Friday night, film lovers gathered to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Wisconsin Film Festival at the Crystal Ball, a fundraiser for the eight-day cinematic extravaganza. The 2013 festival will run April 11-18 at Sundance Cinemas and several UW campus venues. Details about programming is available in this year's film guide, and information about fundraising can be found via the Real Butter Fund.
View the following slideshow for scenes from the fundraiser, which are detailed in the notes below.
Notes on the slideshow:
1. Cinephiles attended the event in droves.
2. Contemporary accents, such as these colorful pendant lamps, decorated an industrial-looking space inside Hilldale Shopping Center.
3. Perks included beer from the Great Dane and cupcakes from Gigi's.
4. VO5's Catherine Capellaro grabs the mic for a set that includes a selection from Hello, Dolly!
5. Guests discussed the films they're planning to see at the fest.
6. Guests posed for flipbooks throughout the evening. Popular moves included kick lines, dips and jitterbug steps.
7. Hospitality coordinator (and Isthmus contributor) Ben Reiser draws a prizewinner's name from a popcorn bucket atop the head of managing director Christina Martin-Wright.
8. Trailers of Wisconsin Film Festival selections screened throughout the event.
9. Comrade Kim Goes Flying, a romantic comedy about a North Korean coal miner who dreams of becoming a trapeze artist, will be screened April 12, 14 and 16.
10. The Big Gundown, a spaghetti western by Sergio Sollima, will be shown on April 17 and 18.
11. Phase IV, Saul Bass' 1974 sci-fi film about angry ants that launch a war against humankind, can be seen on April 13.
12. Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time, a new South Korean drama about a man who descends into an underworld of violence and drug trafficking, will be shown on April 12 and 15.
13. Manhattan, Woody Allen's black-and-white love letter to New York City, will hit the big screen on April 14.
14. I Am Divine, a new documentary about a trailblazing drag queen, will help kick off the festival on opening night.
