In the wake of the Shepherd Express stepping back from the Milwaukee International Film Festival, a new international film festival organization -- called Milwaukee Film -- with a new board of directors was announced today.
While the organization searches for an executive director, a statement issued today notes that Milwaukee Film will host screenings and events this autumn and will return with a full festival in 2009.
Milwaukee Film has so far raised $200,000 to "feature films from around the world as well as locally-produced films from Wisconsin, and particularly those produced in Milwaukee." This fall, Milwaukee Film will present films made by Milwaukee filmmakers.
Milwaukee Film has retained the MIFF staff, including artistic director Jon Jackson, operations director Kyle Heller and program coordinator T.J. Fackelman.
"We are excited to help shape the future of a new international film festival in Milwaukee," said Chris Abele, president and CEO of the Argosy Foundation, in the statement. "We've already received an overwhelmingly positive response from funders, and their generous seed money has built great momentum as we move forward with plans for the new festival."
"We are looking forward to this opportunity to create a world-class film festival and provide Milwaukee with quality cultural events," said Jackson, Milwaukee Film Artistic Director. "We are especially committed to collaborating with the community as we seek to grow the local film industry."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
