Our 14th annual festival features sixty one films from all over the world. All films will be screened over four days at the historic Gerold Opera House in Weyauwega, Wisconsin from November 13-16, 2024. Wisconsin is represented by 27 films including Thursday, when all of the films will be from Wisconsin. Our opening night film is Hitchcock's PSYCHO, which is based on the novel by Robert Bloch which he penned while living in Weyauwega. There will be many visiting filmmakers here to discuss their films. All films screen at the historic Gerold Opera House in Weyauwega, Wisconsin.The Gerold features a full bar and menu from the Wega Bistro at the Gerold.

Highlights

Our classic film is PSYCHO (1960), Alfred Hitchcock’s B-Movie masterpiece. Psycho inspired future generations of filmmakers with its nontraditional storytelling, the fine tuned choreography of the shower scene, and the mother fixation of Norman Bates which was inspired by the Ed Gein murders of the 1950’s in nearby Plainfield, Wisconsin. The film will be introduced by Robert Bloch expert Bill Gillard. Psycho screens at 7pm on Wednesday, November 13th. Thursday features eighteen films from Wisconsin including the quirky comedy FREEDOM, WISCONSIN, and the documentary about an unwanted pipeline on an Indian Reservation in Superior, Wisconsin BAD RIVER. Friday night features the documentary GOLD about the female owned dance club in Spread Eagle, Wisconsin. Saturday features several outstanding documentaries including BACK ON TRACK about the Waupaca Train Depot restoration and BRING THEM HOME, a beautifully told story about returning buffalo to their Native American homeland. Our closing night film is BONJOUR SWITZERLAND, a rousing comedy from Switzerland.

The Psychofest section of WIFF features Horror, Thrillers and Sci- Fi shorts and features. It is our annual tribute to Robert Bloch who wrote the novel PSYCHO while living in Weyauwega after being inspired by the nearby Ed Gein murders in Plainfield, Wisconsin.

On Friday, November 15th, Psychofest features 11 short films starting at 9pm. There are also several Psychofest features playing throughout the week.

Schedule of Events

November 13th, 2024

1:00 PM - My Motherland

A moving tale of welcome and cohabitation between a Parisian woman and a young Afghan refugee. Starring Fanny Ardant. A woman in her sixties, decides to welcome an Afghan refugee, Reza, into her large Parisian apartment, which seems very empty since the death of her husband. These two protagonists, who are complete opposites, will learn to live together and appreciate each other.

Director: Benoit Cohen
Runtime: 91 minutes

2:45 PM - The Strangers' Case

In Sir Thomas More, Shakespeare wrote a speech in which More makes a passionate defence for refugees, pleading for empathy from his fellow countrymen and culminating in a poignant description of the plight of refugees - "The Stranger's Case" - which persists today.

A doctor and her daughter come home following a chaotic shift at an Aleppo hospital. In the midst of a birthday celebration the two women are forced to make a difficult decision that will forever change their lives and their relationship.

A soldier witnesses heinous crimes towards men, women and children in service of the Syrian regime. As the violence and corruption escalate, he finds himself reevaluating his own humanity.

A smuggler in Turkey tries desperately to make ends meet for his young son. In an effort to save enough money to afford their own escape, he arranges for passage to Greece on inflatable liferafts to refugees in a nearby camp for a steep price.

A poet who has made it to the safety of a Turkish refugee camp with his young family barters for space on an overcrowded boat, which is pushed out into rough seas, bound for Greece.

A Greek coastguard captain spends his days and nights rescuing sinking lifeboats full of migrants off the coast of Lesvos, constantly haunted by those he wasn't able to save.

Director: Brandt Andersen
Runtime: 104 minutes

4:45 PM - Short Films Group One

The Easy Way
Runtime: 25 minutes
Director: Luca Senoner, Martin Loos

The Minotaur's Strike
Runtime: 14 minutes
Director: Raphaël Lozano

Orange Vests and Cigarettes
Runtime: 13 minutes
Director: Kyle Ensrude

The Third Skin
Runtime: 5 minutes
Director: Maja Johanna Bühler

It's For You: Ephemeral Art & The Death of the Public Phone
Runtime: 29 minutes
Director: Ryan Steven Green

Allure
Runtime: 12 minutes
Director: Tasso Feldman

#WAY_Aurelio
Runtime: 32 minutes
Director: Alan Rexroth

7:00 PM - Psycho

When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother. Based on the novel by Weyauwega's Robert Bloch.

The screening will be introduced by Robert Bloch expert Bill Gillard. Robert Bloch was living in Weyauwega when he published his novel Psycho which was inspired by the nearby Ed Gein murders of Plainfield, Wisconsin.

