- Announcer: The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original production.

[upbeat music] [dramatic music] [deep breath and exhalation] [bright music] - Woman: Simon.

[cats hiss] Come here.

- Pete Schwaba: Welcome to Director's Cut, and merry movie Christmas, everybody.

It's that time of year where we celebrate some outstanding films that will be screening in a couple of weeks here in our state's capital.

That's right, film fans.

Tonight is the annual PBS Wisconsin Director's Cut Wisconsin Film Festival episode.

And over the next hour, you'll see clips from some of this year's selections.

We'll take you into the heartbreaking world of palliative care, an act of beverage sharing in New Glarus, animal rescuers in Qatar, a strange visitor during the night, and a gripping documentary about police violence in southern Wisconsin.

If that wasn't fun enough, I'll be joined by some of the filmmakers who will discuss their films and whet your appetite for even more at this year's Wisconsin Film Festival.

But before we go any further, let's meet two of the gentlemen responsible for throwing this year's Madison movie shindig.

Joining me now are festival artistic director Mike King and festival director of operations Ben Reiser.

Guys, welcome back.

- Mike King: Thanks, Pete.

- Ben Reiser: Thanks for having us.

- I look forward to this every year.

The two of you together in one room.

- You and me both.

- It's so rare.

- It's true, and we share an office, but we are rarely in there at the same time.

- I don't know what to make of that, but it's great to have you guys here.

Tell us... Give us a brief overview before we do a deep dive.

- Sure, so the Wisconsin Film Festival is eight days in April.

We show movies all over town, on campus, at Flix Brewhouse, at the Barrymore Theater.

This year, we've got about 135 films, ranging from short films that are just a minute or so long, to a 5 1/2-hour documentary.

Movies from all over the world, movies from right next door.

It's really everything a movie fan could want in eight days of magic.

- Five and a half hours takes up a big chunk of that eight days.

That's a-- Is there gonna be an intermission or two during that film?

- There are, in fact, two intermissions during that movie.

It's called My Undesirable Friends , and it's one of the most acclaimed films of the year, so it's worth the time investment.

It really is a rewarding experience.

- Pete: That's great.

Anything different this year, Ben, or new to the festival venues or, you know, different kinds of movies?

- Uh, no.

[all laugh] We're actually excited in that we have the exact same festival footprint that we had last year, which is really nice to have some consistency, just on our end, as far as the planning and all the organizing that has to happen.

It's nice to be able to say, "Okay, we're gonna do this again just like we did it last year, but with new movies."

But, you know, we always show every kind of movie that you could possibly imagine, so here we are again.

- Pete: It was great, you guys had that-- I think the music hall was a venue last year.

You find the greatest venues that are, like, quaint or intimate, and you wouldn't think it'd be a movie screening house, but you make it one during the festival, and it's just great, I love it.

- You should see these places when we're not in them.

[Pete laughs] You know, you have to really, like, have a vision to walk into some of these spaces and say, "Yeah, we could show a movie in here."

- Pete: Yeah, where can people get-- I know you offer a festival pass for the whole festival, and it's about-- It's very reasonable to get into the individual films, but are they sold out, and where can people get more information?

- Some of our films are sold out.

Some of the screenings are.

I think we have about probably approaching 20 or 25 sold-out screenings.

But, of course, we always do these rush lines, where even films that are sold out, people can line up outside of the venue before the film starts, and if there are empty seats at showtime, we will sell you a seat.

And that usually works out well for at least 20 or 30 people every screening.

- It's so fun to see people in those lines, because they don't know if-- It's like flying standby, right?

You're just kind of like, "Oh, come on, I wanna see this.

I missed the window to buy the ticket," but... Let's take a look at our first sampling of films that will be at this year's Wisconsin Film Festival.

- This is my little brother.

His name's Jerome.

- Yeah.

- So... - New Messi.

- New Messi?

[laughs] New Messi, from where?

From Africa?

- Yeah.

- All right, I can see, I see.

Life, it wasn't easy.

- We live in wartime.

- They get to America here, and then they have to face the system here too.

They need a place where they can heal.

[deep breath and exhalation] [upbeat music] - I look for who want to represent our people.

They should be proud of who they are as a refugee.

- Ready?

Go.

[indistinct conversations and shouting] [whistle blows] - We've got games, though.

The World Refugee Cup is like all refugee met together.

- One of my friends is going to be there, Songolo.

Rivalry.

[laughs] It's gonna be a good game, man.

[gentle string music] - [speaking German] [dramatic music] [speaking German] - Voiceover: In a rigged game, playing a good hand is like driving at a brick wall and hoping the wall swerves first.

And Swain... - Fifty.

- Voiceover: ...he had a lead foot.

- I'm out.

[knocking] - Do you think you can help?

- Oh, yeah, definitely feeling a presence here.

[static crackling, electricity buzzing] May we commune with you, o spirit?

Spirit, I banish you to hell.

- You hired someone to banish me?!

- Not to hell.

More like a one-bedroom apartment.

- May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights... go out.

- That's Genesis, right?

- Oh, uh, Lord of the Rings.

