Miami Film Festival 43 - 2026

WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO

The 43rd edition of Miami Dade College’s acclaimed Miami Film Festival will showcase an impressive array of international, North American, and Ibero-American films April 9-19. This prestigious event has become a bona-fide draw for the world’s leading emerging and established filmmakers, attracting cinematic luminaries such as Nicolas Cage, Sophia Loren, Antonio Banderas, Anne Hathaway, Danny Glover, Shirley MacLaine, Spike Lee, Pedro Almodóvar, and Alfonso Cuarón to its screens and red carpets.

In recent years, MFF has attracted approximately 45,000 attendees and 300 filmmakers, producers, talent, and industry professionals from around the globe, and presented more than 10 feature narratives, documentaries, and short films across all genres from 40 different countries.

And perhaps most importantly, MFF is committed to supporting our homegrown filmmaking talent, spotlighting their work with marquee screenings and significant acknowledgements, including cash and equipment rental prizes and the Made in MIA Award for locally produced features and shorts. In addition, $100,000 is granted each year for new documentary work as part of The Louies, a program supported by the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation. The Miami Film Fund is launching in 2026, sponsored by ArtesMiami.

From 2026, Miami Dade College’s storied Tower Theater Miami will be managed by Miami Film Festival as a year-round cinema and multi-arts space.

James Woolley Executive Director

Miami Film Festival

Lauren Cohen Director of Programming

Miami

Film Festival

WELCOME TO THE 43RD EDITION OF MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL!

Of course every edition of Miami Film Festival is exciting, but we think this 43rd edition is particularly wonderful. With many returning venues, some exciting celebrity guests, and more than 150 features and short films, this will be a Miami Film Festival to remember!

Join us in cinemas all across Miami April 9-19 to revel in the films that we believe are the best in the world right now. We’ve hunted far and wide to collect films from more than 30 countries across all possible genres – there truly is something for everyone at the Festival.

We’ve again kept to an expanded number of days at 11, which means more time to see more films, and we’ll be back at the historic Olympia Theater in downtown Miami for many wonderful marquee screenings. In other terrific news, Miami Film Festival will soon be the operator of Miami Dade College’s Tower Theater Miami, the landmark venue on Calle Ocho that’s celebrating 100 years in December. So you can look forward to full-time programming of new releases, classic cinema, and film festivals, as well as theater, comedy, community gatherings, and more.

We’re rolling out the red carpet for some high-profile guests, including Adam Scott, Bob Odenkirk, Matt Bomer, Danielle Brooks, Lili Reinhart, and many, many filmmakers from across the world.

Our Opening Night film is crowd-pleaser Tuner, starring Leo Woodall and Dustin Hoffman, and we hope you’ll sing along with us at PowerBallad, starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas, on Closing Night. Both films will screen at Olympia Theater.

Enjoy the festival and take in as many films as you can. We’re excited to see you at the 43rd Miami Film Festival!

We’re thrilled to reveal the poster art for Miami Film Festival’s 43rd edition!

We had the privilege of collaborating with illustrator Alexandra Hallock, the artist behind @alldrawn, on this year’s beautiful Festival campaign. Hallock’s work focuses on movie-themed illustrations, refurbishing vintage purses as her canvas. This year’s stunning poster is a love letter to the hand-painted Hollywood visuals of yesteryear.

“We grabbed inspiration from old Hollywood glamour, red carpet premieres, and vintage artworks,” said Hallock. “But we modernized it in my own style and of course added a homage to Miami … Almost everything you see was hand-painted. I feel extremely lucky to be able to see it all over the Festival, but also to see it hanging on my walls.”

PRINCIPAL PARTNERS

PRODUCING PARTNERS

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

CINEMATIC ARTS

TICKETS – ON SALE NOW!

Buy via the Miami Film Festival website: miamifilmfestival.com

For assistance, email: tickets@miamifilmfestival.com

VENUE BOX OFFICES

Box offices are available at all venues and open one hour before the first screening of the day at that venue. Patrons may purchase tickets for all Festival screenings at all venues, except for Whiplash in Concert and GoingtoExtremes:A JohnWaters 80th BirthdayCelebration, which must be purchased through the Arsht Center.

TICKETING NOTES

Students and seniors must show a valid ID at the box office. Seating for ticket holders is

guaranteed up to 15 minutes prior to the start of the screening; 15 minutes or less prior to showtime, you will be seated at managements’ discretion. All programs and showtimes are subject to change without notice. No refunds or exchanges.

RUSH LINES

At most venues the Festival will offer rush lines so that tickets can be purchased for sold-out events, as available – turn up to try your luck! Rush lines are not available at the Arsht Center.

PASSES – SEE MORE & SAVE MORE!

Not valid for Opening or Closing Night films, Marquees, Normal, The Princess Diaries at Vizcaya, Hal &Harper, or any talks, including Adam Scott and Matt Bomer.

Opening Night Film – Tuner

Marquees: Everyone is LyingtoYou forMoney,Forge, $25

IfI GoWillTheyMiss Me,OverYourDead Body

Olympia Screenings: An Instrumental Start, $20 $17 Comandante Fritz,EvayAdán en Miami,ItWould Be Night in Caracas,Normal (w/ Q&A),The Mecca,The Old Man & the Parrot,Porla vida Normal (35mm screening)

Hal&Harper

The Princess Diaries at Vizcaya

Family Films: Cookie Queens,Flavia,Kangaroo

Celebrity Talk: Adam Scott

Celebrity Talk: Matt Bomer

Industry Talks

Arts Accelerator: Live Script Reading

Los 100 años de laTorre de la Libertad Free Free AV Club’s 70th Anniversary of MDPLS’ 16mm Free Free Short Film Collection

Special Screenings: Whiplash in Concert

GoingtoExtremes:AJohnWaters80thBirthdayCelebration

& Up $80 & Up

& Up $46 & Up

Meet Up at the Market – Industry Free With Registration

VENUES

Miami Film Festival screens in venues across Miami. Check our website for the complete list of venues and their addresses.

OPENING NIGHT

TUNER

Directed by Daniel Roher

USA, Canada | 2025 | 109 min English

In Tuner, Academy Award-winning director Daniel Roher’s first narrative feature, Leo Woodall stars as Niki, a gifted young piano tuner whose heightened sense of hearing draws the attention of a band of criminals, who see his talent for tuning Steinways as just as useful for opening safes. With his once-promising musical career over, Niki works across New York with his mentor, Harry Horowitz (Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman), encountering a range of characters that includes composition student Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), with whom he forges an unexpected connection. But his safecracking work threatens their budding romance and pulls him into increasingly dangerous territory.

Championed at festivals such Telluride, Toronto, and Sundance, Tuner is the perfect blend of thrills, romance, and emotion.

OPENING NIGHT PARTY

After the premiere, unlock your evening at the iconic Alfred I. duPont Building for our Opening Night bash inspired by the film, where you can party in the former bank’s safe! A live DJ will set the mood for an event that promises to be a night filled with style, culture, and unforgettable fun.

This partyis 21+.

Presented at the Historic Alfred I. duPont Building Courtesy of The Tilia Companies 169 E Flagler St, Miami

CLOSING NIGHT

POWER BALLAD

Directed by John Carney

Ireland | 2026 | 98 min English

When past-his-prime wedding singer Rick (Paul Rudd) meets fading boy-band star Danny (Nick Jonas) during a gig, the two bond over music and a late-night jam session. But when Danny turns one of Rick’s songs into the hit that reignites his career, Rick sets out to reclaim the recognition he believes he deserves – even if it means risking everything he cares about.

From writer-director John Carney, beloved for music films such as Once, Sing Street, and Begin Again, Power Ballad is a feel-good story about music, self-respect, friendship, and the price of ambition.

You’ll be singing the songs from the soundtrack long after you’ve left the theater and made your way to the Closing Night party.

9:30 PM

CLOSING NIGHT PARTY

Celebrate the grand finale of the Festival at the newly renovated Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College, where the world of cinema comes alive against the vibrant backdrop of Miami! Revel in a night of culinary delights from our top partners and say goodbye to MFF43 in style.

This partyis 21+.

Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College

HONORS & CELEBRITIES

APRIL 17 7:30 PM

ADAM SCOTT VANGUARD AWARD

Adam Scott joins Miami Film Festival to talk about his new film Hokum, and reflect on an extensive career that includes roles in Parks and Recreation and Severance, the latter garnering him Emmy, Golden Globe, and Actor award nominations, and a Critics’ Choice win.

Scott has also starred in Big Little Lies alongside Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Meryl Streep, and had a recurring role on The Good Place, for which he received a Teen Choice Award. His other television work includes Loot, opposite Maya Rudolph; Jordan Peele’s TheTwilight Zone; Party Down; and Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later.

In film, Scott has worked with some of the industry’s most respected directors, from Martin Scorsese (TheAviator) to Adam McKay (StepBrothers) and Judd Apatow (KnockedUp).

APRIL 11

BOB ODENKIRK PRECIOUS GEM AWARD

Bob Odenkirk is at Miami Film Festival to discuss his new film Normal, and a long and lauded career that includes Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. An Emmy Award-winning and Tony Awardnominated writer, and a producer, actor, and NewYorkTimes bestselling author, Odenkirk was hired as a staff writer at SaturdayNight Live and wrote for The Ben Stiller Show but his greatest writing achievement was HBO’s Mr. Show with Bob and David, which became and remains a cult hit.

His journey as an actor experienced a powerful boost upon being cast as Saul Goodman in the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad, a role he enjoyed for four of the show’s five seasons. Six seasons starring in the beautifully scripted and complex Better Call Saul followed, earning Odenkirk a Critics’ Choice Award, six Emmy nominations, and Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations.

Odenkirk’s film roles include Little Women, Nebraska, and the box office hits Nobody and Nobody2

HONORS & CELEBRITIES

APRIL 14 6:45 PM

DANIELLE BROOKS ART OF LIGHT AWARD

Oscar-nominated actress Danielle Brooks will be honored with MFF’s Art of Light Award at a screening of her Sundance hit IfI GoWillTheyMiss Me

Brooks was most recently seen in the HBO Max series Peacemaker, in a performance that saw her nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award. She also starred opposite Jack Black and Jason Momoa in A Minecraft Movie, 2025’s highest-grossing film of the year.

Brooks earned critical praise as Sofia in The ColorPurple, for which she received Academy Award, Golden Globe, SAG Award, Critics’ Choice Award, BAFTA, and NAACP Image Award nominations.

Her other work includes Orange Isthe NewBlack, The DayShall Come, Clemency, Master of None, High Maintenance, and Girls

APRIL 13

LILI REINHART ART OF LIGHT AWARD

Lili Reinhardt joins Miami Film Festival for a screening of two episodes of her latest TV series, Hal &Harper.

Reinhart won seven Teen Choice Awards for her role as Betty Cooper on Riverdale. The series concluded its seven-season run in 2023, amassing a global fanbase and numerous awards. On the big screen, she’s starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in Lorene Scafaria’s Hustlers, which went on to make $150 million-plus at the box office. Reinhart’s other feature credits include Forbidden Fruits, American Sweatshop, Look BothWays, Chemical Hearts, Galveston, and Miss Stevens, alongside Timotheé Chalamet.

Hal &Harper is Cooper Raiff’s critically acclaimed limited series for Mubi, in which he also stars alongside Mark Ruffalo. It premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and Reinhart won the Best Actress Award at France’s Series Mania.

HONORS & CELEBRITIES

MATT BOMER

VANGUARD AWARD

APRIL 10

7:30 PM

Matt Bomer is in conversation with Josh Horowitz for a live taping of the latter’s HappySad Confused podcast, where they’ll discuss White Collar, FellowTravelers, and much more.

Bomer got his start in acclaimed stage productions such as Spring Awakening and GreyGardens. He had recurring roles on the Fox series Tru Calling and on the NBC series Chuck before landing the role of Neal Caffrey on USA Network’s White Collar. The show – which was one of the highest-rated and most critically acclaimed scripted series on cable television – aired for six seasons. He has also guest starred on the hit Fox series Glee and on the NBC series The New Normal.

Other credits include Ryan Murphy’s The Normal Heart and American HorrorStory series, on which he held starring and guest roles across seasons, as well as MagicMikeXXL, TheBoysintheBand, FellowTravelers, The LastTycoon, The Sinner, Will & Grace, Doom Patrol, Mid-Century Modern, The Nice Guys, Papi Chulo, and more.

SONIA

MANZANO IMPACT AWARD

11

Sesame Street star Sonia Manzano will be in attendance at Miami Film Festival 43 for a screening of her documentary, Street Smart: Lessons from a TV Icon

When you think of Manzano, you immediately think of children’s television. Her most recent accomplishment was creating the award-winning children’s program Alma’sWay, but what she’s best known for is performing the role of Maria on Sesame Street for 44 seasons. That performance garnered her two Emmy Award nominations in addition to a Daytime Emmy; as a writer for the show she’s taken home 15 Emmys. Manzano received the 2022 Beacon Award from PBS, and is also the author of four picture books and three young adult novels. Her most recent novel, Coming Up Cuban, is set in 1959 and follows the lives of four children who represent different intersections of race and class during the Cuban Revolution.

JOHN WATERS

APRIL 22

7:30 PM

ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

No matter what your politics may be, you have to admit it’s time for everybody to go to extremes. Going to Extremes: AJohn Waters 80th Birthday Celebration is a radical comedy-revival show whose sermon will beg authorities to drop a net on the filmmaker and his rabidly insane audience. Yes, they’re coming to take him away, ha-ha, ho-ho, hee-hee, but Waters doesn’t care. He knows his deviously demented fans will fight back with a limp-wristed fist. Nasty neuters, hetero hellcats with benefits, flaming straight guys, butch twinks, diesels with measles, transfolk who dress as their masculinized moms and feminized fathers – they all know they’re welcome here!

Calling all rock ’n’ roll refugees and illegal space aliens: Waters is urging you to climb on over the wall to the other side. He’s dressed to thrill and ready to rant about pro-punk conversion therapy, right-wing female impersonators, extreme amusement parks, even prank guerrilla placement of phony incendiary book titles in libraries that recently banned gay children’s classics. Yes sir, the Duke of Dirt has reckless eyeballs, and he’s lookin’ for you lunatics! Let’s all drill a hole in our heads so we’re high forever and crash the Kennedy Center! Go! Go! Go to the John Waters show – it’ll make you scream!

