Director’s Cut Radio: Q&A With Jim Healy Of The Wisconsin Film Festival

In addition to directing the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Cinematheque – a group dedicated to screening rare or historic films – Jim Healy is the programming director for the Wisconsin Film Festival (WFF), which takes place April 11-18 in Madison.

Terry Bell: What can we look forward to this year?

Jim Healy: Well, we have about 155 films from all over the world. We have a whole new selection called “Brave New Cinema”, which is all American independent films recently made that we think are pretty edgy and interesting.

TB: People who regularly attend the WFF have come to expect a good mix of domestic and international films. But this year, we’re going to add more films from the past.

JH: Right, which also cover an international spectrum. Like, for instance, we have an Andre Techine film from 1979 called “The Bronte Sisters” about the famous literary trio. We also have a number of films from cinema’s past. Our very first film of the festival will be 1929 “Taming of the Shrew” which stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. [It’s] Fairbanks’ first sound film. It’s the first time they were paired together in leading roles. And that’s a new restoration from the Museum of Modern Art.

TB: There’s something you like to say about old movies, and I was wondering if you could share that.

JH: Well, sure. There are no old movies or new movies; rather there are movies you’ve seen and movies you haven’t seen.

TB: Absolutely. Also new this year, the WFF will be much longer than it’s been in the past.

JH: Right. We’re eight days this year. The last few years, we’ve been five; prior to that, I think we were just four. We have a somewhat limited number of venues compared to previous years. We’ll have four screens in the downtown/campus area, and three screens at [Sundance Cinema]. The festival will be at our campus venues the first day, on April 11; from [April] 12-14, we go to all seven venues. And then [April] 15-18, we’re at the three screens at Sundance.

TB: Major studios have a distribution system: a lot of the movie theaters we’re accustomed to going to. The purpose that yours and other film festivals serve is to provide a circuit, if you will, for these films that you’re not going to get to see most any other way.

JH: Absolutely. It’s an alternative to the standard studio system, and what people are used to being kind of spoon-fed. And things that you’re not going to find just going to the video store. And in the cases of some films, like “The Good The Bad and The Ugly,” which may be ubiquitous, but nothing beats seeing them on the big screen with an audience.

See more of Jim Healy on “Director’s Cut” Friday night, April 5 at 9 p.m. on Wisconsin Public Television. In the meantime, check out some trailers of movies that will feature in the 2013 Wisconsin Film Festival: