MKE Film presents 'Bleak Week'

'Winter Hymns' with writer/director Nathan Deming

The last time Wisconsin-born writer/director Nathan Deming stopped by for a podcast visit, he was coming off a big win that went beyond any single project. Now he’s back to focus a little more intently on one of his own creations — and talk a bit about that previous victory. Deming and his Action! Wisconsin [https://www.actionwi.org/] cohorts had plenty to smile about when he joined us in November of 2025, a few months after Wisconsin legislators passed and Governor Tony Evers signed into law the creation of production incentives and a state film office. These days, Deming’s joy comes from promoting his gripping new movie, Winter Hymns [https://www.winterhymnsfilm.com/], which takes an ambitiously creative approach to examining the world of palliative (or end-of-life) care. Shot in a single room at a hospital on a snowy Wisconsin day, the film captures a series of conversation-based “episodes” between a doctor (played by the wonderful Colleen Madden of the American Players Theatre in Spring Green) and her patients. A few days before a special screening and Q&A at Milwaukee's Oriental Theatre [https://mkefilm.org/films/69f8cce3483a5c97a1995ffa/], Deming talked with us about being inspired by his father’s career as a hospice director, the importance of casting local talent and how the production choices resulted in an emotionally weighty film that paints an authentic picture of a difficult topic. ##### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Doors [https://www.joewilde.com/].

MKE Film presents 'Bleak Week'

Get ready to lean into the darkness!  For this episode, we invited a special guest to help us celebrate the most wonderful (and miserable) time of the year: Bleak Week [https://mkefilm.org/series/bleakweek/]. Running from June 21-27 at the Oriental Theatre, Bleak Week is an international phenomenon featuring some of the greatest, saddest and most soul-crushing films from around the world. This year, the series delves into the theme of work, exploring how our jobs and labor can be a primary source of bleakness in our daily lives. Milwaukee Film programming director Kerstin Larson is back in the studio as we dive into the Bleak Week lineup, starting with a special Father’s Day screening of Béla Tarr’s The Turin Horse. We also discuss the high-stakes tension of Sorcerer, the psychological paranoia of the anime classic Perfect Blue and the minimum-wage struggles depicted in American Job, which includes a live Q&A with local lead actor Randy Russell. Whether it’s the gritty detective work of Se7en or the poignant social commentary of Black Girl, there's a flavor of misery for every cinephile to enjoy together in the beautiful, air-conditioned gloom of the theater. After all, misery loves company. #### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Doors [https://www.joewilde.com/].

Pride Month movies with Milwaukee Film!

All throughout June, Milwaukee Film is serving up three separate helpings of hand-picked movies for the organization’s Pride Month program [https://mkefilm.org/pride-month-programming/]. There’s the “Queerious” mini-series devoted to queer-coded selections, the “Summer Camp 2” mini-series featuring queer classics that lean into the outrageous, and a trio of bonus picks to round out the month. To help us navigate the four weekends of movies, we brought back the perfect guest: Milwaukee Film GenreQueer and Shorts programmer Jack Feria! Jack is a Cinebuds frequent flyer, having stepped into the studio with us several times to share all the cool stuff he does with Milwaukee Film. For this particular episode, he joins Dori and Kpolly to chat about the incredible range of LGBTQ+ fare coming to the Oriental and Downer Theatres — from Alfred Hitchcock’s subtext-laden Rope to gender-bending musical masterpiece Victor/Victoria. ##### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Doors [https://www.joewilde.com/].

'I Love Boosters'

Fresh from the theater, we dive headfirst into Boots Riley’s latest, I Love Boosters. This colorful, high-fashion heist film follows a crew of shoplifters who resell designer gear, as they target a cutthroat fashion icon played by Demi Moore. We break down the incredible cast, from the great Kiki Palmer leading the charge to a nearly unrecognizable Don Cheadle. The film is a total feast for the senses, featuring a janky stop-motion aesthetic, a 17-degree tilted apartment set and a pulsing soundtrack by Tune-Yards. Beyond the fun, we discuss how Riley uses his signature stylized satire to take aim at the fashion industry and advocate for workers' rights. Then we wrap things up by teasing tease Riley’s next project, an adaptation of Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play, and share our latest obsessions, including the eerie comedy-drama Widow's Bay and the physical comedy of Chris Fleming. ##### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Company [https://www.joewilde.com/].

'Blue Heron'

'Blue Heron'