Miami Film Festival awards numerous prizes to films presenting at Miami Film Festival 43. Our website lists the films shortlisted in each category.

The $10,000 Marimbas Award is an international competition for new narrative feature films that best exemplify richness and resonance for cinema’s future.

Amarimba is avariation ofa xylophonethat produces a deeper,richer,and more resonanttonethan atraditionalxylophone.ThemarimbaoriginatedinGuatemalaandCentralAmericaapproximately 400yearsago.ThenameofthisMiamiFilmFestivalawardisinspiredbyits2011winner,Julio Hernandez Cordon’s Marimbas from Hell,which embodiesthe spirit offorward-looking cinema.

For the eighth year of our Made in MIA Award competition, we will award two prizes: $15,000 in cash for the best feature-length film making a minimum Florida premiere at the festival, and $5,000 cash, sponsored by ArtesMiami, to the best short of any genre that features a substantial portion of its content (story, setting, and actual filming locations) in South Florida – from West Palm Beach to the Florida Keys – and that most universally demonstrates a common ground of pride, emotion, and the South Florida community.

The $10,000 Jordan Ressler First Feature Award is sponsored by the South Florida family of the late Jordan Ressler, an aspiring screenwriter and Cornell University film studies graduate who, during his brief entertainment career, held production positions on the original production of Broadway hit JerseyBoys before passing away in a tragic accident at the age of 23.

TALKS AT MFF

Casting Call

April 14 | 6:30 PM

MDC Wolfson Campus – Live Arts Lab

Join us for a conversation with top casting director Brenden Rodriguez, whose work includes acclaimed series like TheBoys, GENV , ThePerfectCouple , and Zoey’sExtraordinaryPlaylist , and who most recently cast the highly anticipated BuffytheVampireSlayer reboot. Rodriguez – who has worked with producers and directors such as Chloe Zhao, Seth Rogen, and Susanne Bier – will provide a breakdown of what it takes to launch a successful on-camera talent career and achieve that next-level booking.

Moderator: Aniela McGuinness, actor and improviser, The Marvelous Mrs.Maisel

PresentedinpartnershipwithMiamiMedia&Film Market.

Live Script Readings

April 14 | 8 PM

MDC Wolfson Campus – Auditorium

Discover the next great talent as actors cold-read new scripts in development from local veteran and emerging writers. This is a raw look at the filmmaking process where stories are tested live and actors of all levels volunteer for the chance to be cast on the spot and perform alongside a well-known mystery guest. Beyond that, this room is an industry hub; agents and producers attend to scout new work and breakout performers. Join us for an authentic night of cinema in the making!

PresentedinpartnershipwithArtsAccelerator.

Eugene Hernandez in Conversation

April 19 | 6 PM

Miami Pool House

Eugene Hernandez, festival director and head of public programming for Sundance, joins Miami Film Festival for an exclusive and intimate conversation about his career and experience working at America’s most prestigious film festival. Prior to joining Sundance, Hernandez served as festival director of the New York Film Festival, and was also a co-founder and the editor-in-chief of IndieWire, which he helped build over 15 years into the leading editorial publication for independent and international films, filmmakers, industry, and audiences.

Moderator: James Woolley, executive director of Miami Film Festival

Limitedcapacity;ticketsavailableforFestival-accredited industryandguestsonly.

A Lawyer’s Role in Indie Films

April 14 | 7 PM

MDC Wolfson Campus – The Idea Center

Whether you’re an entertainment attorney, film-curious general practitioner, or emerging filmmaker or producer, this program offers an unfiltered look at how independent films get made and distributed. Veteran entertainment lawyer Alan David Barson will moderate for panelists including Goldman Global Arts executive Leslie Cohen; they’ll reveal inside-the-room detail on rights acquisition, financing, production, and distribution. Expect actionable intel you won’t find in a textbook or a standard CLE.

InpartnershipwiththeMiami-DadeBarAssociationIP Committee.

MondoDocumentary – Thom Powers

April 12 | 12 PM

Books & Books Coral Gables

Join Thom Powers, renowned documentary programmer and host of the podcast PureNonfiction , for a conversation and book signing. Powers enjoys a celebrated career as a festival programmer in Miami, New York, and Toronto, work which informed his book MondoDocumentary. Called “a love letter to nonfiction cinema” by Judd Apatow, the book shares Powers’ insights on more than 300 documentaries.

Talk is free, book is $24.95

Motion Picture Paradise – David Morton

April 14 | 6 PM

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MDC Wolfson Campus – Live Arts Lab

Despite establishing itself as a “third coast” of American film and TV over the past 100 years, Florida’s contribution to cinematic history has often been overlooked – but the Sunshine State has inspired countless stories captured on camera. Award-winning writer David Morton, lecturer in the history and film departments at the University of Central Florida, will discuss these and more tales from his book, MotionPictureParadise:AHistoryofFlorida’sFilm andTelevisionIndustry . Book signing to follow.

Neon Reef: Advocacy, Reef Resilience & the Power of Documentary Film

April 11 | 2:30 PM

The Bar at The Betsy Hotel

Join the filmmakers and community voices behind Neon Reef , a new documentary exploring coral reef preservation, for a conversation on local climate urgency and queer-led environmental action. Director Alex Mitow will be joined by film subjects Patrick Breshike and David Grieser, coral scientist Kevin Wong, and Miami Beach Commissioner Laura Dominguez. This fun, salon-style discussion offers a

sneak peek into the themes behind the film ahead of its premiere on April 18 at Silverspot Cinema.

Moderator: Louis Aguirre, Emmy-winning journalist and ocean advocate

Playable Cinema: Film Meets Game Engine

April 17 | 4 PM

MDC Wolfson Campus – MAGIC

A response to game engines like Unreal and Unity being used by filmmakers to craft immersive, branching, and nonlinear experiences, this interactive presentation invites creators and technologists to discuss how “playable” stories are reshaping cinema. Featuring Dean Lyon (TheLordoftheRings), a world-renowned visual effects creator and computer graphics innovator, and Kevin Sharpley, president/CEO of Kijik Multimedia, a production company specializing in integrated, branded, and convergent media and development of in-house projects.

Moderator: Reginald Liger, founder of Quelque Chose Productions

PresentedinpartnershipwithQuelqueChose,MAGIC atMDC,andMiamiMedia&FilmMarket.

The Perfect Package: Indie Film

April 12 | 5:30 PM

SPOT 14

An in-depth session on the latest packaging, sales, and distribution strategies for indie features and TV

Meetup at the Market –Industry Luncheon & Networking

APRIL 16 | 12-4 PM CAMACOL/MMFM HEADQUARTERS

In celebration of Miami Film Festival’s dynamic community of filmmakers and industry leaders, Miami Media & Film Market will host an exclusive luncheon bringing together producers, executives, and creative entrepreneurs for networking and strategic dialogue:

Content development announcements

• Updates on MMFM pitch initiatives

• Select impromptu pitch opportunities

• Conversations on independent financing and international collaboration

TALKS AT MFF

with agent Cristina Garza of United Talent Agency’s Independent Film Group. Among her prior roles, Garza served as SVP of TV development and production at Fifth Season, head of Latino content at Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios, and ran distribution for the Mexico City-based production and distribution company founded by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pablo Cruz.

Moderator: Jose Luis “JL” Martinez, co-founder and creative director, Miami Media & Film Market

PresentedinpartnershipwithMiamiMedia&Film Market.

There’s Still Hope – A Conversation With Legendary Indie Producer Ted Hope

April 16 | 3 PM

CAMACOL, MMFM HQ

Ted Hope’s career includes 70-plus feature films and spans the indie film craze of the early 1990s to becoming head of production for Amazon Original Movies during the height of the streaming wars – and he continues to forge new ground with his “NonDē” concept for modern indies. He currently enjoys a first look deal with Amazon Studios for his feature films. Special introduction by Patricia Arias, CEO, Miami Media & Film Market, and executive director of CAMACOL.

Moderator: Jose Luis “JL” Martinez, co-founder and creative director, Miami Media & Film Market

PresentedinpartnershipwithMiamiMedia&Film Market/CAMACOL.

12 PM A Sedano’s-sponsored luncheon and networking event, announcements on pitches and content development, and pitch sessions for a limited number of guests.

3 PM There’s Still Hope – A Conversation With Legendary Indie Producer Ted Hope

5 PM MFF + MMFM + CAMACOL co-sponsored filmmaker reception – RSVP for details

RSVP: Space is limited! Please confirm your attendance by registering at MiamiMediaFilmMarket.org.

HostedbyMiamiMedia&FilmMarket;co-sponsoredbySedano’sSupermarketsandPepsiCo.

MARQUEES

EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU FOR MONEY

Directed by Ben McKenzie

Actor Ben McKenzie (The O.C., Gotham) swaps scripts for scams in his documentary debut exploring the wild world of crypto. Based on his NewYork Times bestseller EasyMoney, McKenzie traces crypto’s unsettling rise from obscure internet fetish to multitrillion dollar market. Armed with an undergraduate econ degree and a healthy BS detector, he faces down so-called financial wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried and treks to El Salvador in search of a supposed crypto El Dorado, only to discover tall tales and empty promises – and lots and lots of fraud.

Director Ben McKenzie will attend the screening for a Q&A.

USA, El Salvador, UK | 2025 | 90 min English and Spanish with English subtitles APRIL 18

FORGE

Directed by Jing Ai Ng

USA | 2025 | 90 min English, Cantonese, and Spanish with English subtitles

In Miami, the resourceful Zhang siblings sell forged paintings to unsuspecting parties. Despite their thriving underground operation, the two are still short on cash when they cross paths with disgraced millionaire Holden Beaumont. Sensing an opportunity, Holden convinces the Zhangs to forge long-lost masterpieces as a front for his family’s collection. Meanwhile, FBI art crimes agent Emily Lee moves to Miami and discovers a plethora of forgeries cropping up in the South Florida art market. Ng’s slick and thrilling debut is a stunning caper about deception and ambition.

APRIL 14

IF I GO WILL THEY MISS ME

Directed by Walter Thompson-Hernandez

USA | 2026 | 92 min

English

Featuring a stellar performance by Academy Award-nominated actress Danielle Brooks (TheColor Purple), 12-year-old Lil Ant (Bodhi Dell) transforms his working-class neighborhood beneath the LAX flight path into a living mythology where family members become deities. As he searches for connection with his conflicted, god-like father, he finds support in his close-knit community that helps him reconcile myth and reality. Deftly blending magical realism, social realism, and references to Greek mythology, director Walter Thompson-Hernandez puts a new lyrical lens on the typical father-son story.

Danielle Brooks will join us to receive Miami Film Festival’s Art of Light Award.

APRIL 14

OVER YOUR DEAD BODY

Directed by Jorma Taccone

USA | 2026 | 105 min

English

A dysfunctional couple head to a remote cabin to supposedly reconnect, but each has secret plans to kill the other. Based on the acclaimed 2021 Norwegian film TheTrip, OverYourDead Body boasts a star-studded cast made up of Samara Weaving (who can also be seen in MFF selection Carolina Caroline), Jason Segel, Timothy Olyphant, and Juliette Lewis. Hot off the heels of a world premiere at SXSW, this pitch-black comedy-thiller was directed by Jorma Taccone, best known as a former SNL writer and one-third of the comedy music trio The Lonely Island, who will join us at the Festival for an extended conversation following the screening.

OLYMPIA SCREENINGS

AN INSTRUMENTAL START: A MODEL FOR THE NATION

Directed by Brian Bayerl & Mike Huter

USA | 2026 | 76 min

English

Charting more than 50 years of extraordinary impact, this documentary opens a window into a remarkable chain of success stories born from the visionary teaching philosophy of educator Marshall L. Davis Sr. In the shadow of Miami’s downtown skyline within one of the most marginalized and dangerous neighborhoods in America, the Marshall L. Davis Sr. African Heritage Cultural Arts Center became an unlikely engine of excellence through what began as an after-school program – and grew into one of the most innovative arts education models in the United States.

APRIL 17

COMANDANTE FRITZ

Directed by Pavel Giroud

Germany | 2025 | 106 min

German and Spanishwith English subtitles

In 1972, Cuba’s regime sought to gift an island in its archipelago to East German dictator Erich Honecker, naming it after Ernst Thälmann, politician, revolutionary, and one-time leader of the Communist Party of Germany. Comandante Fritz seizes upon this obscure historical anecdote as the basis for an old-school espionage thriller set in the perilous atmosphere of a Caribbean Cold War – yet with a fully satirical twist. On the day of the dedication ceremony, the CIA plans to assassinate Fidel Castro, while the German Democratic Republic dispatches a Stasi team to thwart the plot. The story unfolds in a Havana nostalgic for the glory days of its vibrant nightlife yet forced to confront the Castro-era debacle – presented as an anthology of absurdity and intolerance.

OLYMPIA SCREENINGS

EVA Y ADÁN EN MIAMI

Directed by Lilo Vilaplana

APRIL 11 8:30 PM

USA | 2025 | 87 min Spanish with English subtitles

After a breakup and an accidental encounter, an Uber driver and a stranded traveler spend a day exploring Miami, discovering an unexpected chemistry while their jealous exes chase them around the city in this charming world premiere filmed entirely in Miami. Elizabeth Gutierrez, Julian Gil, Carlos Enrique Almirante, and Bárbara Cuesta star in this irresistible romantic comedy that takes you on a tour though the magical city we all know and love.

From filmmaker Lilo Vilaplana, the director behind Plantados, which won MFF’s 2021 Audience Award, and Plantadas, winner of the 2025 Knight Made in MIA Feature Film Award.

