Sheboygan Film Festival to Screen Homegrown Superhero Film ‘SHANK!’ at Jake’s Cafe
The October 3 screening will include a conversation with filmmakers and a discussion led by UW-Green Bay film professor Zack Kruse.
A superhero-adjacent independent film with deep roots in collaboration is coming to the Sheboygan Film Festival. SHANK! will screen at Jake’s Cafe on Saturday, October 3, at 2 p.m., followed by a discussion with filmmakers and UW-Green Bay film professor Zack Kruse.
Rebel Reels Film Society is sponsoring the screening, designated Feature Block 4 of the festival. Filmmaker Jim Terry and other members of the production team are expected to attend. Kruse, the festival’s programming director, will lead the conversation. Attendees will also have a chance to speak with the filmmakers.
Terry, a Ho-Chunk comic book artist, wrote and directed SHANK! Nearly 20 years ago, he and a group of friends made a short film by the same name. The group later reunited to create the feature-length version.
Kruse said the film’s homegrown, collaborative spirit is part of what makes it exciting.
“It gets to the core and the spirit of what film and cinema do, and that is just to tell a story and to do what you want with your crazy friends and make it up as you go,” Kruse said.
Terry’s graphic memoir, Come Home, Indio, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Ignatz.
Rebel Reels co-founder Erin Kaczkowski said the film reflects the group’s goal of bringing people together to explore film as an art form. She added that SHANK! shows how collaborative storytelling can make filmmaking accessible.
The screening is part of the second annual Sheboygan Film Festival, which runs October 1–4. The festival is organized by Belladonna Film Project, a nonprofit focused on independent film in the Midwest. Its program includes dramatic and documentary features, short films, children’s programming, filmmaker conversations and panel discussions.
Tickets for SHANK! and information about festival passes, opening-night tickets and the full schedule are available at sheboyganfilmfest.com. Learn more about Rebel Reels at rebelreelsfs.com.
Editor’s note: The festival press release identifies the screening as “Feature Block 4” but does not specify whether admission is free. Check the festival website for current ticket details.
