MADISON, Wis. -- Arts organizations might be struggling for support but the troubled economy didn't put a damper on the 2009 Wisconsin Film Festival, which had another record-setting year for attendance.

In its 11th year, the festival kept ticket prices the same, $7 or $4 for students, and it's a testament to the hard work of festival director Meg Hamel and her army of volunteers, as well as the loyalty of area movie lovers, that the festival this year drew an attendance of 32,645, based on ticket stubs counted at the door. That's up from 30,028 at the 2008 film festival.

For the 2009 festival, 108 features and 91 short films were shown at 10 venues in downtown Madison from April 2-5.

The documentary "Being Bucky", about the students who play the UW-Madison mascot, won best documentary film, and the critically acclaimed Japanese drama "Departures" won best narrative film in the Steep & Brew Audience Awards. The awards are voted on by film festival attendees for films 60 minutes for longer.

Hamel said the event's popularity is due in part to the unique festival experience over the four-day event and the way it brings people together.

"(People) are really looking forward to this community event. It's now become as much about the movies themselves and watching those films as it is coming together with your friends and neighbors and being in a big crowd," Hamel said.

One of the pleasures of the Wisconsin Film Festival is surveying the smorgasbord of offerings and taking a chance on some films that likely won't be shown at a nearby movie theater and might not make it to DVD anytime soon.

With the goal of discovering some unique and surprising films, I plunged in the film festival and, as with past years, my curiosity was rewarded.

"The Rock-afire Explosion"

"The Rock-afire Explosion" is one of the strangest documentaries I've seen in quite some time.

But much of it might elicit a sense of nostalgia for those who visited Showbiz Pizza restaurants as children or parents in the 1980s -- before Showbiz got converted into Chuck E. Cheese restaurants.

At the heart of the documentary is the animatronic musical band -- called The Rock-afire Explosion -- that played at Showbiz Pizza restaurants while children and their families ate pizza and played games.

After Showbiz went under, it turns out a small but dedicated group of fans refused to let The Rock-afire Explosion of their youth die. At the heart of the fan effort is Chris Thrash, a car salesman from Phenix City, Ala., who purchased a Rock-afire Explosion, which is now housed in its own air-conditioned trailer in his back yard and kept in pristine condition by Thrash. The animals have been reprogrammed to play and sing along to modern pop songs, and the videos have become hits on YouTube, getting more than 1 million hits and bringing together fans who thought they were the only ones intensely affected by the experience of seeing the Rock-afire Explosion.

Filmmakers Brett Whitcomb and Brad Thomason also follow Aaron Fechter, the inventor who created the animatronics, and tell his inside story of the rise and fall of the Showbiz band.

As to be expected, there are quite a few comic moments that result when the quirky fans open up about their eccentric passions. But what makes "The Rock-afire Explosion" work is that the filmmakers probe beyond the novelty of the fans' strange obsessions to hint at deeper questions as to why these people need to cling so strongly to this element of their childhood.

Under the quirkiness and entertainment the film offers, there is a subtle strain of sadness and longing for a simpler, happier time that one can't return to, and it's from this sense of loss that the documentary delivers its emotional impact.

As someone who actually went to Showbiz Pizza as a child, I'm not sure what the experience of seeing this movie would be like if you hadn't had firsthand experience at Showbiz. It seems it would be as entertaining and eye-opening as other well-made documentaries that chronicle extreme fans, such as "Trekkies" and "Confessions of a Superhero".

At 71 minutes, the film doesn't stretch itself thin and offers an interesting behind-the-scenes look at what goes into the art and science of animatronics while telling a compelling story.

For more information, visit the movie's Web site.

"Momma's Man"

I wasn't sure what to expect with "Momma's Man," Azazel Jacobs' heartfelt and understated indie film about a thirtysomething struggling with the onset of adulthood and its attendant responsibilities.

In this lightly comic and tender film, Mikey (Matt Boren) uses a canceled flight as an excuse to extend his stay at his bohemian parents' New York loft, and keeps finding reasons to delay retuning back to Los Angeles to his wife and baby.

Not a lot happens in terms of plot, and much of the film revolves around Mikey exploring his parent's remarkable home as he digs up artifacts and memories of his childhood while trying to dodge his parents' growing concern about why he keeps delaying his return to Los Angeles.

Mikey's parents are played by the director's real mother and father -- artists Flo Jacobs and Ken Jacobs -- and the Jacobs' extraordinary dwelling, where the film is mostly set, virtually functions as a character unto itself. The Jacobs' real residence since 1966, the loft is filled with mysterious bric-a-brac and all sorts of intriguing clutter, and the viewer gets pulled into the mystery of the space in much the same way that Mikey becomes lost in it.

Staying true to the film's aesthetic, the filmmaker never specifically spells out the exact reasons behind Mikey's behavior, and the subtly of the film's exposition might try the patience of some viewers looking for easy explanations.

But those who are willing to give themselves over to the film's lyrical explorations of some big themes -- family, love, maturity and acceptance -- will have their patience rewarded. With touches of unforced humor to balance the melancholy, "Momma's Man" is a gem that delivers a surprisingly potent emotional impact.

"Momma's Man" was released on DVD on May 5. Get more information at Kino.com.

"Ghajini"

"Ghajini" (in Hindi with English subtitles) offered festival-goers a true Bollywood feature. Writer-director by A.R. Murugadoss based the plot of his outlandishly entertaining movie on the U.S. indie hit "Memento." As in that film, the protagonist suffers from a condition where they're unable to develop new short-term memories that last for more than about 15 minutes.

Driven by revenge, the protagonist uses Polaroid photos and tattooed messages on his body to remember what happened and to stay focused on his mission.

In "Ghajini," Aamir Khan plays Sanjay, a rich and popular owner of a telecommunications company whose picture-perfect romance with Kalpana is cut short when she runs afoul of a vicious gang boss, who kills her in front of Sanjay and delivers a blow to Sanjay's head that causes his memory lapse condition.

At three hours long, much of the movie is told in flashbacks as we're shown the comical and unlikely way in which Sanjay and Kalpana's relationship begins -- but the delightful humor and playfulness of their courtship is shadowed by the tragedy the audience knows will befall the two.

As a Bollywood multi-genre movie, "Ghajini" is a wild ride that abruptly shifts its tone and style -- from sappy romance and melodrama to suspense and violence and comedy. It also has musical numbers with singing and dancing that are basically full-length music videos plopped down right in the middle of the movie's plot.

Some viewers might be puzzled by the multiple shifts in genre, but those looking for a unique movie experience, and an action-packed alternative to Hollywood's big-budget blockbusters, aren't likely to be disappointed by "Ghajini."

As both a satisfying action/revenge thriller and a romantic comedy, "Ghajini" is often ridiculously over-the-top but it's never dull.

It's available on DVD in the U.S. Find more information at the film's Web site.