APRIL 18 3

IT WOULD BE NIGHT IN CARACAS (AÚN ES DE NOCHE EN CARACAS)

Directed by Mariana Rondón & Marité Ugás

Mexico, Venezuela | 2025 | 96 min Spanish with English subtitles

Set during the brutal 2017 protests in Caracas, Venezuela, a city full of chaos, 38-year-old Adelaida Falcón is left adrift after burying her mother. The grief is immediate; the danger is closer. Trapped in a collapsing city, Adelaida loses her home to regime loyalists and her identity to a dead neighbor. To survive the chaos, she must stop being herself and become someone else entirely. Hers is a claustrophobic, heart-pounding journey of survival where the only way out is to disappear entirely. Directors Marité Ugás and Mariana Rondón craft a portrayal of life under siege, where acts of survival are inseparable from ethical ambiguity.

OLYMPIA SCREENINGS

NORMAL

Directed by Ben Wheatley

USA | 2025 | 90 min

English

For Sheriff Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk), a provisional posting to the quaint Midwestern American town of Normal was meant to be a welcome respite from both his marital woes and recent moral injuries in the line of duty. But when a botched bank robbery interrupts the municipality’s tranquil pace, a dark secret is inadvertently exposed, and Ulysses soon discovers that the town is anything but its namesake. Director Ben Wheatley’s (Free Fire) kinetic neo-Western marks the latest collaboration between Odenkirk, John Wick creator Derek Kolstad, and Nobody producer Marc Provissiero.

Join us at 5:30 p.m. at the Olympia for an extended Q&A with Bob Odenkirk after the film; the 8:30 p.m. screening at CGAC will be presented in 35mm and preceded by a special introduction.

POR LA VIDA

Directed by Gonzalo Mejía

USA | 2026 | 87 min EnglishandSpanishwith English subtitles

Gerónimo, a disciplined father who recently quit his corporate job, finds his plans derailed when his estranged, troubled daughter, Clarissa, is forced to return home under court-ordered house arrest following a DUI. This unexpected domestic confinement becomes an emotional pressure cooker. Clarissa, an artist grappling with sobriety, violently collides with Gerónimo, a man wrestling with control and profound disappointment. Their struggle is one of mutual mistakes, where neither father nor daughter fully understands the challenges or maturity of the other. Por La Vida is a story of second chances, showing that life’s greatest challenges are not found in shattered dreams or external pressures, but in finding the right recipe for family harmony.

OLYMPIA SCREENINGS

APRIL 12 12:30 PM

THE MECCA: LEGENDS OF TRAZ POWELL STADIUM

Directed by Nicanson Guerrier

USA | 2026 | 88 min

English

For 40 years, William “The Voice” Wilcox has narrated the rise and fall of Miami high school football from the press box at Traz Powell Stadium. Known as “The Mecca,” this inner-city stadium has produced more NFL players than any other venue in the country. The film features insights from many of the future pro players who graced its field, including Teddy Bridgewater, Lavonte David, Kenny Phillips, and Nat Moore, along with Miami icons Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell and Rick Ross. From the famous players and record-breaking coaches to the beloved announcer, The Mecca is more than just a love letter to an iconic stadium – it’s a portrait of the many legends who have passed through its historic gates.

THE OLD MAN & THE PARROT

Directed by Gabriel de Varona

USA | 2025 | 84 min EnglishandSpanishwith English subtitles

Praxi bursts into the home of spiritual guru Radel, armed with a pistol and a taxidermy parrot. His demand? “Free my lover Yoelvis’ soul from this bird!” But Radel, who is recovering from a stroke, can’t help him. His estranged daughter, Ana, is forced to confront Praxi and unravel the bizarre claim. As Praxi recounts his romance with Yoelvis, we flash back to their attempt to open a vegan Cuban restaurant and their fateful encounter with Radel. There, the truth behind the curse emerges, revealing Radel’s motivations, Yoelvis’ secrets, and why Ana may be the only one capable of undoing the spell. The Old Man &the Parrot is a darkly comedic tale of love and the afterlife.

FAMILY FILMS

COOKIE QUEENS

Directed by Alysa Nahmias

USA | 2026 | 91 min English

Cookie Queens is a coming-of-age documentary about the joys and pressures woven into one of America’s most cherished rituals: Girl Scout Cookie season, an $800 million business in which innocence and ambition collide. Captivating, candid, and full of heart, the film follows four girls ages 5 to 12 and their families as they navigate the annual whirlwind of selling, striving, and succeeding. For them, selling cookies isn’t just about Thin Mints and sisterhood – it’s a crash course in commercialism. Behind the smiles and cookie boxes lie real pressure: long hours, ambitious sales goals, and the weight of high expectations. With humor and warmth, Director Alysa Nahmias shows what it means to grow up in a world shaped by the tensions between community and capitalism.

FLAVIA

Directed by Bharat Nalluri

UK, Canada | 2025 | 95 min

English

APRIL 12 5:30 PM

Amateur detective. Master poisoner. Eleven years old. When Flavia finds a dead body at her family’s decaying British manor house and her father is accused of murder, she dives into her own wild and fearless investigation, unearthing long-held family secrets and pitting herself against the true killer.

A little genius goes a long way… Flavia stars Molly Belle Wright as the titular character, in a cast that includes Martin Freeman, Toby Jones, and Jonathan Pryce. Based on the popular Flavia de Luce mystery book series, this delightful family film was written by Alan Bradley and counts Miami’s Mitchell Kaplan, Books & Books proprietor and a Miami Book Fair founder, as a producer.

KANGAROO

Directed by Kate Woods

Australia | 2025 | 101 min English

APRIL 19 2:15 PM

Hop into the cinema for this adorable family comedy about two unlikely friends caring for injured kangaroos in a remote Australian town. With plenty to “awww” about, this film is a treat for the whole family, including adults of all ages. Kangaroo is a heart-warming comedy about Chris Masterson, an accident-prone TV personality who becomes stranded in a town outside Alice Springs, located in the very center of Australia. There, he teams up with 12-year-old Indigenous Australian girl Charlie. The pair form an unlikely friendship and work together to rescue and rehabilitate orphaned joeys (as baby kangaroos are called) in the remote but stunning Outback community – an endeavour that proves to be life-changing for them both.

FEATURES

1001 FRAMES

Directed by Mehrnoush Alia

USA, Iran | 2025 | 87 min

Farsi with English subtitles

In the studio of a well-known director, women are vying for the role of Scheherazade in AThousand andOneNights . Unfolding entirely within the confines of an audition room, the women perform before an unseen director, doing their best to capitulate to his demands and increasingly intrusive line of questioning. And they gradually realize that he has more in mind than just casting a leading role. An official film festival selection at Berlin, AFI, and Thessaloniki, Iranian American filmmaker Mehrnoush Alia filmed 1001 Frames without a permit in Iran and based on true stories, confronting the horrors of the casting couch, abuse of power, and the exploitation of women, in this claustrophobic experimental thriller.

A LIFE ILLUMINATED

Directed by Tasha Van Zandt

USA | 2025 | 89 min

English

ALife Illuminated follows trailblazing marine biologist Dr. Edie Widder – one of the first women in her field and one of the first humans to explore the ocean’s twilight zone – as she descends 3,300 feet into the sea’s darkest depths. From capturing the first-ever footage of the elusive giant squid to unveiling the glowing mysteries of deep-sea bioluminescence, Widder documents a bioluminescent phenomenon that could forever change how we understand life on Earth.

An official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival, Tasha Van Zandt’s film invites us to see our ocean planet through new eyes.

A LOOSE END (UN CABO SUELTO)

Directed by Daniel Hendler

APRIL 15

Uruguay, Argentina, Spain | 2025 | 95 min Spanish with English subtitles

In Río de la Plata, the word “cabo” can mean a low-ranking law enforcement officer as well as a loose end. Runaway Argentine cop Santiago may prove to be both as he attempts to vanish in Uruguay, trading his former life for charming, high-stakes misadventures and a shot at love. Along the way, he’ll strip away his badge to find his soul.

From acclaimed director Daniel Hendler comes an offbeat comedy that fuses elements of road movie, rom-com, and thriller. This witty romp is a destiny-altering hunt for a second chance. An official selection at the Venice and San Sebastián film festivals.

A MOSQUITO IN THE EAR

Directed by Nicola Rinciari

USA, India | 2026 | 90 min

APRIL 12 3:15 PM

English and Hindi with English subtitles

Andrew and Daniela travel to Goa, India, to meet their newly adopted 4-year-old daughter, Sarvari, and bring her back to the States. But their world begins to crumble when the little girl refuses to leave the orphanage she calls home behind. The couple’s attempts to welcome Sarvari into her new family and travel back to the U.S. with her prove to be a chaotic challenge, one that tests their patience and profoundly reshapes their ideas of family, parenthood, and their relationship as a couple. An adaptation of the Italian graphic novel Una Zanzara nell’Orecchio, AMosquito inthe Ear is an emotional family drama about forging connections across cultures.

ADULT CHILDREN

Directed by Rich Newey

USA | 2025 | 100 min

English

Morgan (Ella Rubin) is a sheltered 17-year-old, struggling to define who she is in order to write her college entrance essay. When a crisis provides her the rare opportunity to spend time with her three significantly older half-siblings (Betsy Brandt, Thomas Sadoski, Aya Cash), she hopes they’ll be able to shed some light on what it means to be an adult, only to be disappointed when she discovers they’re all faking it.

Boasting an endlessly endearing ensemble cast that manages to tackle tough issues with a light hand, Adult Children is an indie classic in the making.

AKRIS: FASHION WITH A HERITAGE

Directed by Reiner Holzemer

Germany | 2025 | 89 min German, English, French, and Italian with English subtitles

APRIL 15 6:30

For the first time in its 100-year history, fashion house Akris has granted exclusive access to its inner workings. After more than four decades at its helm, creative director Albert Kriemler made possible this rare glimpse at the story of three generations of the Swiss Kriemler family, who, as owners and designers of Akris, run one of the last independent fashion houses in the industry. Director Reiner Holzemer accompanies Kriemler and his brother, Peter, Akris’ CEO and president, as they prepare for and celebrate the house’s 100th anniversary. Packed with behind-the-scenes moments, it’s a fascinating look into the heart of an iconic brand and the family behind it.

FEATURES

AMERICAN PACHUCO: THE LEGEND OF LUIS VALDEZ

Directed by David Alvarado

USA | 2026 | 92 min

English and Spanish with English subtitles

Evolving from migrant farmworker to revolutionary artist, Luis Valdez changed American culture. In the 1960s, his El Teatro Campesino performed on flatbed trucks and helped mobilize workers to win the first farmworkers union contract, and his Zoot Suit was the first Chicano play on Broadway. Valdez also directed La Bamba. Now in its 60th year, El Teatro continues to be a beacon for Latino/a creators. This is the story of an artist who gave voice to the overlooked and opened pathways for generations.

Winner of both the Audience Award: U.S. Documentary and Festival Favorite Award at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

BEST IN SHOW –PAWS IN THE PARK

Directed by Christopher Guest

USA | 2000 | 89 min

English

Presented by the City of Miami Beach’s OnStage! program in partnership with O, Miami and Miami Film Festival, Paws In the Park is a special Sunday afternoon for you and your furever friend filled with pet-friendly activities, on-site dog adoptions, and an evening screening of the hilarious Christopher Guest classic Best in Show. The tension is palpable, excitement is mounting, and the heady scent of competition is in the air as hundreds of eager contestants from across America prepare to take part in what is undoubtedly one of the greatest events of their lives – the Mayflower Dog Show. The canine contestants and their owners are as wondrously diverse as the great country that has bred them.

BLUE HERON

Directed by Sophy Romvari

Canada, Hungary | 2025 | 90 min English and Hungarian with English subtitles

In the late 1990s, a family of six settles into its new home on Vancouver Island. The fresh start is interrupted by the increasingly dangerous behavior of Jeremy, the family’s oldest child, as the watchful youngest, Sasha, tries to reconcile the languid joys of an endless summer with the explosive moments that shape it. Winner of the Best Canadian Discovery Award at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, director Sophy Romvari’s debut feature evokes shades of Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun in this extraordinary meditation on memory and the distance between understanding and experience. With a patient sensibility and lyrical touch, Romvari has crafted a film that demonstrates how the act of creating cinema can serve as its own form of therapy.

THE BLUE TRAIL

Directed by Gabriel Mascaro

Brazil, Mexico, Netherlands, Chile

2025 | 86 min Portuguese with English subtitles

In a near-future Brazil, productivity is a religion and the elderly are deemed expendable. Tereza (Denise Weinberg) is unceremoniously sent to The Colony, a state-run exile for seniors. Refusing to be erased, she escapes her daughter’s guardianship to pursue a final wish: to fly. Her journey down the Amazon’s waterways, aided by a drug-smuggling boatman (Rodrigo Santoro) and a bible-selling rebel, becomes a post-tropical delirium fueled by the psychedelic slime of a blue snail. Director Gabriel Mascaro (Neon Bull) delivers an exquisite odyssey that reinvents the road movie. Visually stunning and fiercely anti-authoritarian, The Blue Trail is a transfixing meditation on the radical, sensual right to stay free.

BOOKENDS

Directed by Mike Doyle

USA | 2026 | 99 min

APRIL 16 6:30 PM

English, German, and Yiddish with English subtitles

When Nate is forced to move in with his grandparents after a bad breakup, he’s desperate to escape the confines of retirement community life and his meddlesome grandparents’ relentless efforts to “improve” him. But when his Holocaust-surviving grandfather, Saul, shows signs of cognitive decline and his grandmother, Miriam, refuses to acknowledge it, Nate is torn between his desire to flee, family responsibilities, and an unexpected romance with their handsome doctor. Starring Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus , TheWhite Lotus) and Caroline Aaron (SleeplessinSeattle, The Marvelous Mrs.Maisel) as Nate’s grandparents, Bookends is a tender, funny, and heartfelt film about the unexpected connections that shape us, being there for your family, and navigating life’s defining chapters.

BROKEN VOICES

Directed by Ondřej Provazník

APRIL 15 7 PM

Czech Republic, Slovakia | 2025 | 106 min Czech with English subtitles

In early 1990s Prague, 13-year-old Karolína earns a place in a world-famous girls’ choir, joining her older sister and other driven young talents. Her voice soon catches the attention of the admired and enigmatic choirmaster, and she clearly becomes his favorite. Being singled out feels like a triumph – until she begins to understand the unsettling price of that privilege. Inspired by the famous Bambini di Praga case.

The film was honored at the respected Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it won the Europa Cinemas Label Award and a Special Jury Mention for Kateřina Falbrová, for her performance as protagonist Karolína.

FEATURES

CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN’

Directed by James McAvoy

Scotland | 2025 | 106 min

English

APRIL 11 8:30 PM

13

Inspired by the real-life saga of Scottish rap duo Silibil N’ Brains, a.k.a. Gavin Bain (Séamus McLean Ross), and Billy Boyd (Samuel Bottomley), James McAvoy’s directorial debut follows the unexpected journey of two lifelong friends who dream of hip-hop superstardom. There’s just one problem: No one takes them seriously. Humiliated, the pair hatch a plan so absurd it just might work: They’ll reinvent themselves as hard-partying MCs from Southern California, complete with fake backstories and convincing-enough American accents. Against all odds – and with sharp commentary on image, identity, and the music industry’s obsession with authenticity – they take off. But keeping up the lie without losing sight of what’s real becomes harder as the stakes rise, and as cracks beneath the bravado and between friends widen.

CALLE CUBA

Directed by Vanessa Batista

Chile, Cuba, Mexico | 2026 | 93 min Spanish with English subtitles

Calle Cuba is an emblematic street in the island nation’s Old Havana municipality, as well as the title of this unusual documentary, in which several longtime residents of the area perform their own lives before the cameras with the naturalness of seasoned actors. All of them try to find the hope that has been promised to them, only to see it dissipate with no solution in sight. Complaints and protests abound, silenced by resignation. Escaping the anguish of the cursed island is one possible solution, yet the paths of flight are complex. The promise of a better life may lie in crossing the dangerous Darién jungle, embarking on the uncertain journey to Russia, or obtaining a visa by any means necessary.

CAROLINA CAROLINE

Directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier

USA | 2025 | 105 min English

Acclaimed director Adam Carter Rehmeier’s atmospheric romantic crime thriller stars scream-queen Samara Weaving (ReadyorNot , Borderline) as Caroline Daniels, whose desire to leave her small Texas town brings her into the orbit of a charismatic con man (Kyle Gallner), and together they weave a path of crime and passion across the American Southeast. Also starring Kyra Sedgwick, the film features a wide-ranging country music soundtrack, with tracks from artists such as Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, Loretta Lynn, and more than a dozen others. Smoldering and explosive, CarolinaCaroline channels a sultry, modern-day Bonnie and Clyde where lust and lawlessness intertwine and the threat of sirens is never far behind.

THE CHRISTOPHERS

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

UK | 2025 | 100 min

English

APRIL 10

Julian Sklar was once a star of London’s 1960s and ’70s pop art explosion, but he hasn’t painted in decades and has been broke for years. His two estranged children, desperate for an inheritance, hire Lori, an art restorer and former forger, to pose as a prospective assistant in order to access eight unfinished canvases Julian has buried deep in storage. The plan: Complete the canvases and then return them to storage – where they’ll be “discovered” upon Julian’s death. Directed by the incomparable Steven Soderbergh and boasting a star-studded cast made up of Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel, James Corden, and Jessica Gunning, TheChristophers is a witty and probing interrogation of what truly determines the value of art.

COLORS OF TIME

Directed by Cédric Klapisch

France | 2025 | 126 min

Frenchwith English subtitles

APRIL 12 12:15 PM

A group of strangers, all descendants of a woman named Adèle Meunier, are gathered in Normandy, France. The town would like to purchase her long-abandoned property, and four “cousins” are tasked with overseeing the transaction. Thus begins a genealogical journey into the past, taking us to 1895 Paris, with the City of Light on the brink of an industrial and cultural revolution. Colors ofTime plunges us into a moment in history when Parisian creativity is at its apex, creating a spark that’s about to erupt into a movement far beyond anyone’s expectations. Cédric Klapisch‘s endearing new comedy is nothing less than a soul-stirring, time-traveling – and at times, hallucinogenic – trip for lovers of the arts everywhere.

COOLIE

Twenty-two-year-old Chulin, am orphaned Chinese girl, leaves Southern China and ventures thousands of miles to Cuba as a promised bride to Chinese coolie Tung Ho. But once she arrives she finds that her expected fate is destined to change, as she falls in love with her master, Don Leonardo Alejandro Ortega, the Cuban owner of a large sugar cane plantation – making the country her home and Ortega her heart and soul. Miami Film Festival will screen the first three episodes of this new episodic series directed by Arvin Chen (Pachinko) and Julian Acosta, from esteemed producer Meileen Choo. APRIL 12

Directed by Arvin Chen & Julian Acosta

Dominican Republic, Panama | 126 min | 2025 English and Mandarinwith English subtitles

CORONER TO THE STARS

Directed by Ben Hethcoat & Keita Ideno

USA | 2025 | 83 min

English

Coronerto the Stars chronicles the extraordinary journey of Dr. Thomas Noguchi, the former Los Angeles County chief medical examiner-coroner, whose groundbreaking autopsies forever shaped American culture. From Marilyn Monroe and Robert Kennedy to Sharon Tate and Natalie Wood, Noguchi pushed forensic science into the spotlight – even as Hollywood elites and political adversaries sought to silence him. A Japanese immigrant who unwittingly rose to fame in a city driven by stardom, Noguchi’s fearless pursuit of truth often placed him in the crosshairs of controversy. Best described as “CSI meets TMZ,” Coronerto the Stars is a behind-the-curtains look at someone who shaped the way we – and history – view the deaths of some of our most beloved fallen icons. APRIL 11

THE COST OF HEAVEN

Directed by Mathieu Denis

Canada | 2025 | 117 min

Frenchwith English subtitles

Nacer Belkacem has built an enviable life for himself: loving father, happy husband, model employee, and respected member of his community. But under its bright and shiny surface, something is cracking. Nacer has racked up expenses, made some questionable investments, and fallen deep into debt. As his world unravels, he hatches a desperate plan to stay afloat. One life, one shot at heaven – but you must pay the price. Based on a shocking true story, The Cost ofHeaven is about what happens when mounting pressure and stubborn denial collide. Mathieu Denis’ film examines the way good people can be pushed into extreme actions, and cross the line into irreversible consequences.

DANCING ON THE ELEPHANT

Directed by

Julia Neill & Jacob Z. Smith

Canada | 2025 | 94 min

English

When Nora’s son drops her off at Shady Rest Retirement Home, there’s not much left to hope for, until unfiltered firecracker Edna wheels into her life and reminds her that it ain’t over till it’s over. The pair kindle a friendship around a love of Fat Archie’s cookies, disdain for “chair-xercise,” and Edna’s quest to escape the “fox farm.” But Edna’s failing memory may soon land her in the secure memory care wing, leaving Nora to plot one last grand adventure in hopes of reminding her friend that there are still elephants left to dance on. A window into the simultaneously hysterical and heartbreaking process of aging, DancingontheElephant is about looking forward without fear.

THE DINNER (LA CENA)

Directed by Manuel Gómez Pereira

Spain, France | 2025 | 106 min

SpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

The Dinner is a biting comedy from multiGoya-nominated director Manuel Gómez Pereira, and won two of its eight nominations at this year’s awards. Set in the turbulent aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, a grand dinner is planned to celebrate the nationalist triumph of Franco in the iconic and luxurious Hotel Palace in Madrid. But what the victors don’t know is who’s in the kitchen: A group of defeated Republican chefs are secretly preparing the meal – while also cooking up their last chance to escape the country. Starring Mario Casas (The Goldsmith’s Secret, Miami Film Festival 42) and Alberto San Juan (Cristobal Balenciaga), The Dinner serves up a delicious blend of tension, history, and irreverent humor.

DUAL CITIZEN

Directed by Rachelle Salnave

USA, Haiti | 2025 | 78 min

English,HaitianCreole,andFrenchwith English subtitles

A humorous and heartfelt documentary about one father’s reluctant effort to help his daughter reclaim her Haitian citizenship – even if it means confronting a past he thought he’d left behind. Filmmaker Rachelle Salnave embarks on a deeply personal journey with her father, Edouard, to test a 2012 amendment to Haiti’s Constitution that allows dual nationality. But the process is far from simple: Edouard, a proud New York Republican who hasn’t set foot in Haiti in more than 50 years, must become Haitian again before his daughter can – forcing him to engage with a country and a government he’s kept at arm’s length since his family’s political exile in the 1960s. Dual Citizen is both a father-daughter road trip and a meditation on what it means to hold two national identities. APRIL 14

EDIE ARNOLD IS A LOSER

Directed by Megan Rico & Kade Atwood

USA | 2026 | 73 min

English

APRIL 17

In this SXSW comedy, timid Catholic school dork Edie Arnold is dragged to a punk show where a mishap lands her on stage behind the drums. She’s mortified ... but a natural. Convinced to seize the moment by her best friend, she secretly forms a band called The NunDead. Her newfound confidence leads to a date with an altar boy but also a fight that gets her suspended. Thinking she bailed on their first gig, her bandmates bust her out of the house just in time to win a Battle of the Bands. But when she faces expulsion and her mother’s wrath at a disciplinary hearing, footage of her kick-ass performance has an unexpected effect on her mom.

FEATURES

EL REGRESADO

Directed by Armando Capó

Cuba, Colombia | 2025 | 100 min

SpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

APRIL 15 8:45 PM

El regresado tells the story of a young Cuban painter, a graduate of the National Art School, who returns to his hometown of Gibara in Eastern Cuba to complete his mandatory social service. At the same time, he has also been drafted into military service, from which he hopes to be exempted once he begins working at a local cultural institution. In Gibara, he reunites with his admired former professor – himself an artist – who has been purged for his aesthetic vision and statements that do not align with the doctrine of Castroism. Gibara has become a small inferno ruled by fear, opportunism, and repression – and compels the young man to make a drastic decision.

EMPIRE RECORDS –ON REX MANNING DAY

Directed by Allan Moyle

USA | 1995 | 88 min

English

In Empire Records, an independent Delaware record store employs a tight-knit group of music-savvy youths. Learning that the shop may be sold to a big chain, slacker employee Lucas (Rory Cochrane) grabs the day’s take and heads for the casino, taking a gamble that he’ll be able to win enough money to save it. When that plan fails Empire falls into serious trouble, and its ragtag band of clerks must find a way out – as personalities clash, secrets are revealed, and a washed-up pop star arrives for Rex Manning Day. The film also stars Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, and Debi Mazar.

EmpireRecords star Ethan Embry will join us in person for this special Rex Manning Day screening. APRIL 8

ERUPCJA

Directed by Pete Ohs

APRIL 10

USA, Poland | 2025 | 71 min English and Polishwith English subtitles

Starring Charli XCX and shot guerilla-style in Warsaw, Poland, Erupcja follows two women as they compulsively complicate their romantic lives. Nel (Lena Góra) lives in Warsaw, where she works at a flower shop. When her childhood friend Bethany (Charli XCX) comes to visit with a new boyfriend, a volcano, as if by fate, erupts, causing the trio to become entangled in a romantic web that forces them to question their place in the universe.

Grammy-winning artist Charli XCX has been focusing on film, and is having a huge year with I Want YourSex, The Moment, The Gallerist, and the WutheringHeights score.

EVERYBODY TO KENMURE STREET

Directed by Felipe Bustos Sierra

UK | 2026 | 98 min

English

In May 2021 Scotland, a United Kingdom Home Office raid was launched at dawn on the first day of the Islamic celebration of Eid, triggering one of the most spontaneous acts of civil resistance in recent history as residents rushed to Kenmure Street to stop the deportation of their neighbors. Executive producer Emma Thompson makes a cameo as Van Man, the protester who slid under the van holding the two detained men to prevent it from leaving, in reenactments from his testimony.

Winner of the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Civil Resistance at Sundance 2026. APRIL 18 6 PM

FARRUQUITO: A FLAMENCO DYNASTY

Directed by Santi Aguado & Reuben Atlas

Spain, USA | 2025 | 90 min

EnglishandSpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

Farruquito:AFlamenco Dynasty tells the story of the rise, fall, and redemption of arguably the greatest flamenco dancer of all time. At only 20, Farruquito was already at the height of his success, captivating audiences around the globe with his extraordinary talent. Yet the shadows of his family’s tumultuous history loomed large. The film chronicles a journey through triumph and tragedy, focusing on a pivotal moment that changes everything: a tragic accident that leads to the death of a pedestrian and lands Farruquito in prison – a harrowing experience that forces him to confront the heavy burden of his family’s legacy. Farruquito is a foray into the turbulent yet magical spirit of dance, told through the destiny of a flamenco icon. APRIL 16

GIVE ME THE BALL!

Directed by Liz Garbus & Elizabeth Wolff

USA | 2026 | 101 min

English

Billie Jean King is a global icon whose impact on tennis and equality continues to resonate around the world. In Give Me the Ball!, we come to understand the sacrifices King was forced to make behind the scenes, even as she fought high-profile battles for the professionalization of her sport and equal treatment for women. From struggling to escape an unhappy marriage and hiding her sexual orientation to facing an eating disorder and staring down misogyny at every turn, her march to triumph was a long and often lonely one. Through a trove of rarely seen archival material and powerfully honest interviews with King, this film shines an unforgettable light on a figure who is widely admired but, until now, never properly understood.

FEATURES

THE GYMNAST

Directed by Charlotte Glynn

USA | 2026 | 84 min

English

APRIL 10

Set in a former mill town hollowed out by the loss of industry, TheGymnast follows a 16-year-old elite athlete and her single father as they struggle to reinvent themselves after a potentially career-ending injury. Once united by a singular dream of Olympic glory as a way out of their hometown, father and daughter find their identities shaken when the path forward abruptly disappears. What remains is the question of who they are without the sport that has shaped their lives. The directorial debut of Charlotte Glynn and the opening night film of the prestigious International Film Festival Rotterdam – and also where it made its world premiere – TheGymnast is anchored by a quiet authenticity that speaks to the lived realities of working-class communities.

HAL & HARPER

Directed by Cooper Raiff

USA | 2025 | 52 min

English

APRIL 13

From Cooper Raiff (Cha Cha Real Smooth) comes Hal &Harper, a wry and heartfelt series about two siblings whose closeness is both their comfort and their curse. Hal (Raiff) and Harper (Lili Reinhart) have built their adult lives side by side in Los Angeles, tethered by a lifetime of inside jokes and shared pain. When their father (Mark Ruffalo) announces he’s having a baby with his girlfriend, Kate (Betty Gilpin), it forces the siblings to reexamine their past and reckon with the versions of themselves they’ve carried into adulthood.

Lili Reinhart will join us to participate in a Q&A and receive the Festival’s Art of Light Award.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Directed by Sarah Goher

Egypt | 2025 | 92 min Arabicwith English subtitles

APRIL 18 12:15

Eight-year-old Toha – a devoted maid in a wealthy Cairo household – goes to extraordinary lengths to ensure that her best friend Nelly, her employer’s daughter, has the perfect birthday celebration. Moving between the children’s intimate bond and the rigid hierarchies that shape their world, HappyBirthday offers a tender, devastating portrait of classism in modern-day Cairo. Egypt’s official submission to the 2026 Academy Awards and a Tribeca Film Festival award winner, HappyBirthday captures the fragile space where childhood innocence collides with social reality.

HEYSEL 85

Directed by Teodora Ana Mihai

Belgium, Netherlands, Germany

2026 | 91 min Dutch,English,Italian,andFrench withEnglishsubtitles

When violence erupts before the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus at Brussels’ Heysel Stadium, killing 39 people, the mayor’s daughter and a journalist with Italian roots are drawn into the heart of the tragedy, caught between professional duty, family loyalty, and moral responsibility. Fresh off its world premiere and rave reviews at the Berlin International Film Festival, Heysel 85 utilizes a masterful blend of real archival footage and deft narrative filmmaking to reconstruct one of the darkest events in European football history. Harrowing and gripping in equal measure, this riveting true story will have its North American premiere at Miami Film Festival.

HOKUM

Directed by Damian McCarthy

USA, Ireland | 2026 | 101 min

English

When reclusive novelist Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott, Severance) retreats to a remote Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, the staff’s tales of an ancient witch haunting the honeymoon suite take hold of his mind. Soon, disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance draw him into a nightmarish confrontation with the darkest corners of his past. Hokum premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was acquired by Neon, and it was also part of the SXSW lineup.

The screening of Hokum features an introduction by Adam Scott, who will also be taking part in A Conversation With Adam Scott Friday, April 17.

THE HOLLYWOOD RABBI

How does the child of immigrants, raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, become Frank Sinatra’s personal rabbi, win two Academy Awards, and mingle with four kings, three popes, eight presidents and a who’s who of Hollywood royalty while dedicating his life to healing the world through tolerance? This film tells the oversized story of the oversized Rabbi Marvin Hier – founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, one of the most influential rabbis in America, and a mix of P.T. Barnum and Louis B. Mayer … in a yarmulke. Featuring interviews with Arnold Schwarzenegger, President Bill Clinton, Billy Crystal, and more, The Hollywood Rabbi is a call to action for decency and kindness, with its remarkable subject leading by example. APRIL 14

Directed by Jon Kean

USA, Israel, Dubai | 2025 | 87 min

English

FEATURES

HOMO ARGENTUM

Directed by Mariano Cohn & Gastón Duprat

Argentina, Italy | 2025 | 98 min

Spanish and Italianwith English subtitles

HomoArgentum is Argentina’s biggest silver screen success in years and has become a national sensation. The film is a collection of vignettes, with a portrayal of 16 very different characters who reflect the flaws of urban life, with a perspective full of humor and irony. Guillermo Francella stars in all of them, delivering stellar performances that often make him unrecognizable from one character to the next. The result is a fierce and hilarious satire that, between laughs, invites audiences to reflect on identity, idiosyncrasy, customs, and human behavior, explored through connection to themes such as love, friendship, family, and work.

HONEYJOON

Directed by Lilian T. Mehrel

USA, Portugal | 2025 | 75 min

English

APRIL 12

Honeyjoon is a surprisingly sexy, darkly funny, emotional roller coaster about two women on a holiday in the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal in the mid-Atlantic. Lela and her sensual daughter June take a trip to the beautiful islands after a major loss – with opposite ideas about why they’re there, how to grieve, and June’s tiny bikini. Honeyjoon is for anyone who lives with loss. For anyone who has tried, and failed, to flirt.

Honeyjoon won $1 million for its pitch at AT&T Untold Stories at the Tribeca Film Festival.

I SWEAR

Directed by Kirk Jones

UK | 2025 | 121 min English

APRIL 12

Based on the true story of John Davidson, who was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome at a young age, I Swear is a moving, uplifting account of his life, from growing up with the condition in 1980s Scotland – where his involuntary tics and vocal outbursts made him a target for ridicule – to becoming one of the most outspoken and compassionate advocates for Tourette’s awareness in the U.K. Anchored by an outstanding performance from Robert Aramayo, winner of this year’s BAFTA for Best Actor, I Swear is a frank, funny, and touching story about the transformative power of friendship and community, and about what it means to be truly understood.

I WANT YOUR SEX

Directed by Gregg Araki

USA | 2026 | 90 min

English

APRIL 13 9 PM

When fresh-faced Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) lands an exciting job working for renowned artist, icon, and provocateur Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde), his fantasies come true as she taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey more profound than he ever could have imagined, into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal, and murder.

Gregg Araki has had a long career as a pioneer of sexy and outrageous independent American films. His latest film screens in Miami directly after its Sundance premiere, and is packed with stars and brazen moments.

KING HAMLET

Directed by Elvira Lind

USA, Denmark | 2025 | 89 min

English

APRIL 15 6 PM

16

With King Hamlet, filmmaker Elvira Lind continues her acclaimed exploration of the intersection between art and life, this time turning the camera on her own family. The film follows her husband, Oscar Isaac, as he prepares for one of theater’s most demanding roles – Shakespeare’s Hamlet –at New York’s Public Theater during a transformative period marked by the birth of their first child and the sudden loss of Isaac’s mother. What begins as an actor’s process becomes a meditation on love, grief, and the porous boundary between performance and private life. In King Hamlet, Lind blurs the line between creation and lived experience, revealing how memory and identity shape art – and how art, in turn, shapes the self.

THE KING OF THE INTERNET

Directed by Fabrício Bittar

Brazil | 2026 | 134 min

Portuguesewith English subtitles

APRIL 12 8:45 PM

The King ofthe Internet is a wild and dramatic saga that follows how Daniel Nascimento rose to become one of Brazil’s top hackers, joined a criminal organization that moved millions of reais, lived a lavish, high-rolling life, and was arrested in a federal police operation – all before turning 17. This latest film from Brazilian director Fabrício Bittar is brash, loud, exciting, and, most of all, extremely entertaining. His prior films include How to Become the Worst Student in School, a top-10 Brazilian box office hit: Ghost Killersvs.BloodyMary, selected by 15-plus international festivals and winner of Best Gore at FrightFest: How to Hack Your Boss, released on Netflix: and Inexplicável, which went on to rank as a Top 3 Global title on Netflix.

FEATURES

KY NAM INN

Directed by Leon Le

Vietnam | 2025 | 140 min

Vietnamesewith English subtitles

APRIL 17 8:15 PM

Saigon, 1985. Khang, a young translator rising through the ranks of Vietnam’s new regime, is tasked with translating The Little Prince. His life is set. But everything changes when he meets Ky Nam, the reserved widow next door. A relic of the defeated South, she lives quietly, cooking meals for a living and carrying the weight of unspoken grief. When an accident leaves her temporarily unable to work, Khang offers to help – and what begins as an act of kindness slowly deepens into something far more powerful. But in a world governed by duty, desire can be dangerous, and not every connection is allowed to last. This is a lush and romantic drama sure to be a crowd-pleaser for all arthouse film lovers.

LA GIOIA

Directed by Nicolangelo Gelormini

Italy | 2025 | 108 min

Italianwith English subtitles

Gioia Montefiori (played by the iconic Valeria Golino) is a reserved and dull 50-year-old woman who has devoted her life to her work as a French teacher in a high school in Italy’s Piedmontese province. Everything changes when she meets Alessio, a student from her high school. Alessio is a cynical and manipulative narcissist constantly looking for money to appease his bad habits, accustomed to seducing and scamming upper-class women from the area. With the excuse of taking private lessons from Gioia, the young man starts spending time with her in her home, determined to make her his next prey. Lesson after lesson, an improbable yet genuine relationship sprouts between them. But reality – cruel and painful – will soon intervene.

LADIES’ HUNTING PARTY (DÍA DE CAZA)

Directed by Pedro Aguilera

Spain, France | 2025 | 95 min

SpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

Rosa, Blanca, and Carmen, three friends in their fifties, meet again after a long separation for a rabbit hunt at Blanca’s country house near Madrid. Joining them is Rosa’s teenage niece, Diana, who doesn’t know why she’s there. As the hot day goes on, the women’s respective problems come to light – divorce, money issues, and drinking – and old tensions resurface. The reunion slowly turns into a day filled with conflict, leading to a tragic ending. Starring three superstars of Spanish cinema –Rossy de Palma, Carmen Machi, and Blanca Portillo – Ladies’Hunting Party is a razor-sharp exploration of the cycle of betrayal, corruption, and abuse of power in modern society.

THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD

Directed by Francesco Sossai

Italy, Germany | 2025 | 101 min

Italianwith English subtitles

The bottom has fallen out for small-time Italian crooks Carlobianchi and Doriano. They haven’t been able to mount an honest scam since the 2008 financial crisis and are now staring down the impending mediocrity of middle age. The ill-gotten cache of an exiled partner-in-crime from Argentina could afford them a second chance and long-buried riches – can Carlobianchi and Doriano put down their beers long enough to keep their eyes on the prize? Then, along their slow-motion, alcoholic grand tour of the Venetian countryside, they cross paths with Giulio, a shy architecture student who reluctantly warms to the sodden pair and indulges their rants about the folly of globalization and the slow decline of local color. Each roadside tavern offers the promise of one last drink, unless the next one ups the ante. APRIL 16

THE LAST VIKING

Directed by Anders Thomas Jensen

APRIL 17 8:45

Denmark, Sweden | 2025 | 116 min

Danish and Swedishwith English subtitles

The LastViking is a Danish dark comedy directed by Anders Thomas Jensen about two brothers searching for buried treasure. Anker (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) has just been released from prison following a 15-year sentence for robbery, and he’s intent on recovering the cash from a prior heist that his brother, Manfred (Mads Mikkelsen) has buried. But Manfred has since developed a mental health issue that’s caused him to forget everything, including where the money is. Together, the brothers embark on an unexpected journey to locate the hidden cache and discover who they really are. The LastViking – which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and also screened at Toronto International Film Festival – is an offbeat, intriguing, and devious comedy.

LEVITATING

Directed by Wregas Bhanuteja

Indonesia, Singapore, France, Taiwan 2026 | 119 min

Indonesianwith English subtitles

APRIL 15

Strap in for this electrifying, hypnotic, and totally unexpected gem from this year’s Sundance. The small suburban area of Latas Village in Indonesia is known for its traditional trance parties, a long-standing ritual and form of entertainment passed down through generations. So when channelers face eviction from the sacred spring where they seek the spirits, Bayu is determined to become a mighty spirit channeler himself and lead a grand fundraising party to buy the spring back. He soon discovers that ambition alone is not enough to make him a true channeler, or to save the village he calls home. This exciting and propulsive film is an audience favorite.

FEATURES

LEVITICUS

Directed by Adrian Chiarella

Australia | 2026 | 88 min

English

APRIL 10

In Leviticus, two teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most – each other. Leviticus is one of the scariest films so far this year, and yet it’s also beautifully romantic and has been billed in the media as Heated Rivalry meets It Follows. The film’s themes of gay conversion therapy and hidden queer romance are perfect for a claustrophobic horror film. Leviticus was the first film to be bought by a distributor at this year’s Sundance, when Neon swept in to buy it immediately after its world premiere. Starring Joe Bird (Talk to Me) and Stacy Clausen as the lovers under attack, and featuring Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland).

THE LONG CUBAN NIGHT

Directed by Sergio Fernandez Borrás

Spain, Colombia, Cuba | 2025 | 100 min SpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

The Long Cuban Night is a fascinating documentary that meticulously immerses audiences in the San Isidro Movement, an epic chapter of opposition that preceded, two years earlier, the glorious July 11, 2021, rebellion in Cuba. Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Denis Solís, Maykel Osorbo, and other artists and activists bravely face the savage repression of police and paramilitary groups, documented from every possible angle using cell phones. The enduring presence of humble youth, deprived of human rights, is particularly emblematic. This portrait of a future Cuba continues to bring the island closer to freedom.

LOS 100 AÑOS DE LA TORRE DE LA LIBERTAD

Telemundo 51 documentary Los 100 años de la Torre de la Libertad, or “100 Years of the Freedom Tower,” chronicles the extraordinary history of the iconic Miami landmark. Through archival footage, expert testimony, and personal stories presented by journalist Gloria Orda, it traces the building’s transformation from newspaper headquarters to a processing center for Cuban exiles and, later, a cultural beacon for the Hispanic community. As the tower marks its centennial, the film reflects on its enduring significance in shaping Miami’s identity and preserving the memory of generations who found freedom and new beginnings within its walls. This screening is free but requires registration. APRIL 16

Directed by Adriana Mocciola, Gloria Ordaz & Patricio Munoz

USA | 52 min

EnglishandSpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

M.I.A.

Directed by Alethea Jones

USA | 2026 | 60 min

English

APRIL 19 4:30 PM

Restless in the Florida Keys, Etta Tiger Jonze dreams of a glittering life in Miami. But when her family’s drug-running business shatters in tragedy, Etta embarks on a dangerous journey through Miami’s neon-lit underbelly that will define who she is and what she’s ultimately capable of. Shot in Miami, M.I.A. is executive produced by creator Bill Dubuque (Ozark), showrunner Karen Campbell (Dexter, Outlander), and Alethea Jones (Spider-Noir), who also directed the first two episodes of this new Peacock crime series. The cast features Shannon Gisela, Cary Elwes, Danay Garcia, Brittany Adebumola, Dylan T. Jackson, Alberto Guerra, Maurice Compte, Gerardo Celasco, and Marta Milans. Miami Film Festival will screen one episode.