[eerie music] [thunder crashes] - [grunts] - Broadcaster: The killers are eating the flesh of the people they murder.

- Yeah, they're dead.

They're...all messed up.

- Ben: Probably be a lot more of 'em as soon as they find out about us.

[zombies groan] - Broadcaster: All persons who die during this crisis from whatever cause will come back to life to seek human victims.

- I'm telling you, they can't get in here.

[explosion] [suspenseful music] - Johnny: They're coming to get you, Barbra.

- A classic.

We're back with Mike King and Ben Reiser from the Wisconsin Film Festival.

So, what do you have this year in the Wisconsin's Own category?

I noticed you have another category or a subcategory, Immigrant Stories, within the Wisconsin's Own.

- Yeah, the Immigrant Stories is a shorts block that we're showing.

I think we've got four documentaries that are all, in one way or another, about the immigrant experience here in the United States.

So, that's terrific.

We actually had more submissions this year for Wisconsin's Own than any other year that I've worked here.

I think we had almost 200 films sent our way.

- Wow.

- And we wound up programming about 40 of them.

So, we've got three or four shorts blocks, and we've got three or four feature films too, and they're all terrific.

So, I'm really excited about this year's crop of Wisconsin's Own.

- Speaking of Wisconsin's Own, in a manner of speaking, J. Walter Thompson, you're doing a grindhouse feature.

This is a filmmaker from Wisconsin in the early 20th century.

Tell us about that.

- Yeah, you... - Well, I think his name is Nick Grinde, right?

- Oh, I might have that wrong.

- But, yeah, so one of the things that is in the festival every year is that we show movies from throughout film history, right?

So, we'll show silent films and from all eras.

And so, this is a director who is from Wisconsin, and we're having two restored films of his, one, Shopworn, starring Barbara Stanwyck, and then we've got a thriller from the '40s, and it's just a fun way to celebrate Wisconsin's own from throughout film history.

- Pete: There were no incentives back in the early 20th century either, which makes... Tell me about Spike of Bensonhurst.

I saw this film, I think, when I was in college.

I think Madonna's in it, if I remember correctly, and this guy Sasha Mitchell, who was gonna be a big star.

Or maybe they talk about Madonna or something.

But this was, like, a big movie.

I thought he was gonna be a star.

What made you guys wanna bring it back?

- Well, Jon Hertzberg, who's a UW alum, runs a distribution label, and he's putting this film out later this year.

He reissues great classic movies.

We've brought him out several times, and this is one that we're bringing a special 35-millimeter print of.

It's a Paul Morrissey movie from the '80s.

I'm excited to see it myself 'cause it's kind of a cult classic, as you say, but hasn't been easy to see in recent years.

- Ben: Yeah, I grew up in Brooklyn, so I saw Spike of Bensonhurst in Bensonhurst.

- Pete: Oh, nice.

- It was a surreal experience.

I'm excited to relive it.

- Am I way off, or was that kind of a fun movie when it came out?

- Oh, it is fun, yeah.

- Yeah.

And he was very energetic leading character, but he never... - Ben: Yeah, I don't know whatever happened to that guy.

- What about-- Tell us about Night of the Living Dead.

That's a cool movie to bring back.

Is that a restoration, or... - Yeah, it is.

It's a 35-millimeter restoration from the Museum of Modern Art.

And we're bringing it back with this author, Daniel Kraus, who wrote a new book about the film that is incredible and covers everything you could ever wanna know about the making of the movie, its legacy.

You know, it's an incredible story of independent cinema as well as horror cinema.

And so, he's gonna be presenting the film and then signing copies of his book, Partially Devoured, afterwards.

Really excited for that one.

- Pete: [laughs] That's great.

We're gonna talk more at some point about your live events 'cause I think those are outstanding, and I love that those are kind of becoming a thing again all over the place.

But I'm glad you guys are doing it here too, so we'll get to that at some point as well.

But thank you, Mike and Ben, and we'll talk to you at the end of the show about what we just mentioned.

Up next, a film from a film festival veteran.

- I think we still have some practical matters to go over.

- Oh, I-- I started a new book.

The Denial of Death.

I'm assuming you've heard of it.

- Ernest Becker, yes.

How do you like it?

- Oh, I don't know.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of it.

I don't know if it's the chemo brain or the book itself, but... [chuckles] It feels like I'm... I'm reading Faulkner again for the first time, and it's just... [exhales softly] Anyways, I'm more of a romantic or a transcendentalist.

"This tonic of wildness we call life."

Well, as Thoreau put it.

I tend to reject any sort of attempt to categorize our existence like Mr.

Becker tries to do.

To reduce all of life into categories or tribal behavior.

At least I think that's what it's saying.

I mean, why do we have poetry or art or music in the first place?

Just because of death?

Our fear of mortality?

I think I reject that.

I don't know exactly what we are, but I see us as more than just bags of meat.

Huh, I think I agree most with Kurt Vonnegut, who sees us all as unwavering bands of light.

- Joining me via Zoom is Winter Hymns director Nathan Deming.

And joining me in studio are actresses Colleen Madden and Sarah Day.

