BIFF is pleased to announce that Kristin Peterson, creator of the Wisconsin/Illinois Showdown, will be returning as the director of the program for BIFF 2019! The Showdown has been a popular component of the festival since 2014, bringing scores of area filmmakers to Beloit to celebrate the outstanding indie films that are produced in our own back yard. Kristin, a graduate of UW Milwaukee with a degree in documentary journalism, left BIFF to pursue a career in filmmaking and has had a great deal of success to date.

As BIFF continues to retool with a new administrative staff, Kristin was approached as a possible source for breathing new life into the program she invented. We were thrilled to learn that she is currently between projects and will have time to devote to adding value to this already high-functioning part of the festival. When asked for some bio comments, Kristin offered: “I’m 5’7, a Libra with Capricorn rising and a welter-weight that bench presses 270 lbs.” Now that’s the Kristin we know and love! We are so excited to have her back on the BIFF team!