Miami Film Festival Celebrate Its 40th Anniversary This March
Celebrating four decades of movies, the Miami Film Festival returns this year with in-person and remote screenings featuring more than 140 films from across the globe.
The 10-day festival will take place March 3 to 12 at Downtown Miami’s Silverspot Cinema, the Coral Gables Art Cinema and the Bill Cosford Cinema.
“[I’m] so excited to be celebrating [this] major milestone,” said the MFF Director of Programming Lauren Cohen. “We’re bringing you one of our biggest programs in years.”
The festival will start on March 4 with Somewhere in Queens, directed by Ray Romano, who is best known for the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. The comedy follows Leo Russo (played by Romano) as he supports his son’s dream to become a basketball player.
It’s one of 16 productions competing for the Jordan Ressler First Feature Award, which presents $10,000 to the best feature movie from a debuting film director.
Another film up for the award is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Based on the novel of the same name, the film is directed by Aitch Alberto. The coming-of-age romance stars Eugenio Derbez and Eva Longoria.
Other competitions in the festival include the Knight Made in MIA Award, which provides $30,000 to the best film produced in South Florida.
Tom Musca’s Dying to Direct, which depicts a story reflecting the process of grief and features Caleb Scott and Valeska Castillo, will be competing for the award. The movie was co-produced by Musca, who teaches screenwriting at the University of Miami, and his former student Tony Mendez.
“I’m happy to make films here [in Miami],” Musca said. “It’s really a privilege to be able to work with the students that I have personally trained.”
The festival will also debut the Goya Quick Bites competition, which awards $2,500 to a film of fewer than 20 minutes demonstrating the importance of food and culture.
Three MDC students will participate in this year’s CinemaSlam Film competition. Samuel Vargas’ As I Promised You, Andres Monsalve Roca‘s Cash-Out and Michael Jimenez‘s En Las Sombras will compete for the $1,000 award rewarding student films created for collegiate coursework.
CinemaSlam winners will be announced on March 5.
This year’s festival features more than 30 international productions from countries like Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Pakistan, North Macedonia and Brazil.
“What I love about this year’s lineup is how diverse and globe-spanning it is,” Cohen said. “Any country you could think of for the most part makes some appearance here.”
Created by Italian director Carolina Cavalli, Amanda tells the story of a re-ignited childhood friendship. Piece of My Heart—a Dutch film about two young ballerinas who befriend each other while competing for the top spot in their ballet company—will have its North American premiere at the festival.
Produced in France, Australia and the United States, Carmen is a musical drama depicting the story of a young Mexican immigrant woman’s journey to reach America. The film is directed by Benjamin Millepied, who served as the choreographer in 2010’s Black Swan.
Aside from films, the MFF will host guest speaker events with Heidi Bibbins, the costume designer of HBO’s popular Euphoria show, and Chelsea Fairless and Lauren Garroni—the co-hosts of the Every Outfit podcast.
The festival will close on March 11 with The Lost King. Directed by two-time Oscar nominee Stephen Frears, the movie tells the story of how King Richard III’s life is re-examined after the uncovering of his remains.
To purchase tickets or for a full schedule of movies, visit the MFF website at https://bit.ly/3I6IMgN.
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