Every week on Cinebuds sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Doors, Kristopher Pollard from Milwaukee Film and Radio Milwaukee’s Dori Zori review movies, tell you which ones are showing in our city and talk with the people who help bring them to the big screen.
Cultural festivals are a major part of Milwaukee’s DNA, although we usually think of them in the context of summer celebrations at Henry Maier Festival Park. This category of events extends well beyond the lakefront, however, including the ones that take place in southeastern Wisconsin’s movie houses.
Getting the spotlight in this episode is the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival, which returns for its 11th installment from Oct. 1-4 at the Oriental Theatre. But this isn’t just four days of movies. After the credits roll, the conversation continues with post-screening talkbacks featuring filmmakers and guest speakers.
Taking us behind the curtain of this year’s event is Janan Najeeb from the Muslim Women's Coalition, which is once again partnering with Milwaukee Film to put on the festival. She shares her own must-see movies, led by opening-night documentary American Doctor, which includes one of those insightful talkbacks right after the screening.
Najeeb also dives into a “get to know you” chat that reveals her strict refusal to rewatch movies — despite her husband’s affinity for a certain dino-driven blockbuster. Get to know her and this year’s Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival by listening to the episode while you check out the 2026 lineup below.
Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival: 2026 schedule
American Doctor
Thursday, Oct 1 | 7 p.m.
Oriental Theatre | Abele Cinema
American Doctor follows three prominent physicians — Palestinian Jewish, and Zoroastrian — who, despite their differences, are friends bound by a shared oath to save lives. Filmed in unfolding, on-the-ground vérité scenes, the story traces their journey from a Gazan hospital under siege to the halls of Congress. Together, they fight to keep a promise to their Palestinian colleagues and patients to continue the struggle where it matters most: in the United States.
36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime
Friday, Oct. 2 | 7 p.m.
Oriental Theatre | Herzfeld Cinema
In 2015, three young Muslims were murdered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This film documents the heartbreaking aftermath in that community and reflects on what it means to be Muslim in the American South, where the country’s gun laws and Islamophobia intersect. Through the devastation and heartbreak of the film emerges a portrait of a resilient community in pursuit of the truth and, ultimately, justice.
Hanging by a Wire
Saturday, Oct. 3 | 1 p.m.
Oriental Theatre | Herzfeld Cinema
When a cable car fails over a remote valley in the Himalayas, eight passengers are left suspended in crisis. What follows is a gripping rescue effort shaped by a community's extraordinary courage, as well as an investigation into the uneven systems that govern whose lives get to be protected.
Seeds for Liberation
Saturday, Oct. 3 | 4 p.m.
Oriental Theatre | Herzfeld Cinema
This documentary demonstrates how social media has exposed daily life in Gaza and the West Bank, challenging dominant Western narratives and bringing the Free Palestine movement into global consciousness. Featuring some of the biggest names in the movement, the film spans decades of solidarity and shows how the fight for collective liberation is interconnected.\
Traces of Home
Saturday, Oct. 3 | 7 p.m.
Oriental Theatre | Herzfeld Cinema
Delving into the past and not shying away from the dug-up pain, a young filmmaker speaks to her Mexican mother and Palestinian father about their trying journeys into the United States. In a society with rhetoric increasingly vilifying Mexicans and Palestinians, she picks up her camera in a bid to address the grief at the center of the generational trauma that has underscored her relationship with her family. It’s a meditation on loss and grief, ultimately relieved through reconciliation.
Unidentified
Sunday, Oct. 4 | 1 p.m.
Oriental Theatre | Herzfeld Cinema
When an unidentified young woman’s body is found abandoned in the desert outside of a small town, the investigation brings in amateur sleuth and true-crime podcast lover Noelle (actress Mila Al Zahrani), whose drive to solve the mystery pulls her deeper into this twisty murder. Complicated by her own personal trauma, Noelle navigates the many roadblocks that stand in her way as she tries to solve the case. Entertaining and socially resonant, this suspenseful crime thriller will keep you guessing until the end.
Who Killed Alex Odeh?
Sunday, Oct. 4 | 4 p.m.
Oriental Theatre | Herzfeld Cinema
Activist, teacher and poet Alex Odeh was a leading voice in his community, advocating in the media for peace and justice through dialogue and respect for all people. In October 1985, he was assassinated by a tripwire bomb placed in his office. Despite evidence and suspects identified at the time, no one has ever been held accountable for this horrible act of political violence. Using archival footage and contemporary investigation, we’re taken back to the time of Odeh’s murder, trace the extremist forces that may have been behind his death and explore the disturbing ramifications that remain today.
Shoot the People
Sunday, Oct. 4 | 7 p.m.
Oriental Theatre | Herzfeld Cinema
Shoot the People follows photographer and activist Misan Harriman as he highlights the resilience of grassroots activists fighting for equality, civil rights and social justice. The documentary showcases the intersectionality of these movements and their collective power through historical context, interviews with activists and explorations of digital activism, revealing how Harriman's lens brings the world's activism to light and inspiring viewers to recognize their own power in shaping a more just society.
