Panel to consider downtown Madison film scene

The future of independent film screenings in Madison will be under consideration Sunday, May 2, as a panel convenes for the Great Wisconsin Film Festival.

See also: Film fest shapes up Great Wisconsin Film Festival web site

Recent developments could offer new opportunities for Madison audiences to see independent, alternative and art films. The panel will discuss recent events such as the sales to independent owners of the Orpheum and Majestic theaters; the inauguration of the Great Wisconsin Film Festival; and the development of the Cinematheque and Madison Film Forum at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Confirmed panelists include:

• Former Isthmus film critic Mike Wilmington, now film critic at the Chicago Tribune.
• Henry Doane, new owner of the Orpheum theater; and Merijoy Endrizzi Ray, Orpheum project manager.
• Kevin Mullaney, former Majestic manager, now advisor to Richard Fritz, new owner of the Majestic Theatre.
• James Kreul and Wendi Weger, UW–Madison students and programmers for the Great Wisconsin Film Festival.
• Sheri Castelnuovo, Madison Art Center curator of education.

Moderating the discussion will be Mary Carbine, who has worked for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the University of Chicago Film Studies Center, the University of California-Los Angeles Film and TelevisionArchive, the UW–Madison Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research and more.

The free event is open to the public. The discussion begins at 3 p.m. in 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave. The first Great Wisconsin Film Festival will take place April 29-May 2 on the UW–Madison campus. For information about screenings, lectures and other events, call (608) 262-2277 or (608) 262-1143, or visit: http://www.wisc.edu/commarts/events/festival.htm