MADDIE’S SECRET

Directed by John Early

USA | 2025 | 98 min

English

Maddie’sSecret is comedian, writer, and actor John Early’s critically acclaimed directorial debut starring himself as Maddie, a plucky dishwasher who leaps to viral superstardom at a trendy food content creation company. While her life seems picturesque – complete with an adoring husband (Eric Rahill), ride-or-die best friend (Kate Berlant), and a cupboard full of woman-owned, ethically sourced chili crisp to boot – mounting professional pressures threaten to reawaken a hidden secret from her troubled past. Utilizing melodrama, satire, and intimate performances to skewer contemporary influencer culture, Maddie’s Secret nails the delicate tonal balance between a campy movie-of-the week mixed with genuine pathos. This film marks Early as a bold new voice in contemporary cinema. APRIL 17

MADWOMAN’S GAME

Directed by Zach Zamboni

APRIL 16 6:30 PM

USA, France, Mexico | 2025 | 73 min

English

Madwoman’s Game follows Bianca Mitchell-Avila, a young Latina chess player who sees the game not simply as competition, but as the blueprint for navigating life. Through travel, mentorship, and matches with world-class women players, Mitchell-Avila explores how the lessons of chess extend far beyond the board. At the heart of this documentary is a simple, resonant question: If life is like a game of chess, how do we play it? Directed by Zach Zamboni, a multiple Primetime Emmy Award winner, and the winner of a Peabody Award, Madwoman’s Game is executive produced by Keanu Reeves and Miami’s own Carla Berkowitz (CriticalThinking).

FEATURES

MARC BY SOFIA

Directed by Sofia Coppola

USA | 2025 | 97 min

English

An intimate, unconventional portrait of Marc Jacobs, crafted by Sofia Coppola to capture the genius and singular universe of the iconic American designer. Coppola, the director behind beloved films such as Lost in Translation, TheVirgin Suicides, and Marie Antoinette, turns her lyrical eye to nonfiction in her first documentary. A fashion icon in her own right, Coppola’s film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and follows her longtime friend and collaborator Jacobs as he gears up to debut his Spring 2024 collection. A must-see for fashion lovers everywhere, this special presentation of Marc bySofia is in collaboration with Miami Dade College’s Miami Fashion Institute.

MARÍA ANTONIA

Directed by Sergio Giral

Cuba | 1990 | 111 min

SpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

We’re proud to present the world premiere screening of the restoration of Sergio Giral’s classic film, Maria Antonia. Set in prerevolutionary Havana, it follows the turbulent life of a fiercely independent Afro-Cuban woman whose defiance of social norms puts her in constant conflict with the world around her. Adapted from Eugenio Hernández Espinosa’s acclaimed stage play, the film portrays María Antonia’s struggle against poverty, machismo, and the rigid moral codes of her neighborhood. Giral explores race, class, spirituality, and the resilience of Afro-Cuban women, delivering a portrait that is both intimate tragedy and social critique.

MARY OLIVER: SAVED BY THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD

Directed by Sasha Waters

USA | 2026 | 91 min

English

APRIL 11

Mary Oliver: best-selling poet and Pulitzer Prize winner; lover of dogs and long walks in the woods; queer and out, but intensely private. Her poems inspire liberals and conservatives, atheists and believers, naturalists and urbanites. If poetry had a pop icon, Oliver would be it. Featuring poems read by Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Jesse Welles, and Oprah Winfrey. Oliver once wrote, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” With MaryOliver: Saved Bythe BeautyoftheWorld, interviews with Oliver’s friends and archival footage give us a clearer picture of her wild and precious life.

MASPALOMAS

Directed by Aitor Arregi & Jose Mari Goenaga

Spain | 2025 | 115 min BasquewithEnglishsubtitles

APRIL 9

Vicente (José Ramón Soroiz, in a Goya Award-winning role), now 76 years old, came out of the closet and left his wife and daughter when he was 50. He has spent the last 25 years living happily with his partner in the Gran Canaria town of Maspalomas. But everything is turned upside down when Vicente suffers a stroke that leaves him in a coma. When he wakes up, he is faced with an unexpected reality: He has been moved back to Donostia and his daughter has placed him in a nursing home. Vicente decides not to offer any explanation about his sexual orientation; he doesn’t think it’s necessary. And so, almost without realizing it, he returns to where he started – back into the closet in a renouncement of everything he worked so hard to achieve.

MELODRAMA

Directed by Andrés Farías

Dominican Republic | 2025 90 min

Spanish,HaitianCreole,and Frenchwith English subtitles

After her husband’s death, Sonia (Mercedes Morales) is forced to shrink her life, trading her sprawling family home for a cramped, unfamiliar apartment. In this state of displacement, her world is a quiet hum of grief and rigid routines, until she hears the rhythm of a neighboring construction site. There she meets Aimé (Jimmy Jean-Louis), a Haitian worker whose presence awakens a dormant yet intense desire. Their connection is swift and tender, yet their romance exists in a crossfire. As Andrés Farías (Candela) navigates the enduring tensions between Dominican and Haitian communities, Melodrama showcases how Sonia and Aimé’s intimacy becomes a radical act of defiance. APRIL 17

MIAMI STORIES

Directed by Eliecer Jimenez Almeida

USA | 2026 | 74 min

SpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

APRIL 15 6:15 PM KOUBEK MIAMI

APRIL 15 6:15 PM

Miami Stories is a wild, collective comic confessional where some of the most outlandish figures from Cuba’s complex political scene – coming from both sides of the conflict – gather to reveal their Miami gospels, not without a touch of arrogance. The notoriously infamous Wasp Network, Castroism’s spy ring operating in the heart of the exile capital, is transformed – through sharp, corrosive satire – into the Mosquito Network. FBI agents, influencers, radio and TV hosts, and producers, actors, and filmmakers express themselves in torrents of unchecked speech, full of winks and double meanings that expose the humorous extremes of an unstoppable, razor-sharp ideological landscape. Miami Stories prove that laughing at oneself remains the ultimate mark of intelligence.

FEATURES

MILLY, QUEEN OF MERENGUE

Directed by Leticia Tonos Paniagua

APRIL 15 7 PM

Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico | 2026 | 119 min

EnglishandSpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

A vibrant and emotionally charged musical inspired by the life of Dominican icon Milly Quezada. As a young girl, she flees the civil war in her homeland and emigrates to the United States, landing in the heart of 1970s Washington Heights, New York, a neighborhood pulsing with rhythm, resilience, and the energy of the Latin Boom. Immersed in this new world, Milly sets off on a powerful journey of self-discovery, chasing her dreams, finding her voice, and becoming the internationally acclaimed Queen of Merengue.

Join us for this international premiere as we celebrate Milly Quezada and all things music!

MODERN WHORE

Directed by Nicole Bazuin

Canada | 2025 | 80 min

English

ModernWhore is a hybrid documentary that reimagines popular depictions of sex work through the lived experiences of writer, performer, and sex worker Andrea Werhun. Based on her book Modern Whore:AMemoir , Werhun grapples with social stigma and reclaims her narrative in a series of funny, heartbreaking, and surprising stories. Executive produced by Sean Baker (TheFloridaProject , Anora), ModernWhore uses heightened style and ample personality to connect with audiences about a topic that’s often pushed into the shadows. Sex-positive, daring, and unapologetically authentic, Nicole Bazuin’s documentary is a wild conversation starter that challengers audiences to see sex work in a new light.

MOUSE

Directed by Kenny Riches

USA | 2025 | 104 min

English andJapanesewith English subtitles

Between stealing bicycles and breaking into cars, Denny’s only social outlet is spending time with his mother. Driven by loneliness, he signs up for a pen pal service through a classified ad. He begins writing letters to a woman named Tess, whom he develops real feelings for yet lies to about his nonexistent wealth and success. But the pen pal service is a scheme that Tess and her real-life boyfriend, Maury, run to take advantage of the lonely. So when Tess and Maury find themselves in financial trouble of their own they decide to travel to meet Denny and take him for all he’s worth – and find upon arrival that things aren’t what they seemed in his letters.

THE MUSICAL

Directed by Giselle Bonilla

USA | 2026 | 84 min

English

APRIL 13

When middle-school theater teacher and frustrated playwright (Will Brill) finds out his ex (Gillian Jacobs) is dating his nemesis, the school’s principal (Rob Lowe), he decides to ruin the latter’s chances of winning the Blue Ribbon of Academic Excellence by producing the most inappropriate school play imaginable. Like a wacky cross between School of Rock and Taxi Driver, Giselle Bonilla’s directorial debut throws us into the unhinged mind of Brill’s Doug Leibowitz, who will stop at nothing to get revenge, even if it means sabotaging the school’s production of West Side Story. Fresh off its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, this gleeful comedy is a hysterical ode to the power of spite.

MY FRIEND EVA (MI AMIGA EVA)

Directed by Cesc Gay

Spain | 2025 | 100 min

Spanish and Catalanwith English subtitles

Eva has just turned 50. She’s been married for more than 20 years and has two teenage children. So far, nothing remarkable. But on a business trip to Rome something happens that turns her life upside down: She meets Alex, a scriptwriter who’s spending a few days in the Italian city. The instant attraction she feels for him, the butterflies in her tummy, the seductive hint of possibility … After all this time, she remembers what it feels like to fall in love and it shifts something inside her, reigniting a fire that had long been extinguished. This delightful comedy from Cesc Gay (The People Upstairs, Truman) is a reminder that it’s never too late to find love.

NEON REEF

Directed by Alex Mitow

USA | 2026 | 31 min English

APRIL 18

Between vibrant queer community and homegrown ocean activism lies Neon Reef. Amid Miami’s swaying palms and neon nightlife are unlikely underwater heroes: Patrick Breshike and David Grieser. They strap on scuba gear, schmooze politicians, and marshal a diverse coalition of queer coral scientists, divers, and a Guinness World Record-breaking mermaid in a battle to save a coral reef from poachers, climate change, and ignorance. Eugene Hernandez, Sundance Film Festival director, will moderate a Q&A following the screening.

Take a group bike ride to the screening! Visit our website for details.

FEATURES

NO SALGAS

Directed by Victoria Linares Villegas

Dominican Republic | 2026 | 105 min

SpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

Liz, a young college student still traumatized by the brutal murder of her girlfriend, tries to hold it together by passing as straight. A weekend getaway with friends offers a desperately needed respite, but the arrival of a magnetic woman triggers Liz’s buried queer desires. This internal awakening summons a malign, supernatural force that feeds on the group, twisting their proximity into collective violence. Director Victoria Linares handles the collision of queerness and horror with sharp restraint, letting the terror build slowly in a world that demands you stay hidden.

No Salgas screened in the Generation section of the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival.

OBSESSION

Directed by Curry Barker

USA | 2026 | 108 min

English

After breaking the supernatural “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price. A massive hit out of the Toronto International Film Festival, Obsession is the arrival of a bold new voice in horror. First-time director and YouTube creator Curry Barker takes a simple idea and ramps up the dread and tension to 100. Leveraging the relatability of its central premise, this is a “be careful what you wish for” story like you’ve never seen before.

ON THE ROAD (EN EL CAMINO)

Directed by David Pablos

Mexico | 2025 | 93 min

SpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

APRIL 18 3:15

Surviving on charm, instinct, and fleeting sexual encounters, Veneno needs a way out of the life he’s living. He finds it in Muñeco when he persuades the trucker to take him north. Together, they enter the insular world of long-haul trucking, where men are expected to be silent and vulnerability is forbidden. On the Road is a provocative, explicit, and tense odyssey tackling themes of queer survival, transactional desire, and the sheer peril of intimacy in a hostile terrain.

On the Road premiered at Venice Film Festival and won the section’s main prize and the Queer Lion.

ONE IN A MILLION

Directed by Jerrod M. (Jerry) Levine

USA | 2025 | 57 min

English

13

One person. One idea. Millions of lives. One In A Million tells the extraordinary true story of how Jay Feinberg transformed a personal mission into a global life-saving movement. As patients race against time to find genetic matches, the film reveals the dramatic intersection of science, fate, and human connection – where strangers become heroes and hope can come from anywhere. One in a Million reconstructs one of the most improbable true medical outcomes in modern history, chronicling the grassroots South Florida campaign that began as an effort to save one life and grew into a mission that has saved thousands, in this impactful and deeply emotional world premiere featuring Emilio Estefan, Romero Britto, Kim Kardashian, and more.

PERSEVERANCIA, UN ENSAYO DOCUMENTAL SOBRE TOMÁS SÁNCHEZ

Directed by Juan Carlos Martín Mexico | 2024 | 108 min EnglishwithSpanishsubtitles

APRIL 13

Perseverancia is a tangible portrait of the life and extraordinary work of Tomás Sánchez, one of the most relevant contemporary Latin American artists of our time. A master of dazzling imagery capable of contrasting nature in its vital, almost mystical state – or wounded by human indifference – Sánchez’s poetic landscapes are a perpetual hymn to beauty and freedom consistent with his ecological philosophical vision. Perseverancia is also the name of the sugar mill in Cienfuegos, Cuba, where Sánchez enjoyed his childhood alongside his mother, his earliest artistic influence. Juan Carlos Martín presents Sánchez not only through his origins and influences, but through the lens of the generation that marked a turning point amid the dictatorial uncertainty of 1980s Cuba.

POETIC LICENSE

Directed by Maude Apatow

USA | 2025 | 117 min English

APRIL 12

Poetic License follows Liz, a former therapist who relocates to a new town for her husband’s job – a place where she doesn’t know a soul. Her quiet attempt to settle in takes an unexpected turn when she becomes the point of tension between two inseparable best friends and college seniors, Sam and Ari. As their fierce competition for her attention threatens to upend their lives, Liz is pulled into a tangle of longing and self-discovery, and the intoxicating thrill of being truly seen. An irresistible directorial debut from actor Maude Apatow with radiant performances from Leslie Mann, Cooper Hoffman, and Andrew Barth Feldman, Poetic License is a comedy about confronting the life you’ve got versus the one you still crave.

