By Ethan Duran
On October 26th, Marcus Theaters will screen the brand new film “53206: Milwaukee” in several different locations. “53206: Milwaukee” will be shown at the Majestic Cinema of Brookfield, the North Shore Cinema and the South Shore Cinema. Each of these cinemas will show the movie at 7 p.m. on Friday the 26th, 8 p.m. on the following Saturday the 27th and at 4 p.m. on Sunday the 28th.
The film was produced by Mz. Kim Productions, a production company with offices in both Los Angeles, CA and Milwaukee, WI. According to their website, Mz. Kim Productions specializes in socially conscious projects that aim to provoke conversation, thought, and inspire people to get involved and make a positive difference in society. Now one of these projects will be featured on the big screen.
“53206: Milwaukee” is a fictional movie but ties in with a lot of real events that occur at this specific zip code. The movie’s trailer presents a raw and gritty depiction of Milwaukee, with the exchange of guns, money and gunfire. While 53206’s presentation is more dramatic, these types of problems are a grim reality for Milwaukee, especially after a string of 19 homicides in August alone.
Kimberly T. Zulkowski, the film’s director, comes from the area code herself, and so do most of the actors featured in the film. In a press release by Mz. Kim Productions, Zulkowski said, “I’m excited to show the world what is going on in our community.” The press release also mentions that the class is exclusively all Milwaukee natives who are first time actors. These actors have ties to the 53206 zip code as well and have dealt with gun violence in their community.
Lead actress Imani Brown plays as Robbie, a talented singer who is torn between staying in Milwaukee and trying to fix her fractured community, or leaving it behind. In the press release, Brown said “We are ten times more likely to get shot here than any other city, so we are just trying to let people know what we go through every single day.”
Finally, the actors and producers of Mz. Kim Productions will see their efforts pay off next Friday. “53206: Milwaukee” will be shown at the same times at the three different cinemas, until the end of the screening on the 28th.