43rd Annual Miami Film Festival Announces Lineup

Miami, FL (March 11, 2026) – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Miami Film Festival announced its acclaimed lineup for its upcoming 43rd edition, taking place April 9–19, 2026. This year’s festival will screen over 160 narratives, documentaries, and short films of all genres from 45 countries worldwide, including 40 World Premieres, 2 International Premieres, 11 North American Premieres, 5 U.S. Premieres, 23 East Coast Premieres, and 63 Florida Premieres.

Program highlights include the Opening Night presentation of Tuner, the Closing Night film Power Ballad, and the Centerpiece selections The Christophers and Poetic License.

Notable premieres include the World Premieres of documentaries such as Jon Kean’s The Hollywood Rabbi and Keanu Reeves-executive-produced Madwoman’s Game, as well as Peacock’s new South Florida-set series M.I.A., and Brazilian hacker thriller The King of the Internet. The lineup also features several North American Premieres, including the debut drama The Gymnast, starring Ethan Embry; football tragedy Heysel 85; Chilean political thriller The Red Hangar (Hangar Rojo); spy-comedy Comandante Fritz; and Flavia, an adaptation of the popular Flavia de Luce children’s book series starring Martin Freeman and Jonathan Pryce.

Other notable titles include Focus Features’ Obsession, Sony Pictures Classics’ I Swear, Magnolia Pictures’ Normal, Carolina Caroline and I Want Your Sex, NEON’s Hokum and Leviticus, and a Special Presentation of A24’s Sofia Coppola-directed Marc By Sofia about iconic fashion designer Marc Jacobs.

Marquee presentations include Over Your Dead Body, Everyone is Lying to You for Money, If I Go Will They Miss Me, and Forge.

Special events include the U.S. Premiere of musical biographical film Milly: Queen of Merengue at the Miami Beach Bandshell, with director Leticia Tonos Paniagua and legendary Dominican singer Milly Quezada in attendance; Whiplash in Concert, featuring a screening of the film accompanied by an 18-piece jazz band performing the film’s music live with composer Justin Hurwitz conducting; and a 25th anniversary screening of The Princess Diaries at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens.

“This year’s lineup showcases an extraordinary range of storytelling that reflects the richness of global cinema and the vibrant creative voices shaping the future of film,” said James Woolley, Executive Director. “We are proud to welcome audiences back for a dynamic celebration of film that connects Miami to the world.”

“This year’s lineup reflects an extraordinary moment for Miami Film Festival, featuring films from celebrated filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh, Sofia Coppola, Gregg Araki, and John Carney, alongside bold new discoveries from around the world,” said Lauren Cohen, Director of Programming. “With films from 45 countries and our largest-ever Made-in-MIA program, it’s a lineup that feels both truly global and authentically rooted in Miami’s filmmaking community.”

OPENING & CLOSING NIGHT FILMS

Miami Film Festival will open with the Black Bear Pictures film Tuner. In Tuner, Academy Award-winning director Daniel Roher’s first narrative feature, Leo Woodall stars as a gifted young piano tuner whose heightened sense of hearing draws the attention of criminals, who see his talents as useful for opening safes as well as for tuning Steinways. With his once-promising musical career over, he works across New York with his mentor Harry Horowitz (Academy Award-winner Dustin Hoffman), encountering a range of characters, including composition student Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), with whom he forges an unexpected connection. Niki’s safecracking work threatens his budding romance with Ruthie and pulls him into increasingly dangerous territory. Blending romance, drama, and the taut suspense of a heist thriller, Tuner also features performances from Tony Award-winner Tovah Feldshuh, Lior Raz, and Jean Reno.

The Festival will close with the Lionsgate film Power Ballad. When Rick (Paul Rudd), a past-his-prime wedding singer, 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 (Sing Street, Once), Power Ballad is a feel-good story about music, self-respect, friendship, and the price of ambition.

