MILWAUKEE — It's time for the Milwaukee Film Festival! The 18th annual movie showcase goes from April 16-30. Here are two locally made films that you might want to check out.
Aroma-Vision
Aroma-Vision is a sci-fi short film set in an alternate Milwaukee universe from the 2000s.
“All of a sudden, he finds this new technology, this Aroma Vision TV that emits scents, and he starts to get inspired by it, and as he dives deeper and deeper into this cooking show that he finds on there, the cooking show turns out to have a bit more of a nefarious intention, that he gets trapped in this web in," Max Hauser, the film's producer who owns Liminal Vision Films, said.
It's similar to episodes of the Twilight Zone or Tales from the Crypt.
“So we're really excited for people to come out and see it, and for people just to see what happens when a bunch of Milwaukee creatives are allowed to run free," Hauser said.
Roughly 40 people from the Milwaukee area helped bring this movie to life. You can watch it on April 27. Buy tickets here.
Now! More! Yes!
Now! More! Yes! is a documentary about a legally blind car salesman, filmmaker, landlord, and the list goes on.
“It is the true story of how I got drunk and bought an ambulance on the internet with my boss's money," TW Hansen, the film's protagonist, said.
The movie followed Hansen for three years, documenting his life and exploits.
“One of my tenants thought that was a funny enough concept to just start following me around with a camera, and the idea was eventually a movie would happen, and here we are," Hansen said. “In hindsight, there's quite a bit of stuff that I did for the lore, I will admit to that.”
Watch previews of these two movies...
The film was also screened at SXSW in 2025.
You can watch the movie's homecoming showings on April 18 and April 22. Buy tickers here.
More Than Just Local
For the Milwaukee Film Festival, it's vital to support the artists who make up the local film industry.
“Also that other people in the community can see stories that are about their neighborhoods and their towns and their people," Abbie Esterline, the programming coordinator at Milwaukee Film Festival, said.
However, the festival is truly international. There are more than 250 films from 40 countries.
“So there's really something for everyone. There's fiction, there's documentary, and all these short films," Esterline said.
Coming back this year is the festival's music video show.
A full schedule of the Milwaukee Film Festival can be found here.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