Welcome, everybody... - Colleen Madden: Thank you.

- Sarah Day: Thank you.

- ...for joining us in different avenues.

- Nathan Deming: Hi, Pete.

- Hi, Nathan.

- Hi, Nathan.

- Hi, Colleen, hi, Sarah.

- Hello.

- Nathan, love the Kurt Vonnegut reference.

Excellent writing as always, my friend.

Tell us what's going on in that clip and tell us what's happening in your film Winter Hymns.

- Yeah, so Winter Hymns is about a palliative care physician who, we follow her over the course of one day as she's meeting with a series of dying patients and their families.

So, in this sequence, Sarah Day-- the wonderful Sarah Day-- plays a English teacher who-- Everybody has a different approach to death, and for her character, she's kind of intellectualizing it, and, you know, talking about books and things that she's processing as she's going through it.

But, yeah, the movie came about 'cause my dad was a palliative care physician.

And if people don't know, palliative care is-- It means, literally, like, care that doesn't cure.

So, it's kind of this growing part of the hospital that, like, represents, "What do we do when there are no options left?"

So, I just thought it was a really interesting place to set a film.

- Pete: It is.

And, Colleen, you played the palliative care physician.

- Dr.

Vobernik, yeah.

- Yeah, and what was that like?

I mean, it's pretty heavy, dealing-- everyone you talk to in the film, I think, is dealing with this.

So, what was that like for your character?

- You know, I had a learning curve.

When I first got there on set, Nathan, you know, swept me aside and said, "You know, "we really want to focus on this Midwest stoicism.

"And also, this woman does this every day.

She meets with dying patients every day."

So, really having to rein in the emotion and just try to help these people.

You know, she's trying to give them comfort, physical comfort, but also get all their ducks in a row so that their families can deal with the aftermath of death.

So it's-- you know, this woman is exhausted.

She does this all day, every day, in an underfunded, underresourced department.

So, she's just constantly being pulled in all these different directions and doesn't really even have time to ask the big questions, you know, "What do I believe?

What do I, you know, how does it all land on me?"

Not until the very end of the film.

- Pete: Interesting.

Sarah, that was a great scene, by the way, both of you.

But you said before this interview that you're-- you've been with APT for 40 years-- American Players Theater here in Wisconsin, an institution.

And this was a much smaller, intimate scene on film.

What was that like for you?

- Well, it was lovely to be with Colleen because that's been 25 years... - Yes.

- ...that Colleen and I have known one another.

So, that felt like a security, somehow, being with somebody that I admire so much and love and have worked with.

This was very different because APT is a place where there are a thousand people in the audience, and to have my scene partner be across a table was a very different experience and one I was happy to learn with, with Nathan, which was a treat for me to be able to do that.

- Pete: Oh, that's great.

- Nathan: Pete, can I just-- - I feel very secure right here, I just wanna say.

Yeah, go ahead, Nathan, yeah, step on the joke.

[laughs] - Can I just say, this is-- this is a little bit of [laughs] I just wanted to shout out these two actresses.

This was a real fantasy of mine to get to work with both of them.

I grew up going to APT, seeing both of them, so it was so exciting for them to be a part of the film.

They were the first people I cast, so it was very cool that they were involved.

- Pete: That is great.

And what a great resource for you as a filmmaker to have APT right here in Wisconsin that you could draw from.

- Totally.

- Your first screening is sold out.

That's exciting.

Tell us about that.

That must have been a nice little victory.

- Yeah, no, that was really cool.

The tickets opened on a Saturday, and they sold out really fast.

The festival added another.

So, we're just excited to, to get the film out there and see what people think of it.

- We have, sadly, only about a minute left.

I wanna ask you, Nathan, and if you wanna throw it to your cast here, you can, but you filmed basically on one location.

How did that make making an independent film easier, and what was the challenge?

- Well, it's definitely easier in one location, as you know as a filmmaker too.

But I got really-- I thought of this idea-- I wrote this film about seven years ago, and I got really obsessed with the idea of setting it in one room, 'cause I thought that limitation was really interesting.

And then, throughout the day, we meet eight or nine different patients and their families, and they're stuck in their situation, and we're stuck in this kind of limbo with them.

So, I don't know.

It was really interesting what the constraints, like, brought out of the situation, and I'd be curious to hear from the cast what it was like, 'cause I thought-- it got me-- it was-- It just stripped everything else away.

I could just focus on the actors, which was really fun.

- I wish we had more time.

This is great.

And that's a great answer that I expect from a very thoughtful filmmaker.

That was really, really well said.

- Thoughtful indeed.

- So, good luck with the second screening, and congrats on the sellout, and congrats to all of you on great work.

Very exciting.

- Thank you.

- You're welcome.

- Thank you, that's very kind.

- All right, up next-- - Nathan: Thanks for having us.

- Oh, very, you're very welcome, Nathan.

Up next, a Wisconsin's Own horror short film.

- Man: This is permission.

Give yourself the opportunity to shut it off.

The rings have not failed.

It is always shut it off, and it will shut it off for you.

That's the secret.

Don't not call the number.

