Cultures & Communities Festival

As of Feb. 3, Dr. Susan Kerns is the new executive director of Milwaukee Film—an appointment that follows a year of transition and tumult.

This past year, Milwaukee Film hired a new CEO, re-opened the historic Downer Theater and launched a brand new event around documentary film, which will start later this month. They've also made deep cuts to outreach programming that centers young, diverse voices — cuts that past employees say are hypocritical to the organization's stated mission.

Ahead of a Cultures & Communities Festival event tonight that focuses on the same topic, journalists of color in Milwaukee reflect on the need and responsibility of diverse storytelling in their community.

On top of providing entertaining baseball, The Negro League also served as an important economic and social pillar for Black communities around the country, including here in Milwaukee.

The Butterfly in the Sky documentary shares the story of the PBS children’s series Reading Rainbow — from its iconic host, the people behind the scenes, and the challenges its creators faced in cultivating a love of reading through television. Co-director Bradford Thomason joins Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski to talk about the making of the film and how it adds to the show's legacy.

In 1966 Milwaukee’s Rufus King High School and Kaukauna High School participated in an exchange program of students that culminated in a production of the Martin Duberman play “In White America.”A new documentary shares the impact this program had on its participants — both as teenagers and looking back as adults.

Barbecue is one of America’s quintessential cuisines. For centuries, its impact has moved beyond food - building communities and creating a unique culture. That’s mainly due to African American barbecue culture and the contributions of Black barbecuers, pitmasters, and restaurateurs.

Milwaukee Film’s 2021 Cultures & Communities Festival, formerly known as the Minority Health Film Festival, is happening now through September 12th. The festival aims to promote individual and communal wellness while encouraging cultural equity, bringing representation through programming and outreach for historically underrepresented communities.