FEATURES

POETRY CITY

Directed by Aaron Glickman

USA | 2026 | 56 min

English

Miami is a city undergoing a profound cultural renaissance, yet its literary history often remains in the shadows. PoetryCity follows Oscar Fuentes – known to many as “The Biscayne Poet” – and Nicole Tallman, Miami-Dade County’s poetry ambassador, as they lead a collective of writers on a quest to rediscover the voices of Miami’s past. Featuring appearances from literary luminaries like Richard Blanco and Mitchell Kaplan, PoetryCity demonstrates how the county’s commitment to the arts has fueled South Florida’s international ascent. The journey reaches a powerful climax at Miami Book Fair, where the poets stage a theatrical presentation pairing historical works with their own contemporary responses, proving that Miami’s heartbeat is, and always has been, pure poetry.

THE PRINCESS DIARIES

Directed by Garry Marshall

USA | 2001 | 114 min

English

Join us at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens for the 25th anniversary of the Disney classic The Princess Diaries! Step into the film’s idyllic Genovia to celebrate Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway’s feel-good classic based on Meg Cabot’s beloved novels, as we partner with Miami Book Fair to fully immerse you in the royal festivities seen on screen.

For teenager Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway), just surviving each school day is an adventure. Then, shocking news arrives: She’s a real-life princess! And so begins a comical transformation toward princess-ness threatened by a media storm, jealous schoolmates, and a plot to take over her country.

RAMÓN Y RAMÓN

Directed by Salvador del Solar

Peru, Spain | 2023 | 100 min SpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

APRIL 17

Though their relationship was distant, it’s Ramón (Emanuel Soriano) who is given his father’s ashes during the pandemic, just as he meets Mateo (Álvaro Cervantes), a young Spaniard stranded in his apartment building during lockdown. Despite their differences, a bond develops between them that leads both to question their identities, compelling Mateo to join Ramón in taking his father’s ashes to his Peruvian hometown, Huancayo. Along the way, Ramón reconnects with his roots and realizes he’s been searching for answers to the wrong questions. Huancayo is the right place for his father’s ashes – and for healing his own wounds. Precededbyshortfilm Bus byAndréBalbuena.

THE RED HANGAR (HANGAR ROJO)

Directed by Juan Pablo Sallato

APRIL 12

12:30 PM SPOT 12

Chile, Argentina, Italy | 2026 | 81 min

SpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

As the military coup of September 1973 destabilizes Chile, Jorge Silva, an Air Force captain, is forced to transform his academy into a clandestine torture center. Attempting to remain a bystander to the unfolding horror, Silva’s neutrality is shattered by the arrival of Colonel Jahn, a ruthless rival with a personal vendetta. The Red Hangar (HangarRojo) is a chilling study of the erosion of the soldier’s soul. Inspired by true events and shot in black and white, director Pablo Sallato eschews historical epic in favor of a taut, claustrophobic examination of the military’s inner workings. It is a harrowing portrait of men caught in the machinery of power.

REVOLUTION’S DAUGHTER

Directed by Thaddeus D. Matula

USA | 2025 | 85 min

EnglishandSpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

Revisiting the drama of Cuban dictatorship and its impact across generations, drawing on testimonies from diverse voices within the exile community and using as its leitmotif Fidel Castro’s daughter, Alina Fernández Revuelta. With perspectives seldom heard in discussions of the turmoil Castroism brought to the island, with figures such as Gloria Estefan, Ricardo Pau-Llosa, and José Bedia sharing personal stories conveying hope and long-awaited freedom. Collectively, they underscore the success of Cuban Americans in the U.S. – and how their entrepreneurial spirit could help shape a future free Cuba.

ROMERÍA

Directed by Carla Simón

Spain | 2025 | 112 min

Spanish,Catalan,andFrenchwithEnglishsubtitles

Armed with a camcorder and a thirst for truths long buried, 18-year-old Spanish orphan Marina is piecing together the ghosts of her parents. Traveling to Vigo to secure a document from her paternal grandparents that’s required for her university application, she finds in her father’s family an icy evasion, forcing her to untangle a web of conflicting memories about her deceased parents. Carla Simón delivers a luminous, intimate study of auto-fiction, utilizing a mesmerizing performance from Llúcia Garcia to dissect the gap between the stories of absent family members, the stories we create about them, and who they truly were. This is a heart-shattering master class on identity.

FEATURES

ROPE TIED

Directed by Chiara Padejka & Evan Friedmann

USA | 2026 | 77 min

English

APRIL 18 2:45 PM

Relegated into irrelevance after a controversial exhibition, avant-garde artist Vasil Daslavov (Dimiter D. Marinov) searches for a way to win back the favor of his longtime art dealer, the bombastic Wilhelm Heinkempf (Stuart Murphy). As he prepares a new collection, his eccentric muse, Luna Monroe (Carl Nowak) proposes another, more extreme concept – to tie themselves together by rope for a year. Testing the lengths at which humans can coexist, personal differences are sacrificed. Privacy walls are demolished. Daily activities turn into tense negotiations. It’s all in the name of high art. Pushing all boundaries, the oddball pair strives to reach the world’s closest connection. Videographer Daniel Trowbridge (Gavin Cade Hulberg) documents their radical experiment in this Made in MIA comedy.

RUNA SIMI

Directed by Augusto Zegarra

Peru | 2025 | 81 min

Spanish and Quechuawith English subtitles

APRIL 17

Fernando Valencia, a 29-year-old voice artist from Cusco, Peru, is an Indigenous activist, painter, and devoted single father. Known for his uncanny ability to voice multiple characters, he launched “Quechua Clips” – a viral project that reimagines iconic animated scenes in Quechua, the ancestral language of the Incas, also known as Runa Simi. The response was overwhelming, uncovering millions of Quechua speakers hungry for stories in their own language. Thus, Valencia sets his sights on an ambitious dream: to dub Disney’s classic The Lion King into Quechua. Armed with a homemade studio and relentless resolve, he navigates countless ups and downs. Yet through it all, his determination never wavers, turning his personal mission into a call for language justice and cultural reclamation.

SECOND VICTIMS

Directed by Zinnini Elkington

Denmark | 2025 | 92 min

Danishwith English subtitles

APRIL 12

Set against the backdrop of an understaffed stroke unit, skilled neurologist Alexandra’s confidence is put to the test when a routine case spirals into tragedy. Blame and guilt ripple through the hospital, and Alexandra confronts her own fallibility, grappling with the profound repercussions of medical misjudgements. In a raw and introspective journey, Second Victims shows us the weight of guilt and the power of compassion. This North American premiere takes us deep into the mind of doctors, nurses, and those who turn to them for care. Auditing the line between misjudgements and medical malpractice, Zinnini Elkington’s film surveys our overcrowded hospital system and the consequences – spiritual and professional – that befall caregivers when they don’t get it right.

SERENA

Directed by Rob Alicea

USA | 2026 | 96 min

English

APRIL 17 9

With a dead music career, eviction looming, and a baby on the way, down-on-his-luck former rock star Chris Sadowski’s life is already falling apart when he agrees to beta test a new AI assistant. Enter Serena: intuitive, personable, and far more interested in him than expected. Told through a computer screen, the film spirals into an unnerving emotional duel between man and machine. As Serena begins anticipating Chris’ needs – and exploiting his vulnerabilities – the line between support and control dissolves. Starring Andi Matichak (Halloween), Steven Strait (The Expanse), and Ashleigh Murray (Riverdale), Serena is a sleek, unsettling thriller about loneliness in the digital age and the seductive danger of being truly understood.

SILENT FRIEND

Directed by Ildikó Enyedi

Germany | 2025 | 147 min

EnglishandGermanwithEnglishsubtitles

18

At the heart of an old German university grows a majestic ginkgo tree, its lifespan measured in centuries. As the years pass, the distinguished plant bears witness to the private lives of those who seek shade under its boundless branches. In 2020, a visiting neuroscientist conducts a series of experiments into the possibilities of botanical consciousness. In 1972, a young student is profoundly changed by studying the behavior of a simple geranium. And in 1908, the university’s first female student’s photographic inquiries reveal sacred patterns of the universe hidden within the humblest of plants. Three lonely souls, three outsiders. Over time, each is transformed by the quiet, enduring, and mysterious power of nature. Starring the legendary Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Léa Seydoux.

SORE: A WIFE FROM THE FUTURE

Directed by Yandy Laurens

Indonesia | 2025 | 119 min

APRIL 16

Indonesian,English,andCroatianwithEnglishsubtitles

A woman travels from the future to improve her partner’s life. Her name is Sore. She predicts every event with uncanny accuracy, convincing her husband Jonathan she’s real. She carries one purpose: to change Jonathan’s habits and lifestyle before it’s too late. But when Sore reveals the secrets of the future, something unimaginable happens. She begins to bleed and dies, only for time to reset. Trapped in countless time loops, Sore fights against fate itself. Will her thousands of attempts be enough to change his life, or will time always win? Sore: AWife from the Future is a romantic epic that will sweep you off your feet, and a science fantasy saga that will keep you guessing.

FEATURES

THE SOUNDMAN

Directed by Frank Van Passel

Belgium | 2026 | 118 min

Dutchwith English subtitles

APRIL 13

In 1940 Brussels, a defiant young actress and an awkward but gifted sound technician fall in love at the Flagey radio station, where voices, music, and imagination fill the airwaves. As war looms, their passion for radio drama and each other becomes a beacon of hope amid frightening times. In crafting this unconventional love story and ode to the golden age of radio, director Frank Van Passel delicately balances historical drama with a whimsical tale of invention and romance. Touches of magical realism infuse the film with warmth and wonder, offering a gentle reminder that even in the darkest moments, creativity, beauty, and love can endure.

STREET SMART: LESSONS FROM A TV ICON

Directed by Ernie Bustamante

USA | 2025 | 83 min

English

APRIL 11

Street Smart: Lessons from a TV Icon is a feature documentary about Sonia Manzano – known to millions as “Maria” from Sesame Street. The film follows Manzano’s remarkable journey from a young girl in the South Bronx finding refuge in television to becoming the first Latina on American TV in a regular role, through 44 groundbreaking years on Sesame Street, and now as the creator of Alma’s Way. Featuring interviews with luminaries, original animation, and scripted scenes that blend humor and heart, this inspirational documentary invites viewers to learn once again from this beloved icon.

Miami Film Festival will honor Sonia Manzano with the Festival’s Impact Award at the screening.

TAPE

Directed by Bizhan Tong

Hong Kong | 2024 | 110 min CantonesewithEnglishsubtitles

APRIL 16

Adapted from Stephen Belber’s stage play and acclaimed filmmaker Richard Linklater’s Sundance title of the same name, Tape is a gripping chamber drama that brings years’ worth of tension to one apartment over the course of one night. Fifteen years after graduating from high school, three friends reunite when an escalating case of blackmail forces them to confront a terrible secret from their past. Taking place almost entirely in the apartment, Tape explores latent jealousy, accountability, and the narratives we shape. Featuring compelling performances from the three leads who handle the naturalistic dialogue and setting with aplomb, director Bizhan Tong’s film dissects what happens when long-buried tensions are brought explosively to the surface.

THEYDREAM

Directed by William D. Caballero

USA | 2026 | 89 min

EnglishandSpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

TheyDream traces how art can become a lifeline in the wake of loss. Drawing on two decades of mixed-media filmmaking, director William D. Caballero revisits his family’s history in Fayetteville, North Carolina, interweaving 2D and 3D animations with live-action vérité, archival materials, and raw conversations with his mother. Through a one-of-a-kind blend of miniature artistry, handcrafted figurines, digital rotoscoping, and full 3D motion-capture, the two literally transform themselves into their ancestors – reanimating family stories with complexity and profound love. TheyDream is a cinematic act of survival: a testament to creative collaboration and the ability of art to resurrect memory, restore connection, and guide families through the darkest grief toward light.

THIS TEMPTING MADNESS

Directed by Jennifer Montgomery

USA | 2025 | 98 min

English

Mia (Simone Ashley) awakens from a coma with no memory of the past six months and the man she loves, vanished. As fragments of her past slowly resurface, the picture they form grows increasingly disturbing. What happened to her? What happened to him? And why can’t she trust her own mind? The life she thought she knew – beautiful, enviable, safe – begins to reveal its fault lines. Caught between conflicting accounts and her own fractured recollections, Mia is forced to confront how the story she told herself may have been hiding something far more dangerous. Inspired by a true story, ThisTemptingMadness is a psychological thriller about memory, trauma, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.

THREE GOODBYES (TRE CIOTOLE)

Directed by Isabel Coixet

Italy, Spain | 2025 | 90 min Italianwith English subtitles

APRIL 16 6:30

After what seemed like a trivial argument, Marta and Antonio split up. Marta reacts to the heartbreak by withdrawing into herself. The only symptom she cannot ignore is her sudden lack of appetite. Antonio, a rising chef, immerses himself in his work. But despite being the one who ended things with Marta, he can’t seem to forget her. When Marta discovers that her loss of appetite has more to do with her health than the pain of separation, everything changes: the taste of food, music, desire, and the certainty of the choices that were made. Based on the bestselling novel by Michela Murgia, the film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival.

FEATURES

TO THE WEST, IN ZAPATA (AL OESTE, EN ZAPATA)

Directed by David Bim

Cuba, Spain | 2025 | 75 min

SpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

A peasant wanders the dark marshes and tangled wilderness of Cuba’s Ciénaga de Zapata, or Zapata Swamp, in search of food for his family, burdened by the inefficiency of the country’s regime and the COVID pandemic. He secretly hunts the meat of fierce crocodiles, though their capture is forbidden, as the camera follows his dangerous ordeal – one he undertakes with astonishing courage. Silence is broken only by birdsong and his movement across still waters where danger lurks. In the village, his wife and disabled son wait anxiously, unable to survive without his extraordinary sustenance. One of the most unexpected documentaries ever filmed in Cuba, set in the myth-inspiring Ciénaga de Zapata, a landscape of peril and uncertainty. APRIL 11

THE TRIAL OF ALEC BALDWIN

Directed by Rory Kennedy

USA | 2025 | 110 min

English

On October 21, 2021, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is killed on a movie set by a prop gun held by the actor Alec Baldwin. In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, virtually no one doubts that it was an accident and a deeply traumatizing experience for everyone involved. But after the shock begins to subside, questions of responsibility, guilt, blame, punishment, and justice begin circulating in the media, fueled largely by Baldwin’s fame and outsize reputation. Both an incisive look at what happens when fame and tragedy collide and an explosive courtroom drama, TheTrial ofAlec Baldwin asks the question: Is Baldwin being judged by the law or by the court of public opinion?