[eerie music] [television static] [suspenseful music] - That was a clip from The Man in the Sky Won't Let Me Sleep.

Joining us now is the film's director, Laura Reich.

Thanks for joining us, Laura.

- Laura Reich: Thanks for having me.

Good to see you.

- Good to see you, too.

Tell us about your film, and what did we just see in that clip?

- Sure.

So, The Man in the Sky Won't Let Me Sleep is an absurdist horror, and it's about an office worker who basically starts getting woken up by a man who comes down from the sky, and that's what he does, he wakes him up.

So, that clip is in the beginning of the film.

His-- Basically, it starts with him before his routine is interrupted, and that's him-- It starts with an infomercial that interrupts his programming, and that night's the first night he encounters the man.

- This is your first narrative short film, as I understand it.

And is this your preferred genre, horror?

- I'm kind of newer to genre-- or to the genre.

I didn't really like horror, but in the last, like, maybe, like, five or six years, I've gotten really into it.

I just think it's so-- You can do so many interesting things with horror.

Like this, you know, this short is very absurd.

It's kind of a silly premise, right?

But I think horror lets you go to, like, weird, interesting places like that that maybe you can't get to otherwise.

- I saw another clip online of your film that you shot at Flaming Patty's in Los Angeles.

- Yes!

- And it's-- You talk about the space and how quickly you had to get in and out of there, which seems like it's always a challenge for an independent filmmaker, but it's lit perfectly.

Did you kind of get lucky there, or did you have to just move quickly?

- I love that.

Thank you for asking about Flaming Patty's.

That was-- So, one of the producers who's also a writer on this project, Rebin Zangana, he basically called every-- 'Cause LA is, there's a lot of filming in LA, we shot this in LA, so people are, like, not excited about filming and not willing to help out indie filmmakers.

So, it's a little bit more of a struggle 'cause there's lots of big productions here.

So, he called, like, every, like, every diner in the city, it feels like, and Flaming Patty's wa,s like, they were so chill, so welcoming.

We were like, "Hey, can we come film?"

They were like, "Okay."

We were like, "Okay?"

And they let us in.

They, like, you know, were very generous with the rate.

And we came in after they closed one day.

And, of course, the cinematographer, Corey Parsons, also a UW grad, did a great job getting everything lit.

And, yeah, it looks gorgeous.

He really worked really well.

And yeah, we were just there for one night, so we had to move very quickly.

But, oh, yeah, we're so grateful to Flaming Patty's.

I'm so glad you asked about that.

[Pete laughs] - Is it fun picking out the music-- that was great music in the clip we just saw-- for horror films?

I feel like that would be a real fun kind of excursion there, picking out the proper music.

- Yeah, the music is huge, especially for horror, right?

Like, it's sound-- sound and-- Actually, both those people we worked with.

Isaac Lein was our composer.

So, it's original score.

We were inspired by, you know, lots of modern soundtracks, like Hereditary and Under the Skin.

So, that was sort of our, like, starting place for inspiration.

And then he kind of took it and made it his own.

And then our sound designer, Lawrence Everson, like, just a treat to work with.

So, this is like, you know, very, lots of, like, talented people coming together to bring it together.

But, yeah, the music was so fun.

And I think it really did-- That's sort of like what gets you across the finish line with horror projects.

- Yeah, it's so weird.

I feel like the person in bed could have woke up and cracked a joke, but still with that lighting and the music, it's still a horror film, you know?

- Laura: Yeah.

- You've done other narrative work.

I know you have a film, a feature film you're working on as a producer.

You've also done TV.

What's your preferred medium?

- That's a great question.

I mean, I think the-- I mean, I love doing narrative and I love doing doc.

I do both.

And I love independent film particularly.

But you generally don't make money making independent films, so you have to survive, you have to, you know?

So, I do a lot of, like, branded short form, and I love that too.

It can be really interesting and exciting and you can meet a lot of, like-- That's very common, right?

There's lots of, like, extremely talented people working, you know, working commercials and working branded content.

But, no, I love the indie, like, the indie projects is, like, the best, right?

- It helps when you can find a really cool diner too.

- Yes!

What-- we just have a few seconds.

Will you be at the screening?

- Yeah, I am gonna come.

I'm gonna come for the weekend.

My family's all still in Wisconsin, so I'm gonna be staying with my brother in Milwaukee and will come up for two days of the festival.

- Best of luck with the screening.

Thanks so much.

It's great to meet you, Laura.

- Yeah, thank you, thanks for having me.

This was fun.

- You're welcome.

We'll talk with more Wisconsin filmmakers in just a moment.

But first, here's a look at more brilliant films featured at the Wisconsin Film Festival.

- [speaking Spanish] - [laughs] [speaking Spanish] [bright string music] [liquid spritzing] - Actor 1: Okay, let's do this.

- PA 1: All right, sound.

- PA 2: Speeding.

- PA 1: Camera.

- PA 2: Rolling.

- PA 3: Scene 65, take 12.

[PA 3 speaks indistinctly] - Director: Action.

[intercom buzzes] - What do you want?

