Milwaukee Film’s Dialogues Documentary Festival will screen over 30 documentaries in four days at the Oriental and Downer Theatres. The films explore topics ranging from artificial intelligence to farming to criminal justice and more. It runs Sept. 26-29.
Here are our picks for the films we’re most excited about at the festival.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
1. Dust to Dust
SEPT. 27 AT 8 P.M. | ORIENTAL THEATER
I have always loved fashion and movies surrounding fashion. But in today’s world, the impact fast fashion and textile waste has had on the environment is undeniable. A film capturing the road to sustainable runway fashion? My interest has peaked. Dust to Dust showcases runway designer Yuima Nakazato and her journey to create sculptural haute couture sustainably in Kenya. – Liliana Fannin, Editorial Intern
2. New Wave
SEPT. 28 AT 8:15 | DOWNER THEATRE
I love movies about music, and I love digging into under-the-radar genres. Mid-‘80s Vietnamese new wave? Yes please. But what interests me the most about this film is that it’s about more than just music. For young Vietnamese Americans in Southern California, their vibrant interpretations on a trendy musical style was a way of rebellion and a struggle with cultural assimilation. Director Elizabeth Ai examines her own family story to paint a portrait of a “determined community striving for acceptance and identity.” – Evan Musil, Arts & Culture Editor
3. Eternal You
SEPT. 29 AT 11 A.M. | ORIENTAL THEATRE
Death. It’s kind of the big thing. Whether you try to distract yourself from it or spend hours meditating on it while taking your daily ice bath, such as myself, it’s mysterious and frightening and unavoidable – and for all of human history people have tried to figure out ways around it. Well artificial intelligence is just beginning to offer another one of those little detours from the big beyond by creating “digital replicants” of people. This documentary explores the stories of startups that are using AI to create online avatars of dead people that their loved ones can interact with. What a strange, thought-provoking, slightly creepy, thing. This topic is literally a “Black Mirror” episode, and I’m fascinated to see how the reality of it is turning out. – Archer Parquette, Managing Editor
4. Shorts: Making a Splash
SEPT. 28 AT 5:15 P.M. | DOWNER THEATRE
I always love Milwaukee Film’s shorts programming. It’s a great way to get a taste of a bunch of different films around a similar topic. All of the shorts programs look great at this festival, but I’m particularly intrigued by “Making a Splash” because it’s a set of short films about people conserving, protecting and fighting for access to water. If you’re like me and know these issues are important but don’t know a whole lot about them, this program is likely a great place to start. – Brianna Schubert, Associate Digital Editor
5. Food and Country
SEPT. 29 AT 11:30 A.M. | DOWNER THEATRE
I’m excited to see Food and Country for, well, at least two reasons. One is this topic – our food culture – is clearly something that fuels me. And two, former Gourmet editor, writer and food critic Ruth Reichl serves as both the producer and “participant” in the film. Reichl has won six James Beard Awards for her work (her memoir Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table is essential reading and not just for food aficionados). In this film, she and director/producer Laura Gabbert brought together an eclectic group of food professionals – farmers, ranchers, chefs, bakers – to talk about their own experiences navigating the food system shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Gabbert directed the terrific City of Gold, a 2015 documentary about the late food writer Jonathan Gold – which is essential foodie viewing. Reichl’s personal experiences – which include living in a commune and cooking at a co-op, as detailed in her memoirs – lead me to think she’s got a lot to say about the state of slow food and the extent to which our food system is broken. – Ann Christenson, Dining Editor