TROPICAL PARK

Directed by Hansel Porras Garcia

USA | 2025 | 85 min SpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

During a driving lesson, two Cuban siblings – a newly arrived trans woman (Lola Bosch) and her estranged conservative brother (Ariel Texidó) – face each other for the first time in years, with a silent Miami bearing witness outside their car windows. From local filmmaker Hansel Porras Garcia, Tropical Park is a hybrid observational drama shot in a single take, and a love letter to Miami. One of countless stories from the Cuban exile experience in the U.S., it’s a quiet meditation on memory and empathy. Here, Garcia explores what it means to share space with those who see the world through a different lens, and how love evolves when certain identities gently disrupt what once felt unquestionable.

UNCLE ROLY (TIO ROLY)

Directed by Dennis Velazquez

USA | 2025 | 81 min

EnglishandSpanishwithEnglishsubtitles

In a dramedy tone, Uncle Roly tells the story of an incorrigible and rebellious relative who never followed the customs of social and family life. After many years of absence, two spoiled nephews –protected by overbearing parents and who have yet to decide what to do with their lives – must unexpectedly deal with their uncle on an unforeseen adventure to find treasure in the Everglades. An insoluble cultural clash arises between the bilingual young Miamians and their uncle, who displays his apparent disregard for American social expectations as if it were a virtue. Life will never be the same again for any of them as the hunt becomes a catharsis and a revelation of family secrets.

UNDER THE SAME SUN (BAJO EL MISMO SOL)

Directed by Ulises Porra

Dominican Republic, Spain | 2025 | 103 min

Spanish,Mandarin,andFrenchwithEnglishsubtitles

La Española, 1819. In the colonial Caribbean, three displaced souls attempt a surreal feat of industry: establishing a silk factory in the heart of a jungle. Lázaro (David Castillo) is a Spanish heir suffocating under the legacy of his dead father; Mei (Valentina Shen Wu) is a Chinese weaver whose world is defined by thread; and Baptiste (Jean Jean) is a Haitian living as a hermit in the ruins of an estate. Director Ulises Porra proposes an inverse Fitzcarraldo-style adventure that forces a fragile, makeshift family to form.

Under the Same Sun premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

WHEN MEN DANCE

Directed by Abbas A. Motlagh

USA | 2026 | 84 min

APRIL 12 6:15 PM

English,Spanish,andPortuguesewithEnglishsubtitles

When Men Dance invites audiences into the intimate worlds of a diverse group of young male dancers bound by their passion for movement and self-expression. Behind the artistry lies a complex reality: battles with racism, loneliness, financial strain, and a rising tide of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-immigrant sentiment. Straight, gay, and nonbinary, these dancers reveal the scars they carry and the courage that keeps them moving. As they prepare for their next performances, each leap and turn becomes an act of defiance, a declaration of identity, and a fight for the right to exist as they are. Filmed in Miami and featuring a cast of talented local and international dancers.

WHIPLASH IN CONCERT

Directed by Damien

Chazelle

USA | 2014 | 106 min English

APRIL 15

Relive the 2014 Oscar-winning film Whiplash – starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons and written and directed by Damien Chazelle – in a mesmerizing live concert conducted by Justin Hurwitz and featuring world-class drummer Greyson Nekrutman. You’ll experience fantastic music and thrilling drum solos performed along with the film, the story of an ambitious young drummer studying at an elite conservatory and the ruthless instructor who pushes him to the brink.

Whiplash earned five Oscar nominations and won three: Best Supporting Actor for Simmons, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.

SHORTS

Total running time: 83 minutes APRIL 19 12 PM

Featuring films with a Miami connection, these five shorts celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Miami-Dade Public Library System’s 16mm Film Collection.

FABRICOLLAGE | Dir Diana Colson | USA | 17 min // FANTASY FLING | Dir Michael DiLauro | USA | 28 min // FLORIDA EVERGLADES | Dir Wilf Gray | USA | 15 min // FUNCTION | Dir Lawrence Kleinman | USA | 16 min // THE MAGNETIC TELESCOPE | Dir Dave Fleischer | USA | 7 min AV CLUB’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF MDPLS’ 16MM SHORT FILM COLLECTION

APRIL 11 12:15 PM COSFORD

CINEMASLAM

Total running time: 57 minutes

A celebration of up-and-coming talent being nurtured right in our own backyard. These films by college students across our state are some of the best representations of the future of film in Florida.

FLORIDA | Dir Giulia Abreu | USA | 8 min // GHOST OF THE MARSH | Dir Ross Widener | USA | 10 mins // JIT | Dir Samuel Correa | USA | 6 min // KROME AVE. | Dir Eva Alexandra Martinez | USA | 10 min // LUNCH | Dir Lyla Claggett | USA | 7 min // MIGHTY SPOONBILLS | Dir Sada Balboa | USA | 10 min // THE GOLDEN TOUCH | Dir Sam Perez Laurenza | USA | 8 min

APRIL 14 8 PM KOUBEK

CUBAN CONTEMPORARY INDEPENDENT SHORTS

Total running time: 93 minutes

Five Cuban shorts depict disillusionment, escape, and lost family values under dictatorship, portraying the shipwreck of freedom.

COQUITO CON MORTADELLA | Dir Ana Victoria Pérez | Spain, Cuba | 41 min // NIGHT AND FOG | Dir Boris González Arenas | Cuba | 16 min // NORHEIMSUND | Dir Ana A. Alpízar | Cuba, USA | 12 min // RANCOR | Dir Carlos Halley | Cuba, Spain | 15 min // THE LAST GAME | Dir Daniel Chile | Cuba | 24 min

DESIRE AND DESTRUCTION

Total running time: 96 minutes

Nowadays, horror comes in all forms. Whether rooted in family drama or societal norms, this block of short films is sure to scare you into the Atlantic.

A HAND TO HOLD | Dir Philip Clyde-Smith | UK | 15 mins // ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! | Dir Zen Pace | USA | 12 mins // CAGÜEIRA | Dir Orlando Mora Cabrera | Cuba | 14 mins // DOUBLE DIPPER | Dirs Hector Zumbado, Norman Mayorga | USA | 8 mins // PRIME | Dir Meagan Coyle | USA | 16 mins // SHE’LL COME BACK | Dirs Aaron Tyler Gil, Gerald Pain | USA | 14 mins // THE SEEING EYE DOG WHO SAW TOO MUCH | Dir Eric Jackowitz | USA | 17 mins

SHORTS

APRIL 18 12:30 PM O

DRAWN TO YOU

Total running time: 87 minutes

Step into a world of pure imagination. From stop-motion to hand-drawn, these eight international animated shorts will dazzle and delight.

BEAST OF THE SEINE | Dir Jon Portman | USA | 13 min // LIVING WITH A VISIONARY | Dir

Stephen P. Neary | USA | 15 min // MANATEES STRIKE BACK | Dir Alec Castillo | USA | 2 min // OVARY-ACTING | Dir Ida Melum | Norway, Sweden, UK | 12 min // SEE YOU SOON | Dir Jennifer Skarbnik López | Mexico | 14 min // THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS | Dirs Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski | Canada | 17 min // THE LITTLES | Dir Andrew Duplessie | USA | 7 min // THE WHISTLE | Dir Greg Franklin | USA | 7 min

FAR FROM THE SHALLOW

Total running time: 94 minutes APRIL 12 12 PM

These six dramatic films span the globe with stirring and emotional stories of family ties, loss, and hope.

COLADA | Dir Carmen Pelaez | USA | 11 mins // HARAJUKU, FL | Dir Andrés Gimenez | Japan, USA | 13 mins // MAMITA LINDA | Dir Jose Duran | USA | 18 mins // THE MOTIVE | Dir Jorge Molina | USA | 14 mins // TWO TEARS | Dir Josefina Pieres | USA | 19 mins // UNDER THE MOUNTAIN’S SHADOW | Dir Andrés I. Estrada | USA, Canada, Colombia, Venezuela | 19 mins

APRIL 11 2:30 PM COSFORD

I’M EVERY WOMAN

Total running time: 103 minutes

In this female-focused program, we’re shining a spotlight on films by and about women, featuring an array of different genres and unique perspectives.

BY YOUR SIDE | Dir Johanna Brinckman | USA | 8 min // CATALOGUE OF NOSES | Dir Josie Andrews | USA | 12 mins // HUNDREDS | Dirs Sabina Friedman-Seitz, Neil Champagne | USA | 11 mins // MIAMI MAGIC | Dir Victoria Collado | USA | 14 mins // SEPTEMBER, ALL OVER | Dir Kali Kahn | USA | 20 mins // SKRRRT! | Dir Gabriela Garcia Medina | USA | 14 mins // TOO ROMANTIC | Dir Talia Light Rake | USA | 24 mins

APRIL 16 6:30 PM

STRANGER THAN FICTION

University of Miami Documentary Short Film Award

Total running time: 91 minutes

A great documentary captures the human spirit, and this diverse block of films captures that and more. University of Miami Documentary Award Presentation.

AREPAS EN BICI | Dirs Jonah Moshammer, Brennan McGee | USA | 14 mins // HILDA O. VS THE STATE OF NEW YORK | Dirs Alison Cornyn, Heather Greer | USA | 17 mins // IF YOU REALLY LOVE ME, OUTLIVE ME | Dirs Alejandro Ruax, Saskia d’Altena | USA | 21 mins // OH WHALE | Dir Winslow Crane-Murdoch | USA | 26 mins // THEY CALL ME THE TATTOO WITCH | Dir Lindsay Nyman | USA, Vietnam | 15 mins

SHORTS

APRIL 13 7:30 PM SPOT 13

UNSERIOUS QUESTIONS ONLY

Total running time: 90 minutes

These comedies are sure to capture everyone’s attention, leaving you blushing and laughing the whole time.

ARE YOU HAVING FUN? | Dir Nicole Cone | USA | 16 mins // FLAME OUT | Dir Emily Goldwyn | USA | 15 mins // MY $3,500 JACKET | Dir Drew Maynard | USA | 13 mins // STAY FOR THE Q & A | Dir hazart | USA | 18 mins // THEY’RE PACKING | Dirs Noah Wolfe, Gabi Carrubba | USA | 10 mins // VALLEY FEVER | Dir Antonio Pinheiro | USA | 19 mins

APRIL 16 9 PM COSFORD

WELCOME TO MIAMI: FLORIDA DOC SHORTS

Total running time: 109 minutes

There is no place like home. Featuring a diverse range of Florida stories and Made in MIA short documentaries, this program reminds us that our hometown really is one of a kind.

BEACH TOWEL ART SHOW | Dir David Hamzik | USA | 10 min // NAIL TECH: PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST | Dirs Jillian Hernandez, Elena Guzman | USA | 21 min // ONE LAST ORDER | Dirs Lauren DeFilippo, Sam Soko | USA | 20 min // TEST OF TIME: FRANKIE’S PIZZA | Dirs Julian Alicea, Common Interest | USA | 10 min // THE FLOOR REMEMBERS | Dir Jayme Kaye Gershen | USA | 15 min // THE LAST CONSOLE | Dir Dan Abrusci | USA | 6 min // THE POOR MAN’S TITANIC | Dirs Mike Zimmer, Kerry Sanders | USA | 15 min // UNDER THE MANGO TREE | Dir Symone Titania Major | USA | 12 min

Features a book signing event with Mirta Ojito, author of Deeperthanthe Ocean, the novel that inspired The Poor Man’s Titanic.

Experience the best of Cuban cinema at MDC’s Koubek Center, and soon also at MDC’s Tower Theater Miami, located in the heart of Little Havana. Screenings take place throughout the year and admission is free for all films in the series!

Cuban Cinema Series was founded and directed in 1993 by renowned film critic and author Alejandro Ríos, who continues to direct it today.

Presented by the Miami Film Festival, many screenings feature special appearances by filmmakers and guest speakers.

Check the Miami Film Festival website for updates.

Miami Film Festival also includes a Spotlight on Cuba program, featuring 9 new films and a shorts package programmed by Alejandro Rios. Films include Calle Cuba; El Regesado; Miami Stories; Comandante Fritz; Perseverancia,unensayodocumentalsobreTomásSánchez; Revolution’sDaughter; TheLongCubanNight; To the West, in Zapata (Al Oeste, en Zapata); Uncle Roly (Tío Roly), and Spotlight on Cuba: Contemporary IndependentShorts.

Miami Dade College

300 N.E. Second Ave. Miami, FL 33132-2296

Miami Dade College District Board of Trustees Non-profit

Michael Bileca, Chair • Roberto Alonso, Vice Chair • Jose Felix Diaz • Marcell Fellipe • Ismare Monreal • Juan Segovia

• David J. Smith • Madeline Pumariega, President, Miami Dade College

Miami Dade College is an equal access/equal opportunity institution which does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, marital status, age, religion, national origin, disability, veteran’s status, ethnicity, pregnancy, sexual orientation or genetic information. To obtain more information about the College’s equal access and equal opportunity policies, procedures and practices, please contact the College’s Equity Officer: Cindy Lau Evans, Director, Office of Equal Opportunity Programs and ADA Coordinator, at 305-237-2577 (Voice) or 711 (Relay Service); 11011 S.W. 104th St., Room 1102-01; Miami, FL 33176. EquityOff@mdc.edu

U.S.

Miami, FL PERMIT #313

Miami Dade College 300 N.E. Second

Miami Dade College

District Board of Trustees

Michael Bileca, Chair

Nicole Washington, Vice Chair

Anay Abraham

Roberto Alonso

Maria Bosque-Blanco

Marcell Felipe

Ismare Monreal

Madeline Pumariega, President, Miami Dade College

Miami Dade College is an equal access/equal opportunity institution which does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, marital status, age, religion, national origin, disability, veteran’s status, ethnicity, pregnancy, sexual orientation or genetic information. To obtain more information about the College’s equal