- Actor 1: Hey, just give me ten minutes.

- You've got five minutes.

[beeps] - Hey.

- Hey.

- Look... - No, Steve, I... - How many times?

Okay, you need to go around me, okay, so I can get up.

- Camera Operator: I'm sorry!

- It's like... - Hey, relax.

- Girl: [whispering] Jia.

Jia.

- Warren King: I'm a Chinese-American artist.

I work in cardboard figurative sculpture.

I started art late.

I went into engineering because it was expected of me.

Once I started making art, it opened up a whole new world that I had never been a part of or understood.

The most important thing about my whole art practice is just the opportunity it gives me to connect with the community around me.

The stories of my family, my culture, my experiences, my own identity.

Along with that comes this sense of just, like, belonging.

[gentle music] I started working with cardboard, really, because it was just around.

The first stuff that I ever made was for my two boys.

The way I use it is pretty unique because I don't handle the cardboard in an unnatural way.

If you look at cardboard and you look at the material, it has a certain character.

It's two pieces of paper with corrugations in between.

There's a front side and a back side, and there's differences between the two.

Even when I color it and paint it, I only wanna use certain types of treatments because I don't wanna lose that texture of the paper.

And I approach working with cardboard very similar to woodworking.

The best woodworkers, they know the character of the wood.

They're very attentive to the grain and the shape and the natural properties of the wood.

- Pete: The Wisconsin Film Festival takes place from April 9 to April 16.

With over 135 films to choose from, it is a movie heaven.

The festival attracts thousands of moviegoers that watch films on several screens around Madison.

Go to the 2026 Wisconsin Film Festival website and start picking your movies.

We've got more directors and more movies coming your way.

Here's a clip from a powerful documentary.

It's called Cycle.

- Monique West: It just keep on replaying in my head, like, my son on his hands and his knees, looking at Eric Giese, and pleading for his life.

And my baby probably already knew, "He finna kill me."

- Crowd: [chanting] I can't breathe, I can't breathe!

I can't breathe, I can't breathe!

I can't breathe, I can't breathe!

I can't breathe, I can't breathe!

I can't breathe!

- Narrator: You don't get to change these moments.

It's moments like this that change you.

- Crowd: [chanting] I can't breathe, I can't breathe!

- Narrator: And there we stood, right there in the middle of it.

- Crowd: [chanting] I can't breathe, I can't breathe!

- Narrator: I described it as the most peaceful display of destruction I had ever witnessed.

- Crowd: [chanting] I can't breathe, I can't breathe!

- Narrator: This is America's reflection staring back at me through every piece of broken glass.

- Mama!

- Narrator: I realized how traumatized I really was already.

It was a pressure point for a system working in slow motion and a call to every open heart.

- That was a clip from Cycle.

And joining me now in studio are the film's directors, Laura Dyan Kezman and William Howell.

Welcome, you guys.

- Laura Dyan Kezman: Thank you.

- William Howell: Thank you.

- Great work.

Every year, there are several really powerful films at this festival, and this is definitely one of them.

And it's so sad, when I was researching this the other day, I was like, "Did I hear about this shooting?"

Like, there are so many shootings like this.

It's terrible.

Ty'rese was killed in 2019.

Talk about when you found the story, Laura, and the timeline.

How soon did you start working on a documentary, and when was it completed?

- So, Tyrese was killed on June 15 of 2019.

It actually starts with William, who picked up his camera very shortly after it happened and was filming everything that unfolded within the community in Racine.

I should also offer the disclaimer that William and I are both originally from Racine, Wisconsin, where it happened.

So, I'll toss it to William because he was really on the ground before I came on the project.

- Yeah, I mean, when it happened, I mean, of course, with Racine being such a small community, as soon as I seen his picture, I mean, he looked exactly like his father, 'cause his father and I were friends at that age.

- Pete: Oh, wow.

- And, yeah, and so, it was immediate because I was a local videographer.

I had never did anything with filmmaking or documentary film, but I started to, you know, capture everything.

I wanted to document life as it happened.

And so, his family asked me to film the funeral.

And when I filmed the funeral, I really got the calling that this story needed to be told.

And so, I began just going online and I was, you know, campaigning and trying to get people to really know what had happened here.

And I was, at the same time, I was looking for somebody to kind of help me, teach me filmmaking that could help me tell this story.

And a mutual friend of mine was friends with a friend of Laura's.

My friend Jesse.

He contacted Amanda, and then Amanda contacted me, and she was letting me know that she knew a great director in Laura.

And that's kind of how we connected in order to tell the story.

- So, you knew instantly this is a story you wanna tell because you were right in the thick of it.

- Right.

- Okay.

And then when you came in, Laura, where did you come in?

Did he already have a ton of footage?

Like, did that make your life easier?

Or was it still like, "Where do we start in this thing?"

- I mean, the footage that he was filming was really his instinct.

He had a camera, you know.

The family and the community at that point, I mean, William is very well known in Racine.

And so, you know, he was like, again, just documenting life as it happened because he had the tools to do so.

He wasn't thinking at that moment that this is gonna turn into a documentary film, let alone Cycle.

