Movies can be a great escape from daily life, but there’s a lot to be said for their ability to connect us more strongly to the real world. Milwaukee Film’s Dialogues Documentary Festival fills that latter role by showcasing dozens of selections every year, including the ones coming to the Oriental and Downer Theaters from Sept. 18-21.
As they work toward finalizing the full lineup Sept. 3, the local organization came through Tuesday with six highlights that will be part of the 2025 event.
“Our programming team has spent the last few months carefully selecting documentaries that will matter to our engaged, excited audiences,” Milwaukee Film artistic director Cara Ogburn said in a release. “This preview of six film selections represents the depth and breadth of the stories and issues that can be explored at this year’s Dialogues Documentary Festival—from personal health care journeys to accidental animal sanctuaries to celebrations of cultural icons you may already (or will soon) love.”
The half-dozen films listed below will all include in-theater talkbacks with special guests, including local experts and the filmmakers themselves. Tickets to all of this year’s selections will go on sale to Milwaukee Film members Sept. 3 and the general public Sept. 4. The organization will also hold a Friends & Family Preview of the 2025 Dialogues Documentary Festival at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, at the Oriental Theatre.
Dialogues Documentary Festival 2025
Arrest the Midwife
Director: Elaine Epstein
With rare access to an intensely private community, Arrest the Midwife exposes the rural healthcare desert created by New York state's approach to maternal health regulation. The film shares the story of criminalized midwives, and the Amish and Mennonite women who break from their traditions to stand up, speak out and join the fight for women’s bodily autonomy and reproductive justice.
This screening is part of Milwaukee Film’s Cinematic Sisterhood, a monthly series funded by a special grant from the Women's Fund of Greater Milwaukee, and will feature a post-film discussion exploring women's health access, as well as a masterclass on ethics in documentary storytelling with special guests.
Cat Town, USA
Director: Jonathan Napolitano
Meet Terry and Bruce Jenkins, founders of Cats Cradle Foundation, a sanctuary and hospice for senior cats with nowhere else to go but still a lot of love, if not life, left in them. In this feel-good doc, Napolitano captures the emotional bonds between the couple and their feline residents, highlighting the joys, challenges and inevitable goodbyes that come with caring for cats in their final chapter. A panel is expected following this screening to explore cat rescue in Milwaukee in more depth.
It’s Dorothy!
Director: Jeffrey McHale
This film fabulously pulls back the emerald curtain on 125 years of Dorothy Gale, from L. Frank Baum’s original literary Kansas dreamer to queer icon across stage and screen adaptations like Wicked, The Wiz and the original 1939 film. McHale assembles a twister of interviews, archival gems and glittering pop-culture moments to explore how Dorothy clicked her heels into the heart of LGBTQ+ identity and an undeniable cultural touchstone.
Malignant Practice
Director: Kristin E. Catalano
This animated short film is based on the medical misfortune of a young woman whose breast cancer was missed by a doctor and a mammogram. The Milwaukee-made, deeply personal yet true story from MFF alum Kristin Catalano emphasizes the flaws within our healthcare system and the importance of being one's own healthcare advocate. A panel will follow the screening and include the filmmakers, the participants whose stories are featured in the film, and local breast cancer patient advocacy practitioners.
Shorts: Silver Linings
Wrinkles? We call that wisdom. Slower pace? We say better storytelling. These short films celebrate the people who are living proof that life doesn’t stop at 60, 70, or 90; it just gets more interesting. From typewriting legends to late-in-life reinventions, this shorts program reminds us that growing older might just be the best-kept secret to living well.
Wicket
Director: Lily Plotkin
After 41 years in the closet, breakdancing legend Bboy Wicket navigates the clash between his offstage persona and his public self. This high‑energy coming of age again documentary follows Wicket’s reconciliation of his Filipino, queer and hip-hop identities into a hip-hop icon finally living in his truth. Winner of Frameline’s Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature, Wicket reveals how falling in love with an artistic pursuit, a person and yourself can change your life forever.
