Every March, independent filmmakers travel from all over to screen their works for eager audiences in Beloit, Wisconsin.
The small city near Illinois might not seem like a cinematic hot spot, but for 21 years, the Beloit International Film Festival (BIFF) has taken over downtown with screenings, parties, panels and a cultural fervor. “It’s bringing Beloit to the world and the world to Beloit,” says Sabrina Krejci, who manages festival operations.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
The fest is mostly run by community volunteers who simply care about the arts, and the international lineup differs from the fests in Milwaukee and Madison. “You could go to all three film festivals and rarely see a duplicate,” Krejci says.
The beginnings of BIFF date to a coffee shop meeting in 2005, when festival founders Ron Nief, Rod Beaudoin and Becky Rogers pitched the idea to Diane and Ken Hendricks of ABC Supply. They agreed to fund the project, and the festival soon grew from four days into a 10-day celebration with filmmaking workshops and competitions like the Wisconsin-Illinois Showdown, pitting movies from the border states against each other.
“The downtown area, like most towns that were industrial based, took a hit” at the end of the 20th century, Krejci says. “Part of the appeal of BIFF was that we brought things back downtown. We brought people to Wisconsin (at a time of year) when most people don’t want to come to Wisconsin.”
This year, BIFF is scaled back to five days – Krejci says their research suggested the range works best for audience attention. The Queer Shorts program returned on March 21, which featured international LGBTQ short films curated by Beloit College students. And on March 26, the Student Filmmakers Showcase presents works created by middle- and high-school students in the BIFF Classroom program.
Krejci says one of the biggest draws for locals and visitors alike is the chance to turn off their phones, gather around a shared screen and, afterward, have conversations – either with the filmmakers during a Q&A or between each other. “It helps you get to know your neighbors.”
The Beloit International Film Festival runs March 25-29.