Runtime: 109 minutes
Director: Alfred Hitchcock

November 14th, 2024

12:00 PM - Wisconsin Shorts Group One

The Inhabitants
Runtime: 17 minutes
Director: Tate Bunker, Shana McCaw, Brent Budsberg

Pete's Castle
Runtime: 19 minutes
Director: Nate Sheppard

Nightmare
Runtime: 16 minutes
Director: Lillian Slivinski

Slug Season
Runtime: 14 minutes
Director: Bowdie Bentz

Paint the City 2
Runtime: 19 minutes
Director: Len Borruso

The Stone Carver
Runtime: 17 minutes
Director: Jeff Blankenship

2:15 PM - Wisconsin Shorts Group Two

A Close Call with Ghosts
Runtime: 13 minutes
Director: Craig Anthony Knitt, Josyln F., Frankie R.

Unified
Runtime: 4 minutes
Director: Luke Bassuener

Swept Off
Runtime: 22 minutes
Director: Melonie Gartner

Lincoln National
Runtime: 10 minutes
Director: Lee Odeja

A Lost Page
Runtime: 13 minutes
Director: Matt Osowski

The Surgeon
Runtime: 6 minutes
Director: Michael Taylor O'Reilly

On Paper
Runtime: 16 minutes
Director: Arthur Helterbran, Jr

Good Stuff
Runtime: 12 minutes
Director: Ethan Kulinski

4:30 PM - The Best of Us

A rural Wisconsin community deals with death, family, and generational transitions told through the eyes of the volunteer fire department.

Runtime: 71 minutes
Director: Benjamin Cook

6:00 PM - Bad River

BAD RIVER, narrated by Quannah ChasingHorse and Academy-Award nominee, Edward Norton; written and directed by award-winning filmmaker, Mary Mazzio; and produced by Grant Hill (Owner of the Atlanta Hawks) and Allison Abner (writer for Narcos, West Wing and descendant of the Stockbridge Munsee Band), is a new documentary film which chronicles the Wisconsin-based Bad River Band and its ongoing fight for sovereignty, a story which unfolds in a groundbreaking way through a series of shocking revelations, devastating losses, and a powerful legacy of defiance and resilience which includes a David vs. Goliath battle to save Lake Superior, the largest freshwater resource in America. An aging pipeline is threatening the Bad River Band reservation in northern Wisconsin.

Runtime: 88 minutes
Director: Mary Mazzio

7:45 PM - Freedom, Wisconsin

Freedom, Wisconsin is a coming-of-age story about a young woman who has experienced a great deal of loss during her lifetime while growing up in small-town Wisconsin. She is introduced to a struggling writer from the big city who disrupts her routine and becomes a catalyst for her journey to self-discovery.

Runtime: 73 minutes
Director: Molly Preston

9:00 PM - Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday takes place two years after a major viral outbreak. We follow the daily routine of John, a man living in a remote cabin in the middle of the woods. He lost his entire family to the virus on his daughter's birthday. Having never been able to let go of the events of that day, John repeats the same actions of wearing the same clothing, eating the same food and baking the same birthday cake. When another human shows up at his door step, John is forced to face that day and deal with the feelings he has been trying to avoid. But is this stranger a savior or a threat?

Runtime: 70 minutes
Director: Joseph A Mauro, Ezekiel N Drews

November 15th, 2024

1:00 PM - Short Films Group 2

Chairs
Runtime:
20 minutes
Director:
James Hughes

Fierro
Runtime:
29 minutes
Director:
Edward Tyndall

Pirandello on Broadway
Runtime:
12 minutes
Director:
Tasso Feldman

Shannon Is Strange
Runtime: 17 minutes
Director: Don Hessell, Alan LaFave

By My Side
Runtime: 30 minutes
Director: Wynn Padula, Vicki Topaz

3:00 PM - Crookedfinger

After the sudden death of her parents, Maria faces foreclosure of the family home, a brain-injured brother, and a strange hum that only she hears.

Director: Julia Halperin, Jason Cortlund
Runtime: 92 minutes

5:00 PM - Blue Sunshine

Aravind, a high school teacher, wants to transition from male to female while working for a school in a small town in South India. Aravindâ??s parents do not know that Aravind is already taking hormone treatment for the transition. When his parents force a marriage upon him due to their financial situation, Aravind gains courage under pressure. He starts to live as a woman named Bhanu with his friend Haritha's help. The school administration creates problems by not acknowledging Bhanu as a woman. As Bhanu struggles to find happiness after transition, she meets a student Karthik who is being bullied by his classmates for his feminine demeanor. Unable to withstand the bullying, Karthik retaliates by wearing makeup and nail polish to school. The school administration blames Bhanu for all the problems. How Karthik and Bhanu deal with the problems form the rest of the story. Recognition: Winner - Best Feature Jury Award - Tasveer South Asian Film Festival - Oct 2023; Official Selection - International Film Festival of India - Nov 2023; Official Selection - Glasgow Film Festival - March 2024;

Runtime: 98 minutes
Director: Samyuktha Vijayan

7:00 PM - Gold

GOLD is a documentary exploring the lives of four current dancers and the owner of the Gold Nugget strip club in Spread Eagle, Wisconsin. The film focuses heavily on Dusty's story, who was a dancer in the 90s. She has owned the club for 30 years, and runs the club in a way that empowers women, guiding them to further education, encourages them toward sobriety, and offers respect and support through unconditional (and sometimes tough) love.

