John Ridley, Felicity Huffman to be among special guests for 10th Annual Milwaukee Film Festival

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Organizers of the 10th annual Milwaukee Film Festival have announced their list of special guests. 

Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Ridley will be coming home to Milwaukee. He'll be part of a panel discussion on working with actors along with Emmy award-winning actress Felicity Huffman. Ridley is a board member with the Milwaukee Film Organization. It is also the weekend Ridley's new downtown creative hub for the arts called No Studios has its grand opening. 

Other notable panelists this year include DeWanda Wise (How To Tell You’re A Douchebag, MFF2015), participating in A Conversation with DeWanda Wise and moderated by UWM professor Portia Cobb; and director Carrie Hawks, journalist and commentator Tourè, and New York Times culture editor Aisha Harris participating in black enuf.

Two Grammy award-winners are scheduled to attend screenings at the festival, including Milwaukee native and famed rapper Speech, of the group Arrested Development, as a subject in the film 16 Bars. Award-winning music video director, Joseph Kahn, will be presenting his feature debut Bodied as part of the festival’s American Independents program. Kahn is well known for his work with major music artists, including Taylor Swift, Janet Jackson, Katy Perry, and Eminem, who is also a producer of Bodied.

Acclaimed Polish filmmaker, Agnieszka Holland, will be attending a screening of her film Spoor, playing in the festival’s Worldviews program. Holland’s decades-long career includes Golden Globe award-winning and Oscar-nominated films In Darkness,Europa, Europa and The Angry Harvest, along with director credits for major television shows such as House of Cards and The Wire.

Milwaukee Film Festival alums Martin Starr (Operator, MFF2016, Infinity Baby MFF2017) and Bob Byington (Infinity Baby, MFF2017) will be returning this year; Byington will serve as a juror for the organization’s Brico Forward Fund granting program and Starr is a subject in Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary. Sam Pollard (Two Trains Runnin’, MFF2016, ACORN and the Firestorm, MFF2017) and Qasim Basir (Destined, MFF2017) will also be returning this year with films in the Black Lens program.

For the most up to date festival guests information, including attendance for screenings, events, and forums, please visit mkefilm.org.


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