The Miami Film Festivalheld its 38th rendition—March 5 through 14—using a hybrid-format that included in-theater and virtual screenings.
Attendees watched films using the MFF or Eventive app or in-person at the Silverspot Cinema in Downtown, Miami. A bevy of awards were also handed out.
Among the winners:
Quo Vadis, Aida?, directed by Jasmila Žbanić, won the $25,000 Knight MARIMBAS Award.
The documentary Cuban Dancer, directed by Roberto Salinas, won the $45,000 Knight Made in MIA Feature Film Award.
Lorelei, directed by Sabrina Doyle, received the $10,000 Jordan Ressler First Feature Award.
The City of Wild Beasts (La Ciudad de las Fieras), directed by Henry Rincón, won the $10,000 WarnerMedia Ibero-American Feature Film Award.
Plantados, directed by Lilo Vilaplana, won the Narrative Feature Film Audience Award.
The festival showcased more than 100 feature narratives, documentaries and short films from 40 different countries including Spain, France and Canada.
—Adriana Dos Santos
Talented Trio: Pictured from left to right, Ludi producers Mark Pulaski and Fabiola Rodriguez and director Edson Jean. ALICE MORENO / THE REPORTERAll Smiles: Maria Betania-Fernandez, the producer of the documentary Birthright, poses for photographers on March 14. ALICE MORENO / THE REPORTERFinal Act: Krizo walks the red carpet on March 14 at the Miami Film Festival. Krizo’s owner, Jayme Kaye Gershen, directed the festival’s closing night film Birthright. ALICE MORENO / THE REPORTEREl Fin: Jaie Laplante, the executive director of the Miami Film Festival, talks on the stage at the Silverspot Cinema on March 14 during the closing night of the festival. ALICE MORENO / THE REPORTERMy Name Is: Edson Jean, who directed Ludi, talks to the crowd at the Silverspot Cinema on March 5. ALICE MORENO / THE REPORTERSupporting Actress: Actress Kerline Alce, who played the character Marie In Ludi, gets a little time with the audience at the Silverspot Cinema. ALICE MORENO / THE REPORTERTop Billing: Actress Shein Mompremier, who played the lead role in Ludi, talks to the audience at the Silverspot Cinema on March 5. ALICE MORENO / THE REPORTERLights, Camera, Action: Mark Pulaski, the co-producer of Ludi, lounges on a seat at the Silverspot Cinema in Downtown, Miami on March 5. The film, which centers around a private care service worker who struggles to send money to her family in Haiti, kicked-off the festival. SOPHIA RODRIGUEZ / THE REPORTERBirthright: Jayme Kaye Gershen is the director of the documentary Birthright that follows the Miami-bred electro-pop music duo Afrobeta as they perform in Havana, Cuba. ALICE MORENO / THE REPORTERElectro-pop: Anthony “Smurphio” Laurencio of Afrobeta was featured in the movie Birthright. ALICE MORENO / THE REPORTER
Adriana Dos Santos
Adriana Dos Santos, 20, is a mass communication/journalism major in The Honors College at North Campus. Dos Santos, who graduated from Ronald W. Reagan/Doral Senior High School in 2019, will serve as editor-in-chief, briefing editor and social media director for The Reporter during the 2020-2021 school year. She aspires to work at a public relations firm.
