Miami Film Festival returns April 5-14, 2024, featuring ten World Premieres, ten North American Premieres, five U.S. Premieres, and 11 East Coast Premieres, and 42 Florida Premieres. The 2024 Miami Film Festival celebrates more than 180 feature narratives, documentaries, and short films of all genres, from over 31 countries worldwide.

The Festival opens with Thelma, directed by Josh Margolin and starring June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, and Parker Posey. The Festival closes with Ezra, directed by Tony Goldwyn, who will be in attendance on Saturday, April 13. Thelma. Josh Margolin’s American comedy film follows a grandmother who embarks on a quest to recoup her money after she loses $10,000 in a phone scam. The film stars June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg, and Malcolm McDowell. Director Josh Margolin and producer Zoë Worth will be in attendance to introduce the film. Ezra, starring Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, Robert De Niro, Vera Farmiga, Whoopi Goldberg, and Rainn Wilson. From director Tony Goldwyn, Ezra follows Max Bernal, a stand-up comedian living with his father, while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra with his ex-wife. When forced to confront difficult decisions about their son’s future, Max and Ezra embark on a cross-country road trip that has a transcendent impact on both their lives. Ezra is an endearing and often funny exploration of a family determined to find their way through life’s complexities with humor, compassion, and heart. The screening of Ezra will be preceded by a presentation of the Festival’s Art of Light Award to director Tony Goldwyn.

“This year’s lineup spotlights exciting narrative programming, essential documentaries, and groundbreaking shorts, bringing an unbelievable host of films to our local community,” said James Woolley, Executive Director. “The Miami Film Festival is delighted to welcome our audiences back for another year of incredible screenings and inspiring conversations.” “We are thrilled to be bringing this incredible slate of diverse and exciting films to Miami,” said Lauren Cohen, Director of Programming. “With over 30 countries featured and nearly half of the presented features being directed by women, this lineup showcases films from some of the most prestigious festivals in the world, as well as a hugely impressive slate of works from up-and-coming filmmakers making their world, international, and North American premieres. We are so proud to have a lineup of films that will truly move audiences as we celebrate the very best in world cinema.”

The Art of Light Award is presented to cinematic artists whose exemplary work shines new wonders on the continuing evolution of motion pictures. Tony Goldwyn is an acclaimed actor, director and producer. Goldwyn made his feature directorial debut with A Walk on the Moon and other feature directing credits include The Last Kiss, Someone Like You and Conviction. As an actor, Goldwyn can currently be seen in the award-winning film Oppenheimer and Law & Order as the new district attorney. Alison Brie will also be a recipient of The Art of Light Award. Brie is best known for portraying Annie Edison on the sitcom Community and Trudy Campbell in Mad Men. She gained additional recognition for her role in Glow, for which she received nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and two Critics’ Choice Awards. In addition to her television work, Brie recently starred in Freelance opposite John Cena, Somebody I Used to Know which she co-wrote and executive produced, Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman, Horse Girl which she co-wrote and produced and Happiest Season. Brie is currently in production on Together which she is starring in and producing alongside Dave Franco.

In addition to the Art of Light honorees, director Greg Kwedar will be honored with the Impact Award for his film Sing Sing, which will be screened at the Festival. The Impact Award is presented to Kwedar in recognition of his film’s considerable impact in advocating for dignity, healing, and rehabilitation within our criminal justice system. Kwedar’s additional credits include Jockey, which garnered a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination and Transpecos, which won the 2016 Audience Award at SXSW.

Three MARQUEE screening presentations will be presented with directors in attendance for postscreening Q&As. These include:

• Dear Jassi (India, directed by Tarsem Singh), following the story of a young couple who desperately want to be together, but are separated due to time, distance, and societal expectations. o Directly following the Florida Premiere screening of Dear Jassi, the Festival will host a 35mm retrospective screening of Singh’s 2000 film The Cell, co-presented by Popcorn Frights.

• Sing Sing (United States, directed by Greg Kwedar), following the story of a theater troupe who finds escape from the realities of incarceration through the creativity of putting on a play in this film based on a real-life rehabilitation program and featuring a cast that includes formerly incarcerated actors. Starring Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Paul Raci and Sean San José.

• The Performance (United States, directed by Shira Piven), following the story of Harold May, an American Jew and gifted tap dancer. While on tour in Europe, Harold, played by Jeremy Piven, and the rest of his troupe are scouted by a German attaché who leads the troupe to an exclusive performance for Hitler himself.

Three CINEDWNTWN Gala screening presentations will take place at the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall with talent in attendance. These include:

• Los Frikis (United States, directed by Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz) – World Premiere – Based on the true story of teenagers who deliberately inject themselves with HIV to escape the oppression of “Special Period” Cuba. • Mountains (United States, directed by Monica Sorelle), following a Haitian demolition worker who is faced with the realities of redevelopment as he is tasked with dismantling his rapidly gentrifying Miami neighborhood.

• The Asylum (United States, directed by Jaime Gutierrez), transports us back to Miami Senior High in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, where we witness the impact and legacy of the Stingarees basketball program. The Festival will also feature a CENTERPIECE screening of The Idea of You, directed by Michael Showalter, the celebrated director behind films such as The Big Sick and The Eyes of Tammy Faye. The Idea of You stars Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, and centers on Solène, a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected whirlwind romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet.

Miami Film Festival screenings take place at Silverspot Cinema, the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall, Regal Cinema South Beach, Cosford Cinema, Coral Gables Art Cinema, the Miami Beach Bandshell, O Cinema South Beach, and PAMM.

Individual tickets are now on sale.at miamifilmfestival.com or call 305-237-FILM (3456).

About Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival

Celebrating cinema in two annual events, Miami Film Festival (41st annual edition April 5-14, 2024) and Miami Film Festival GEMS (November 2024), Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival is considered the preeminent film festival for showcasing Ibero-American cinema in the U.S., and a major launch pad for all international and documentary cinema. The annual Festival welcomes more than 45,000 audience members and more than 400 filmmakers, producers, talent and industry professionals. It is the only major festival housed within a college or university. In the last five years, the Festival has screened films from more than 60 countries, including 300 World, International, North American, U.S. and East Coast Premieres. The Festival also offers unparalleled educational opportunities to film students and the community at large. For more information, visit miamifilmfestival.com or call 305-237-FILM (34

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.