Four days, 50 movies, 18 countries
The Weyauwega International Film Festival will return to the Gerold Opera House Nov. 9-12 for its sixth year of films from around the globe.
The festival, presented by Wega Arts, will screen 50 films representing 18 different countries.
All screenings will take place at the opera house, located at 136 E. Main St., in Weyauwega.
There will be a full bar, light menu with soup, sandwiches and desserts, as well as a full concession stand with fresh popcorn.
For the first time in decades, the balcony is open again, and there will also be a new lounge open downstairs.
Tickets are $15 for a day pass – good for any one film or a whole day of films.
Festival passes are $40 and good for the entire festival.
The full schedule may be found at wegafilm.com.
Festival passes and tickets may also be found online and at the Book Cellar, in Waupaca, and at Wega Motors, in Weyauwega.
The box office may be reached at 920-867-4888.
Many of the films were either made in Wisconsin or have Wisconsin connections.
The Wisconsin highlights include the film “Halfway,” which tells the story of a black man, played by Quinton Aaron of “The Blind Side.”
In “Halfway,” the man is recently released from prison and sets off to a small family farm in Wisconsin to work off some of the debt he owes his attorney, whose sister runs the farm.
In spite of the difficulties he faces, he learns to appreciate the simple and rewarding life he finds on the farm.
Filmed in Montfort, Wisconsin, “Halfway” will screen at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, and again at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12.
This year’s classic film is “Hud,” the 1963 film starring Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas and Patricia Neal.
It will screen at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, and will be introduced by Dr. Jack Rhodes.
One of this year’s documentaries is “Have A Baby.”
It is about a fertilization clinic that hosts an online contest. The prize is free in-vitro treatments for one couple.
One of the couples is from Green Bay.
“Have A Baby” screens at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, and is preceded at 5:30 p.m. by “You See Me,” which is a look at a woman’s attempt to come to terms with her father and their family’s past after the father suffers from a debilitating stroke.
Weyauwega native Adam Zuehlke will return to the festival with his new thriller/horror short called “Cured.”
It deals with a family’s response to the aftermath of a pandemic that has stricken one of its own.
“Cured” screens at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, and again at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12.
On Friday, “Cured” will be followed by “Occupants” at 10:30 p.m.
This sci-fi story is about a couple, who after starting a vegan diet, discover a gateway to a parallel universe along with parallel and different versions of themselves.
The festival will include the Wisconsin premiere of “Written Off” at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12.
Directed by Molly Herrmann, the documentary tells the story of Matt, from northern Wisconsin, who at 17 became addicted to opioids after being given a prescription from his doctor for an ingrown toenail.
The addiction eventually leads to a heroin addiction, which recurs while he is living in Oshkosh.
Matt kept a journal from the time he was 17, and the filmmakers tell his story using these journals, family films and interviews.
This film provides insight into the life of an addict and the struggles and fears he faced on his own with little to no resources to help him out of his addiction.
“Gags the Clown,” directed by Green Bay’s Adam Krause, has been credited with starting the recent rash of clown sightings while garnering international attention.
He posted anonymous pictures of Gags the Clown on Facebook, which was later revealed to be his marketing plan for the movie.
Krause and Gags will on hand to present the short film at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12.
It will be followed at 8 p.m. by the Indie film “The Love Witch,” directed by Anna Biller.
The film is a throwback to the melodramas and Hammer horror films of the 1960s.
In it, a lovelorn witch casts spells on several men with unexpected results.
Biller also designed the sets and costumes.
This is an international festival, and there are many foreign films on the bill.
“The Promised Band,” a documentary screening at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, is the story of a group of friends from Israel who form a fake band so they can make a “cultural” visit to their friend who is living in Palestine.
Friday night’s “Kryo,” a short film from Germany, is a sci-fi that tells the story of a couple who awake after hundreds of years being cryogenically frozen in hopes that a cure for their illness would have been found by the time they awake.
The world they wake up to is not what they had hoped for.
“Esel,” a short from Austria, screens on Saturday afternoon and is about an old man and his aging donkey.
Many filmmakers will be in attendance to talk about their films and experiences.
After the 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, screening of “Love Witch,” there will be an awards reception with complimentary light snacks, music and conversation.