Milwaukee Film is gearing up for its third annual Dialogues Documentary Festival, which will feature more than 30 documentary screenings at the Downer Theatre and Oriental Theatre from Sept. 24-27.
“Our audiences love to immerse themselves in the true stories and contemporary conversations started by new documentaries, as evidenced by the documentaries that have won the Audience Award at past Milwaukee Film Festivals,” Milwaukee Film’s Artistic Director and lead documentary programmer Cara Ogburn said in a statement. “Milwaukee audiences are curious and deeply engaged, and we look forward to satiating that hunger for nonfiction storytelling with a great set of fresh documentaries that are sure to inspire.”
Many of the films will be followed by in-cinema talkbacks with special guests, including visiting filmmakers and local experts.
Among the screenings is the world premiere of Heavy Is the Crown, which follows charismatic Milwaukee community activist and violence interrupter Vaun Mayes as he works alongside individuals and neighborhoods most affected by cycles of violence, systemic neglect and polarizing policing.
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In the film, directed by Milwaukeean Sean Kafer, Mayes reveals the resilience and care that sustains a community from within, empowering everyday residents to build programs and practices that nurture positivity.
Mayes was a prominent figure and leader of the months-long protests in Milwaukee that ignited following the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. He also served as a youth mentor at the time of the 2016 Sherman Park uprising following the fatal police shooting of 23-year-old Sylville Smith.
Kafer, director of docUWM, the documentary media center at UW-Milwaukee, previously directed Brady Street: A Portrait of a Neighborhood, which portrays the history of the East Side community and was screened at the 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival.
Heavy Is the Crown will be preceded by Dear Milwaukee, a short film that explores similar themes and ideas made by youth from Arts@Large, a Milwaukee non-profit organization that provides access to arts education and creative programs for youth, educators and the community.
Among the other documentaries to be screened are Once Upon a Time in Harlem (directed by David Greaves and conceived by William Greaves); Sara Bareilles: Good Grief (directed by Josh Alexander); and Time Warp (directed by Allison Berg).
The full lineup of films is available online now. Physical copies of the program book are scheduled to be available starting Sept. 8 at various locales around the city, including the Downer Theatre and Oriental Theatre.