And so, by the time that he and I met, which was that following fall, so the fall of 2019, at that point, six months after Ty'rese was killed, I'm living in Milwaukee, and we met at a coffee shop.

And what I thought was gonna be a 20-minute conversation ended up turning into a three-hour conversation.

And within a month after that, we were filming our first interviews.

So, it was pretty, you know, immediate, sort of like the call that we felt to not just tell Ty'rese's story, but to tell the larger story of the cycle of police violence in the United States.

And for context, this is before COVID hit, this is before George Floyd was killed, and which allowed us to be on the ground for all of that as it happened in 2020.

- Was it-- I would imagine it was not hard getting people to talk, because they wanted to tell the story on behalf of Ty'rese, but were there people-- Were you able to talk to police during the documentary?

Did anybody from the other side come out and talk to you?

- So, everyone directly involved in the case on the police side, so both the Mount Pleasant Police Department and the Racine Police Departments, declined to participate in an interview.

That being said, you know, it's worth mentioning Will has a very direct tie to the Racine police chief at that time.

And if you want to... - William: Yeah, well, at the time that this case happened, the standing police chief was my uncle.

- Pete: Wow.

- Yeah.

And he is the first Black police chief in the city of Racine, Wisconsin.

And so, that was also an important part of this case to us.

We thought that we had somebody that would stand up for us, that we thought that we had a voice in our community, and we was really dependent on him to make sure that this cop got charged, and he didn't.

So, I took that very personal.

- Pete: I can't even imagine.

- Laura: Yeah, and that being said, so we didn't have, you know, a traditional interview with the D.A., the police investigators, anyone on the scene that night.

However, we did get exclusive access to a filmed deposition of the officer as the federal case was going through the court system.

And that is something that really makes Cycle unique, because typically those depositions are, A, not recorded, and, B, not available for public viewing.

- Boy, I hope you guys are doing a Q&A after the screening 'cause you have a ton of material here.

We unfortunately are out of time now, but great stuff, and can't wait to see it with an audience, I'm sure, right?

- Sunday, April 12 at 1:30.

- Good luck with the screening.

Next, a heartwarming film.

Here's a clip from 25 Cats from Qatar.

- Katy McHugh: How many stray cats do you think are in Qatar?

- Rescuer 1: I mean, it's, like, never ending.

They've got lots of rats here.

They have to import cats from abroad.

- Rescuer 2: The breeders in the shops, they will breed and they will sell.

This will never stop.

- Katy: I own a cat café in Milwaukee, and I can help.

I needed to see the situation for myself.

- Agent: How may I assist your call today?

- Katy: I'm traveling, and I have 25 cats booked in cargo.

- Agent: You have 25 cats along with you, you say?

- Katy: Yes.

When I go to Doha, I'm going to meet some of the rescuers for the first time.

There's a very small handful in Qatar who are dedicated to the cause.

- Rescuer 2: I have rescued maybe more than 500 cats 'til now.

- Katy: The rescuers have exhausted all efforts to find them homes in their native countries.

They know that the animals have no chance in Qatar.

- Rescuer 1: They just think that, oh, it's just a cat, you know?

But for us, it's not a cat.

It's like a whole life, you know?

[cat meows] - Katy: There's so many cats that need homes.

[cats meow] They have to be very, very friendly.

- The landlord knows what we're doing, but he doesn't know the amount of cats.

- I can't take seven.

Well, I'll take two.

[cat meows] So, all these cats are ready to go.

Is this cat here ready to travel?

Yeah, I definitely wanna take him.

So, Cinderella then.

Put Birdy down.

I'm gonna take her.

This guy just cracks me up.

I promise I'm not gonna foster forever with him.

I'll end up in divorce court.

[laughs] A lot of folks thought I was absolutely insane.

I'm on a really tight time crunch here.

Oh, my God.

It always comes down to the wire.

You literally just won the lottery.

Thanks for pooping all over me.

That is definitely him.

Grab him!

There's always something that happens.

I do not have a health certificate here.

We have to have backups for the backups for the backups.

- Vet: She's pregnant.

- Katy: So, she has some stowaways, is that what you're saying?

Twenty-three, twenty-four.

So, this is why I'm doing this.

I'm missing a cat.

[cork pops] [dramatic music] [cat meows] I want this one.

- I'm assuming you're, like, a cat breeder.

- Katy: Cat breeder?

No, I'm a cat rescuer.

- Joining me now is the director of 25 Cats from Qatar, Mye Hoang.

Hi, Mye, welcome.

- Mye Hoang: Hi, thank you for having me.

- Oh, you're very welcome.

Thanks for being here.

My first question, Why are there so many cats in Qatar?

- Oh, gosh, that question is answered by watching the entire movie.

But that was the question that led me to make the film.

I didn't understand.

And the interesting thing is that it's a very wealthy nation, and they do have free spay and neuter.

So, it is a big question.

Why do they have a overpopulation crisis?

And a lot of it has to do with the-- The population is mainly temporary migrant workers.

And so, there aren't enough people, humans, living there to adopt these pets, and a lot of them get abandoned on the street.