Each of these women have unique and different pasts that landed them in the industry, but each of their stories are relatable to women everywhere. Both inspiring and at times, heartbreaking, GOLD offers a unique perspective into the world of women who work at this particular club in this rural part of the US.

Runtime: 80 minutes
Director: Paige McKenna Grube

9:00 PM - Psychofest Shorts Group One

The Last Witch in Wisconsin
Director: Daniel Wheeler
Runtime: 13 minutes

Crystal Galaxy Enforcers
Director: Kirk Howle
Runtime: 4 minutes

Sentinel
Director: Jake Viaene
Runtime: 13 minutes

Washed up
Director: Jovana Lazin
Runtime: 14 minutes

Unclean
Runtime: 17 minutes
Director: Simon Chouinard

10:00 PM - Psychofest Shorts Group Two

The Gatekeeper
Director: Sam Sorenson
Runtime: 13 minutes

Bye Bear
Director: Jan Bitzer
Runtime: 11 minutes

The Key
Director: Daniel J Pico
Runtime: 7 minutes

Elon VS Mark
Director: Hubert Lapointe
Runtime: 6 minutes

Room Tone
Director: Michael Gabriele
Runtime: 10 minutes

Volition
Director: Ashley George
Runtime: 17 minutes

November 16th, 2024

12:00 PM - Decoupling

Decoupling was once a term primarily used in cosmology, but it has now taken on a geopolitical significance, referring to the deteriorating relationship between China and the U.S. The film "Decoupling" is a story that a "Chinese" father reflects on the changing relationship of China and US during his trip to Beijing to retrieve his 3-year-old "American" daughter who has been stranded because of the recent decoupling of the two countries.

Born in China and living in the American Midwest, filmmaker Yinan Wang attempts to unpack his own experience of how a transnational migrant family deals with the distress caused by identity, nationalism, and geopolitics.

Director: Yinan Wang
Runtime: 64 minutes

1:15 PM - Short Films Group Three

The Treachery of Images (of dogs)
Director: David Boffa
Runtime: 15 minutes

Wild Eye Pub
Director: Filip Nerold
Runtime: 15 minutes

Self-Portrait by an Unkown Artist
Director: Jeremy Newberger
Runtime: 26 minutes

The Mistletoe Dart
Director: Crestwood 4th & 5th Graders
Runtime: 11 minutes

Spark Plug
Director: Cole J Sheldon
Runtime: 13 minutes

3:00 PM - Bring Them Home

Bring Them Home tells the story of a small group of Blackfoot people and their mission to establish the first wild buffalo herd on their ancestral territory since the species near-extinction a century ago, an act that would restore the land, re-enliven traditional culture and bring much needed healing to their community.

Director: Ivan MacDonald, Ivy MacDonald, Daniel Glick
Runtime: 86 minutes

4:45 PM - Short Films Group Four

Amidst
Director: Pia Andell
Runtime: 30 minutes

Bolero Station
Director: Rolf Brönnimann
Runtime: 10 minutes

The Inheritance
Director: Craig Anthony Knitt, Ian Teal
Runtime: 7 minutes

Marisol Writes An Email
Director: Matt J Weber
Runtime: 4 minutes

The Masterpiece
Director: Àlex Lora
Runtime: 20 minutes

6:30 PM - Back on Track: Rebuilding the Waupaca Depot

The film follows the story of Mike Kirk, a train enthusiast and history buff, who was determined to restore the long-abandoned train depot that is located on 525 Oak St. The project took 24 years and it is now a landmark historical site in Waupaca. The film chronicles Kirk’s grit to finish the project and also delves into the history of the community and how railroads shaped the country in the early years of America.

Director: Max Hauser
Runtime: 60 minutes

8:00 PM - Bonjour Switzerland

A crazy referendum throws Switzerland into a state of emergency. By the acceptance of the initiative 'No Bilingual' there should be on only one national language: French. Many German-speaking Swiss are therefore having a crisis. Including Walter Egli, who works for the Federal Police and must ensure that the transition to French is carried out properly. Although he hardly speaks any French himself, he is sent to the Italian speaking region of Switzerland with a French-speaking partner to uncover a resistance group that is fighting the new law by all means necessary.

Director: Peter Luisi
Runtime: 88 minutes

9:30 PM - Awards Ceremony and Closing Night Party

The Gerold Awards and other awards will be presented followed by a reception.

Date: November 13-16, 2024

Location:
Gerold Opera House,
136 East Main Street,
Weyauwega, WI 54983.

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