Finding the familiar in 2008 Wisconsin Film Festival programming

A look at ten more movies screening in the fest

March 5, 2008

4:08 AM

Movies made about and by folks in the Badger State are a central element of the

After many months of sifting and winnowing hundreds of potential selections, organizers have wrapped up programming for this tenth annual festival, and have moved on to wrangling volunteers and preparing venues. Hamel recently spoke with The Daily Page about a septet of films included in this year's programming, all of which may be familiar in some way or another to filmgoers.

Here are a few of these bigger-name domestic and international movies screening in the 2008 festival:

Iron Triangle, a neighborhood in Queens filled with auto body shops, scrap yards, and other industrial businesses. "It's an extremely realistic, extremely gritty story," says Hamel, "an impressive look at people living on the fringes."

Also screening at the festival is Blood in the Water Match.

Hungary was victorious over the Soviets what is likely the most famous match in water polo history, and went on to win the gold medal in Melbourne. The story detailed in the documentary is also recounted in

, a.k.a. Hallam Foe, where the title character played by Jamie Bell (of Billy Elliot fame) blazes voyeuristic trails while pursuing both the cause of his mother's death and his latest infatuation. It boasts a cast of several other well-known British actors, including Sophia Myles, Ciaran Hinds, Ewen Bremmer, and Claire Forlani, not to mention a soundtrack of Scottish indie groups (Orange Juice, Franz Ferdinand, Sons and Daughters) and an appropriately odd set of animated opening credits. "A curiously dark film," notes Hamel.

Any cinephile worth their salt is likely familiar with The Red Balloon), the 1956 short film by Albert Lamorisse that finds the title object following a young boy around the XXe arrondissement of Paris one day. This film is the inspiration for

The 1966 FIFA World Cup was famously both held in and won by England, and is considered a watershed moment in the modern global emergence of the beautiful game. The final match of the Cup is also a frustration par excellence for the lead character in
A few more films screening at the festival have also been announced by their creators over the last few weeks.

announced that they'll be attending the screening in Madison. Here's one question for them: Where's My Motherfucking Wallet?

Say Hello, Apple fans and foes, to announced its programming in the Wisconsin Film Fest a few weeks ago, following that up a day later with a press release targeted towards the vast fields of online Apple fans that follow the company's every move. "Whether a long time Mac fanatic or new to computers," they declare, Welcome to Macintosh takes you from the early days of the Apple-I to the latest and greatest Apple has to offer." A couple more bites be tasted in a teaser and trailer for the doc.

screening in Madison in the midst of a busy spring tour at festivals around the nation. Running 24 minutes, the film recounts the story of a woman coming to terms with the reality of her day-to-day life.

The complete festival schedule is now ready to go, with times and locations for screenings set from its beginning on the evening of Thursday, April 3 through its end on the night of Sunday, April 6. The complete Wisconsin Film Festival schedule will be released this Thursday, March 6, meanwhile, and tickets go on sale on Saturday, March 8.