And, you know, the situation is-- At the time when we filmed it, it was '23, and everybody, the rescuers, were at a breaking point.

And now, with recent events in that region, it is even more dire.

People are leaving, fleeing the country and leaving pets left and right.

It's really all over the Gulf region.

- How-- you said that you-- that was your first question too, but when did you find the story and when did you know you wanted to make a film about this?

- So, I was touring on the festival circuit with my other cat documentary, called Cat Daddies, and I was in Milwaukee and went into a cat café, which I often do, and I met the owner, who is a flight attendant, and she owns the cat café.

Her name's Katy McHugh.

And I got to know about her international cat rescue work, and I was just like, how is this woman going to these foreign countries by herself, rescuing cats off the street, and bringing them back on commercial flights to find homes in Wisconsin?

- Pete: Wow.

- So, it was just fascinating.

And I just wanted to know more, and I just felt like there was a story.

And it's something that not a lot of people know about, because a lot of people in that region aren't really allowed to talk about or complain or criticize about the issue.

And so, I thought maybe I could give voice to the people there who are struggling and dealing with the animal welfare issues.

- How-- It looks like an expensive documentary, just because you had-- I'm assuming you went there to get all this footage, unless you used your friend's miles as a flight attendant.

[Mye laughs] But how did you do that?

It looks very involved.

- Oh, I appreciate that.

It actually was-- compared to other documentary features, it was not that expensive because we did it under the radar.

We didn't have permission.

I had a very lean crew, so we all had to have multiple jobs.

So, although I'm the director and the editor, I'm also recording the sound, and we had a team of two camera operators.

So, it was really just the three of us, and then Katy, who you saw in the clips, and we went over there and we just sort of did it and, luckily, got away with it, didn't get our footage confiscated, and everything worked out.

So, we were very lucky.

- Just a quick note.

I saw that, when I was reading about you, Cat Daddies was one of the top-grossing documentaries of 2023.

So, your love of cats obviously paid off, and telling their stories.

I think you said you rescued 25 cats, and then there was a statistic like it was $1,000 per cat, but you only-- The people paid $100, so it's not like you were doing this for any other reason than to help cats.

- Yes.

I think a lot of people are skeptical and they criticize Katy and people who help with international pet rescue.

But really, the situation there is different.

And, you know, we may, you know, we may be only helping a few cats out of millions that need help, but every cat we save, I think it gives the rescuers over there a lot of hope.

- Pete: Yeah.

- And it just, you know, I just think it makes, you know, small things can make a huge difference.

As far as the money goes, I know that, you know, she gets criticized for, you know, wasting resources.

But, really, if you talk to anyone, even in the United States, your local shelter, your local pet rescue, it really does cost that much to spay, neuter, to vaccinate, food.

Every dog or cat you rescue, it is gonna be almost $1,000 per animal.

- Yeah, good luck with the screening.

I hope people get to see your film, because the shots you have of cats in the street, it's heartbreaking, and it's just-- it's great cinema.

Thank you very much for your time today.

Good luck with the screening.

- Thank you so much.

- You're welcome.

All right, up next, let's join the party.

Here's a clip from Appenzellertag.

[people yodeling chorally] [yodeling continues] [yodeling continues] - Matt Streiff: 'Cause in New Glarus, there's just kind of this cult following, Appenzeller, with a lot of people, when they come back from Switzerland, they put a couple bottles in their luggage.

And you can't get it in the United States because, apparently, there are a couple ingredients that Appenzeller put the Alpenbitter that the FDA doesn't approve of.

So, for that reason, it can't be sold here in the United States.

So... [yodeling continues] - That was a clip from Appenzellertag.

And joining me is director Steve Donovan and Matt Streiff, the focus of this film.

And we've got beverages.

Guys, welcome.

- Steve Donovan: Well, they're empty, actually.

- Or beverage.

It's empty?

Oh, so I guess I'm late to the party, you guys... - It was a long drive up from New Glarus.

- I'll play catchup, yeah.

- We had two straws.

[laughter] - What is going on in that clip?

Tell us about the film.

- We don't know ourselves.

We had a lot to drink.

- Yeah, exactly.

- Oh, I think Matt can describe the event a little bit better than I.

- Yeah, so I knew this four-liter-size bottle of Appenzeller existed, so I thought, why not try to bring one home from Switzerland?

So, I did.

And when I got home, I thought, well, what am I gonna do with it?

You know, I could drink it at home.

You know, I'm always up for the challenge.

But then I thought, why not invite the community together and have a little party around it?

Because, you know, you don't see those very often.

And Steve and I got to talking one night at a summer party, and I was like, "You know what we should do?

We should film that."

And Steve's like, "I can do that."

I was like-- and so it was born.

- Steve: That's not what I said.

Pete, what happened was, I was just like, I said, "Everybody pitches me ideas all the time."

I was like, "Yeah, sure."

[laughter] "That'd be a great movie, that'd be a great movie."

- But then we had a couple Appenzellers after that, and then my memory is kind of what came today.

- Before you know it, the camera was rolling.

What, was it hard getting that through cus-- I mean, I've snuck booze into a movie theater before, but that looks like a tall order, literally, like, to get it through.

- Well, I bought a little wooden crate to protect it in, and then put it in my packed luggage and made sure that it was under weight.

And I fully disclosed everything that I brought back for customs, and we walked right through.

- Pete: Gave him a taste, literally.

[Matt laughs] - Steve: Yeah, yeah.

He just, like, there's a small video clip that should have been in there, but, of him watching the luggage come out, and he's like, "Ahh, thank goodness, that nothing happened to it."

- Matt: It was dry, it didn't break.

- Isn't it, like, sacrilege to drink anything in New Glarus other than their biggest product?

Like, but you had this big party where everybody got to have some.

That must have been fun.

- Well, I think that Appenzeller actually is one of these, like, things in New Glarus that, at all the right bars in New Glarus, they have a bottle behind the bar.

And if you ask nicely, they'll-- They might have some for you.

[Pete laughs] Yeah, yeah.

- Matt: So, it's pretty well known in the New Glarus community that it exists.

- Okay.

- So, like I said, there's kind of this cult following where people know it and they crave it.

- You didn't have to sneak around or anything.

On your website, Steve, it said stories start with opinions or they come from anywhere.

Did you-- What were you thinking?

Like, were you serious?

When he pitched this to you, did you start mapping out what the story is?

I mean, it's a short film, but what-- How much work went into it?

- A lot of work, Matt.

- Matt: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

[laughter] Yeah, what we did to make that look great, it took a lot of work, so kudos to Steve.

- I was like, at the very least I can, I can go and cover this event, because it was really nice.

This whole film is about how kind Matt is, and he's a representation of New Glarus and how kind that community is.

And I just went there.

I'm just going to shoot the event and see what unfolds.

- Pete: Yeah.

- And then suddenly, it became this, like-- As I interview Matt and I, like, started working on the story a little bit, it's sort of a love letter to New Glarus itself.

I had no idea what it was going to be like.

Everything I put in the film is organic.

- Can people write love letters through movies to Wisconsin cities without alcohol being involved?

I'm just curious, like, it always seems to be some kind of... - I mean, Sheboygan bratwurst or something like that.

- Yeah, next stop is Sheboygan for 3 Sheeps, yeah.

- Are you guys-- Will this be the first time you see it with an audience?

- We did premiere-- Our first film festival was in Iowa, in Decorah, Iowa, at the Oneota Film Festival.

And that was pretty extraordinary.

It's a very small film festival.

This is a lot larger than that.

So, we are very, very excited, to say the least.

- Are you gonna bring the props to the screening for the... - We certainly will.

- Will it be full?

- Maybe even a little sampling.

- Ooh, wow.

- Maybe a little sampling, yeah.

- That's gonna be a sellout, you know that.

- You know, the full experience.

- [laughs] We've got about 30 seconds left.

Steve, what's next for you as a filmmaker?

- I don't know, that's the thing.

I keep my ears and my eyes open.

I have a couple ideas that, sort of picking away at, and I'm excited for what comes next.

- It seems like your buddy Matt here probably has some ideas too.

- [laughs] Yeah, keep the Appenzeller... - Always have ideas; hopefully some of 'em are good.

- Yeah, there you go.

[Steve laughs] Guys, best of luck with the screening.

- Thank you, Pete.

- Thank you.

Feel free to leave that behind.

Make sure it finds a good home.

Thanks to all of the filmmakers who have joined us for this preview.

Here is our final group of film clips.

[jackhammer pounds] [gentle music] - Electronic voice: A new anthem for new Israel.

- [speaking Hebrew] [up-tempo electronic music] I will work on it.

[speaking Hebrew] - [moaning ecstatically] - [speaking Hebrew] - [speaking Hebrew] - Woman: You know what my favorite part is?

- Man: About what?

- About being out of here.

Completely remote.

[insects chirp] [wind blows] - [speaking French] [knock on door] - [speaking French] - [speaking French] - [speaking French] [dramatic music] - Well, it looks like a great lineup as usual, you guys.

We just have a few seconds.

I know you have these live events for the movies.

Tell us about those.

I love these things.

- Yeah, absolutely.

One of the things that makes the festival so exciting is it's more than just movies sometimes.

So, for instance, on Saturday at the Barrymore, we'll be having a screening of Babe: Pig in the City that is presented by the really popular and really funny film podcast Blank Check.

We are showing silent films with live accompaniment.

We have a screening of Nosferatu with, like, cool indie musicians.

We have a screening of Stella Dallas with traditional piano accompaniment.

So, we have 3-D movies.

These are things that you can't get at home.

These are kind of the things that really take the festival experience to the next level.

- Pete: Take that, Netflix.

[all chuckle] Thanks so much, guys.

And thank you for watching Director's Cut.

For more information about the Wisconsin Film Festival, please go to wifilmfest.org.

I'd like to thank all of my guests for being with us and wish them the best of luck at the screenings.

Hope to literally see all of you at the movies, enjoying this year's Wisconsin Film Festival.

I'm Pete Schwaba, and we'll see you next time on Director's Cut.