The 2011 Milwaukee Film Festival dropped Louder Than A Bomb right smack dab on the Oriental Theater on Milwaukee's East Side. Louder than a Bomb is  documentary that provides an emotional and nuanced look at slam poetry and its impact on a group of Chicago youth. Milwaukee Public School students were given a private screening of the film one early Friday morning, and I was there to witness its impact (no pun intended).

Many of the students entering the Oriental Theater had no idea what the film was about. Not surprisingly, by the film's end, the MPS youth (and their teachers) were applauding and cheering. Some were crying. Some were laughing. And the biggest surprise of all was when one of the featured slam teams appeared on stage to perform live for an enrapt audience.

(all photos: Art Montes for Milwaukee Film)