossover already, and I’m hoping it continues!”
She also shared that the city has thrown a lot of support behind The Milwaukee Youth Show.
“Milwaukee always has been a huge supporter of local film, and it’s terrific to see this extend to our younger filmmakers. It’s kind of exceptional, really. I’m not sure the kids will understand the magnitude of showing their films at the Oriental until they’re actually there. Many of them never will have been to that theater before, so to see their films in that space and engage in a Q&A with that audience — I imagine it’s going to be life-changing for some of these kids.”
Check the festival’s official website for additional details.
