2018 Milwaukee Film Festival features MIAD alumni film, illustrations

MILWAUKEE (October 25, 2018) … Not only is the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design a community partner of this year’s Milwaukee Film Festival, but one of MIAD’s alumni has a short film in the program. In addition, MIAD alumna Melissa Lee Johnson designed the campaign artwork for this year’s festival.

“PRESET,” a short film by Parker Gayan ’18 (Time-Based Media), will be screened along with seven other short films in The Milwaukee Show II program on Monday, October 29, 7 p.m. at the Oriental Theatre.

“Being a part of the Milwaukee Film Festival is a huge honor for me,” says Gayan. “MIAD can sometimes be overlooked when it comes to video and film, so I’m extremely grateful to be able to show everyone what’s possible at the college.”

The film, which Gayan created for his senior thesis project in spring 2018, follows a disgraced veteran with a troubled past working as a negotiator in a futuristic post-war Korea. While on a routine mission, he and his team are ambushed, causing long past memories to resurface and put the team in danger.

Since graduating, Gayan sold his film to DUST, a distributor and promoter that specifically highlights sci-fi entertainment.

“Any time you can get more eyes on your work it’s a huge help, so being able to sell non-exclusive distribution rights to a company with a huge following while still being able to put the film through festivals like the Milwaukee Film Festival is all I could ever ask for.”

Still from PRESET

Gayan credits MIAD for making him a better, more well-rounded filmmaker. The college recently launched a Digital Media Production minor, which focuses on storytelling and leading projects such as films, animations and video games from conception to completion.

“At MIAD I worked at every level of video and film ranging from costume and prop design to post-production editing. The college allowed me to wear every hat during the process, which allowed me to see how each step is done.”

MIAD is a community partner of the Milwaukee Film Festival

MIAD is a community partner on this year’s festival film “Virus Tropical”.

A black-and-white adaptation of Power Paola’s acclaimed graphic novel, “Virus Tropical” is a girl’s coming-of-age tale set in middle-class Ecuador and Colombia.

“Virus Tropical” will be shown:

• Sunday, October 28, 7 p.m. at the Oriental Theatre
• Tuesday, October 30, 3 p.m. at the Oriental Theatre