HONOREE SPOTLIGHT

The Miami Film Festival is proud to recognize the following honorees:

• Adam Scott, who stars in NEON’s Hokum, will receive the Vanguard Award. Scott received rave reviews for his starring role in AppleTV’s Severance, for which Scott is also an executive producer, as well. For this role, he has received Emmy nominations, Golden Globe Award nominations, Actor Award nominations, Critics’ Choice Award nominations and a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination. Scott is also well known for his role as ‘Ben Wyatt’ in the Emmy Award and Golden Globe-nominated series, Parks and Recreation.

• Bob Odenkirk, who stars in Magnolia Pictures’ Normal, will receive the Precious Gem Award following a screening of the film. Odenkirk is an Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated writer, producer, actor, and New York Times bestselling author. In 2015, Bob Odenkirk reprised the character he originated on the hit drama Breaking Bad, playing the title role in Better Call Saul, which earned him a Critics Choice TV Award, six Emmy nominations, as well as Golden Globe, and SAG Award nominations.

• Danielle Brooks, who stars in If I Go Will They Miss Me, will receive the Art of Light Award following a screening of the film. Danielle Brooks is an Oscar-nominated actress and Grammy Award-winning singer.  Brooks rose to prominence for her role on Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black, where she received the Screen Actors Guild Award for​​ “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series” three years in a row. Brooks also starred in The Color Purple, both in film and on Broadway, playing the role of ‘Sofia.’ These performances garnered her Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA, Critics Choice Award and Tony Award nominations and a Grammy Award.

• Lili Reinhart, who stars in the TV series Hal & Harper, will receive the Art of Light Award following a screening of the first two episodes of the series. Lili Reinhart is an actress, producer, founder, and a New York Times bestselling author. In addition to Hal & Harper, she can currently be seen starring in IFC Films’ Forbidden Fruits. Reinhart is well known for playing Betty Cooper in the TV series Riverdale.

• Matt Bomer, who stars in the upcoming Apple Original Film Outcome, will receive the Vanguard Award and will participate in a live recording of the Happy Sad Confused podcast hosted by Josh Horowitz. Bomer is a Golden Globe Award, Critics’ Choice Award winning and Emmy® Award nominated actor for his role in The Normal Heart. Additional projects Bomer is well known for include his work in shows such as Fellow Travelers, White Collar, Mid-Century Modern and films such as Magic Mike, and Maestro.

• Sonia Manzano will receive the Impact Award following a screening of Street Smart: Lessons From a TV Icon. Manzano is best known for her role of ‘Maria’ on Sesame Street, where her work has garnered her two Emmy Award nominations in addition to the National Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy in 2016. As a writer for the show, she has won 15 Emmys. Her most recent accomplishment was creating a children’s program, Alma’s Way, for PBS KIDs for which she has won the Imagen Awards for Best Youth Programing, a 2022 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Preschool Animated Program and a 2023 NAACP nomination for an Image Award.

MARQUEES & CENTERPIECE SCREENINGS

Four MARQUEE screenings will be presented with talent in attendance for extended and in-depth post-screening Q&As. These include:

• Everyone is Lying to You for Money (United States, directed by Ben McKenzie)

TV star Ben McKenzie (The O.C., Gotham) swaps scripts for scams in his documentary debut. Adapting his New York Times bestselling book “Easy Money,” McKenzie turns his wit and economic savvy on the wild world of crypto, chasing the bigger story of greed, hope, and con artists in a modern gold rush. Director Ben McKenzie will be in attendance.

• Forge (United States, directed by Jing Ai Ng) – Florida Premiere

In Miami, siblings Raymond and Coco Zhang’s art forgery ring flourishes when they encounter a disgraced millionaire in need of their expertise. Meanwhile, FBI Art Crimes agent Emily Lee moves to Miami to investigate a series of mysterious paintings. Director Jing Ai Ng will be in attendance.

• If I Go Will They Miss Me (United States, directed by Walter Thompson-Hernandez) – Florida Premiere.

Twelve-year-old Lil Ant transforms his working-class neighborhood beneath the LAX flight path into a living mythology, where family members become gods and the sky is crowded with endless departures. As he searches for connection with his god-like yet conflicted father, he finds support in his close-knit community that helps him reconcile myth and reality. Actress Danielle Brooks will be in attendance.

• Over Your Dead Body (United States, directed by Jorma Taccone) – East Coast Premiere. A dysfunctional couple head to a remote cabin to supposedly reconnect, but each secretly plans to kill each other. Director Jorma Taccone will be in attendance.

Two CENTERPIECE screenings will be presented:

• The Christophers (United Kingdom, directed by Steven Soderbergh) – Florida Premiere. The children of a once famous artist (Ian McKellen) hire a forger (Michaela Coel) to complete some unfinished, long ago abandoned canvases so they’ll have an inheritance when he dies. A NEON release.

• Poetic License (United States, directed by Maude Apatow) – Florida Premiere.

Maude Apatow’s sharp and heartfelt debut feature, Poetic License follows a middle aged mother Liz (Leslie Mann), as she becomes the unexpected point of tension between Sam (Andrew Barth Feldman) and Ari (Cooper Hoffman), two inseparable best friends and college seniors. A Row K release.

AWARD COMPETITIONS

The $10,000 MARIMBAS Award is an international competition for new narrative feature films that best exemplify richness and resonance for cinema’s future. (A marimba is a variation of a xylophone that produces a deeper, richer and more resonant tone than a traditional xylophone. The marimba originated in Guatemala and Central America approximately 400 years ago and remains popular to this day in a wide variety of musical disciplines. The name of Miami Film Festival’s award is inspired by its 2011 winner, Julio Hernández Cordón’s Marimbas from Hell, which embodies the spirit of forward-looking cinema.)  Films chosen for this year’s MARIMBAS Award are:

• Adult Children (United States, directed by Rich Newey) – Florida Premiere

• Broken Voices (Czech Republic, directed by Ondřej Provazník) – Florida Premiere

• Carolina Caroline (United States, directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier) – Florida Premiere

• Comandante Fritz (Germany, directed by Pavel Giroud) – North American Premiere

• El Regresado (Cuba, directed by Armando Capo) – World Premiere

• Erupcja (United States, directed by Pete Ohs) – Florida Premiere

• Flavia (United Kingdom, directed by Bharat Nalluri) – North American Premiere

• Heysel 85 (Belgium, directed by Teodora Ana Mihai) – North American Premiere

• Hokum (United States, directed by Damian McCarthy) – Florida Premiere

• I Swear (United Kingdom, directed by Kirk Jones) – East Coast Premiere

• I Want Your Sex (United States, directed by Gregg Araki) – Florida Premiere

• Ky Nam Inn (Vietnam, directed by Leon Le) – East Coast Premiere

• La Gioia (Italy, directed by Nicolangelo Gelormini) – Florida Premiere

• Ladies’ Hunting Party (Día de caza) (Spain, directed by Pedro Aguilera) – North American Premiere

• Levitating (Para Perasuk) (Indonesia, directed by Wregas Bhanuteja) – East Coast Premiere

• Maspalomas (Spain, directed by Aitor Arregi & José Mari Goenaga) – Florida Premiere

• Melodrama (Dominican Republic, directed by Andrés Farías) – U.S. Premiere

• Milly: Queen of Merengue (Dominican Republic, directed by Leticia Tonos Paniagua) – U.S. Premiere

• Mouse (United States, directed by Kenny Oiwa Riches) – Florida Premiere

• My Friend Eva (Spain, directed by Cesc Gay) – North American Premiere

• Normal (United States, directed by Ben Wheatley) – Florida Premiere

• On the Road (En El Camino) (Mexico, directed by David Pablos)

• Over Your Dead Body (United States, directed by Jorma Taccone) – East Coast Premiere

• Romería (Spain, directed by Carla Simón) – Florida Premiere

• Silent Friend (Germany, directed by Ildikó Enyedi) – Florida Premiere

• Sore: A Wife From the Future (Indonesia, directed by Yandy Laurens) – Florida Premiere

• Tape (Hong Kong, directed by Bizhan M. Tong) – East Coast Premiere

• The Blue Trail (Brazil, directed by Gabriel Mascaro) – Florida Premiere

• The Christophers (United Kingdom, directed by Steven Soderbergh) – Florida Premiere

• The Cost of Heaven (Canada, directed by Mathieu Denis) – East Coast Premiere

• The Dinner (Spain, directed by Manuel Gómez Pereira) – North American Premiere

• The King of the Internet (Brazil, directed by Fabrício Bittar) – World Premiere

• The Last One for the Road (Italy, directed by Francesco Sossai) – Florida Premiere

• The Soundman (Belgium, directed by Frank Van Passel) – Florida Premiere

• Three Goodbyes (Italy, directed by Isabel Coixet) – Florida Premiere

• Under the Same Sun (Dominican Republic, directed by Ulises Porra) – US Premiere

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 Jersey Boys before passing away in a tragic accident at the age of 23. A total of 19 films will compete for the Award:

• 1001 Frames (Iran, directed by Mehrnoush Alia) – East Coast Premiere

• A Mosquito in the Ear (United States, directed by Nicola Rinciari) – Florida Premiere

• Blue Heron (Canada, directed by Sophy Romvari) – Florida Premiere

• Dancing on the Elephant (Canada, directed by Julia Neill & Jacob Z. Smith) – East Coast Premiere

• Edie Arnold is a Loser (United States, directed by Megan Rico & Kade Atwood) – East Coast Premiere

• Happy Birthday (Egypt, directed by Sarah Goher) – Florida Premiere

• Honeyjoon (United States, directed by Lilian T. Mehrel) – Florida Premiere

• If I Go Will They Miss Me (United States, directed by Walter Thompson-Hernandez) – Florida Premiere

• Leviticus (Australia, directed by Adrian Chiarella) – Florida Premiere

• Maddie’s Secret (United States, directed by John Early) – Florida Premiere

• No Salgas (Dominican Republic, directed by Victoria Linares Villegas) – North American Premiere

• Obsession (United States, directed by Curry Barker) – Florida Premiere

• Poetic License (United States, directed by Maude Apatow) – Florida Premiere

• Second Victims (Denmark, directed by Zinnini Elkington) – North American Premiere

• Serena (United States, directed by Rob Alicea) – East Coast Premiere

• The Gymnast (United States, directed by Charlotte Glynn) – North American Premiere

• The Musical (United States, directed by Giselle Bonilla) – East Coast Premiere

• The Red Hangar (Hangar Rojo) (Chile, directed by Juan Pablo Sallato) – North American Premiere

• This Tempting Madness (United States, directed by Jennifer Montgomery) – East Coast Premiere

For the ninth edition of the Festival’s Made in MIA Award competition, the Festival will award a cash prize of $15,000. The Made in MIA feature film award is a competition for jury-selected films of any genre that feature a qualitatively and quantitatively substantial portion of their content (story, setting and actual filming location) in South Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and/or Monroe counties) and that best utilize their stories and themes for universal resonance. The feature films competing for this award are:

• An Instrumental Start: A Model for the Nation (United States, directed by Brian Bayerl & Mike Huter) – World Premiere

• Dual Citizen (United States, directed by Rachelle Salnave) – World Premiere

• Eva y Adán en Miami (United States, directed by Lilo Vilaplana) – World Premiere

• Forge (United States, directed by Jing Ai Ng) – Florida Premiere

• Miami Stories (United States, directed by Eliecer Jiménez Almeida) – World Premiere

• Por La Vida (United States, directed by Gonzalo Mejía) – World Premiere

• Rope Tied (United States, directed by Chiara Padejka & Evan Friedmann) – East Coast Premiere

• The Mecca: Legends of Traz Powell Stadium (United States, directed by Nicanson Guerrier) – World Premiere

• The Old Man and the Parrot (United States, directed by Gabriel de Varona) – East Coast Premiere

• Tropical Park (United States, directed by Hansel Porras Garcia) – Florida Premiere

• Uncle Roly (United States, directed by Dennis Velazquez) – World Premiere

• When Men Dance (United States, directed by Abbas A. Motlagh) – World Premiere

Seventeen films will compete for the $5,000 Made in MIA Short Film Award, sponsored by ArtesMiami. They are the following:

• “Are You Having Fun?,” directed by Nicole Cone – Florida Premiere

• “Beach Towel Art Show,” directed by David Hamzik – World Premiere

• “Colada,” directed by Carmen Pelaez – World Premiere

• “Double Dipper,” directed by Norman Nathaniel Mayorga, Hector Zumbado

• “Harajuku, FL,” directed by Andrés Jesus Gimenez – East Coast Premiere

• “Mamita Linda,” directed by Jose Duran – World Premiere

• “Manatees Strike Back,” directed by Alec Castillo – World Premiere

• “Miami Magic,” directed by Victoria Collado – World Premiere

• “Nail Tech: Portrait of an Artist,” directed by Jillian Hernandez, Elena Guzman – World Premiere

• “September All Over,” directed by Kali Kahn – North American Premiere

• “SKRRRT!,” directed by Gabriela Garcia Medina – World Premiere

• “Test of Time: Frankie’s Pizza,” directed by Julian Alicea – World Premiere

• “The Floor Remembers,” directed by Jayme Gershen – World Premiere

• “The Last Console,” directed by Daniel Abrusci – World Premiere

• “The Poor Man’s Titanic,” directed by Kerry Sanders – World Premiere

• “Two Tears,” directed by Josefina Pieres – World Premiere

• “Under the Mango Tree,” directed by Symone Titania Major – World Premiere

20 films will vie for the jury-awarded Documentary Achievement Award. These films are:

• A Life Illuminated (United States, directed by Tasha Van Zandt) – Florida Premiere

• American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez (United States, directed by David Alvarado) – Florida Premiere

• Calle Cuba (Chile, Cuba, Mexico, directed by Vanessa Batista) – World Premiere

• Cookie Queens (United States, directed by Alysa Nahmias) – Florida Premiere

• Everybody to Kenmure Street (United Kingdom, directed by Felipe Bustos Sierra) – Florida Premiere

• Farruquito: A Flamenco Dynasty (Spain, directed by Santi Aguado & Reuben Atlas) – Florida Premiere

• Give Me the Ball! (United States, directed by Liz Garbus & Elizabeth Wolff) – Florida Premiere

• King Hamlet (United States, directed by Elvira Lind) – Florida Premiere

• Madwoman’s Game (United States, directed by Zach Zamboni) – World Premiere

• Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World (United States, directed by Sasha Waters) – Florida Premiere

• Modern Whore (Canada, directed by Nicole Bazuin) – East Coast Premiere

• Perseverance, a documentary essay on Tomás Sánchez (Mexico, directed by Juan Carlos Martín) – International Premiere

• Revolution’s Daughter (United States, directed by Thaddeus D. Matula) – World Premiere

• Runa Simi (Peru, directed by Augusto Zegarra) – Florida Premiere

• Street Smart: Lessons from a TV Icon (United States, directed by Ernie Bustamante) – Florida Premiere

• The Hollywood Rabbi (United States, directed by Jon Kean) – World Premiere

• The Long Cuban Night (Spain, directed by Sergio Fernandez Borrás) – US Premiere

• The Trial of Alec Baldwin (United States, directed by Rory Kennedy) – Florida Premiere

• TheyDream (United States, directed by William D. Caballero) – Florida Premiere

• To the West, In Zapata (Cuba, directed by David Bim) – Florida Premiere

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

28 Special Presentation screenings will add to the depth of creative filmmaking from around the world to Miami. These include:

• A Loose End (Un cabo suelto) (Uruguay, directed by Daniel Hendler)

• AKRIS: Fashion with a Heritage (Germany, directed by Reiner Holzemer) – Florida Premiere

• Bookends (United States, directed by Mike Doyle) – Florida Premiere

• California Schemin’ (United Kingdom, directed by James McAvoy)

• Colors of Time (France, directed by Cédric Klapisch)

• Coolie (Dominican Republic, directed by Arvin Chen & Julian Acosta) – World Premiere

• Coquito con Mortadella (Cuba, directed by Ana Victoria Pérez) – East Coast Premiere

• Coroner to the Stars (United States, directed by Ben Hethcoat & Keita Ideno)

• Fabricollage (United States, directed by Diana Colson)

• Fantasy Fling (United States, directed by Michael DiLauro)

• Florida Everglades (United States, directed by Wilf Gray)

• Function (United States, directed by Lawrence Kleinman)

• Hal & Harper (United States, directed by Cooper Raiff)

• Homo Argentum (Argentina, directed by Mariano Cohn & Gastón Duprat)

• It Would Be Night in Caracas (Mexico, directed by Mariana Rondón & Marité Ugás)

• Kangaroo (Australia, directed by Kate Woods) – East Coast Premiere

• Lunch (United States, directed by Lyla Claggett)

• Los 100 años de la Torre de la Libertad (United States, directed by Adriana Mocciola, Gloria Ordaz & Patricio Muñoz)

• Magnetic Telescope (United States, directed by Dave Fleischer)

• Marc by Sofia (United States, directed by Sofia Coppola)

• Maria Antonia (4K restoration) (Cuba, directed by Sergio Giral)

• Neon Reef (United States, directed by Alex Mitow) – World Premiere

• M.I.A. (United States, directed by Alethea Jones) – World Premiere

• One in a Million (United States, directed by Jerrod M. Levine) – World Premiere

• One Last Order (United States, directed by Lauren DeFilippo & Sam Soko) – Florida Premiere

• Poetry City (United States, directed by Aaron Glickman) – World Premiere

• Ramón y Ramón (Peru, directed by Salvador de Solar) – North American Premiere

• The Last Viking (Denmark, directed by Anders Thomas Jensen)

The $4,000 Miami International Short Film Award competition features 28 films. The complete list includes:

• “A Hand to Hold,” directed by Philip Clyde-Smith – East Coast Premiere

• “Are You Fucking Kidding Me?,” directed by Zen Pace

• “Beast of the Seine,” directed by Jon Portman – Florida Premiere

• “Bus,” directed by Andre Balbuena – Florida Premiere

• “By Your Side,” directed by Johanna Brinckman – Florida Premiere

• “Cagüeira,” directed by Orlando Mora Cabrera – World Premiere

• “Catalogue of Noses,” directed by Josie Andrews

• “Flame Out,” directed by Emily Grace Goldwyn – Florida Premiere

• “Hundreds,” directed by Sabina Friedman-Seitz, Neil Champagne – Florida Premiere

• “Living With a Visionary,” directed by Stephen P. Neary – East Coast Premiere

• “My $3,500 Jacket,” directed by Drew Maynard – World Premiere

• “Night and Fog,” directed by Boris Gonzalez – East Coast Premiere

• “Norheimsund,” directed by Ana A. Alpizar – Florida Premiere

• “Ovary-Acting,” directed by Ida Melum – Norway, Sweden, UK – Florida Premiere

• “Prime,” directed by Meagan Coyle – Florida Premiere

• “See You Soon,” directed by Jennifer Skarbnik Lopez – Florida Premiere

• “She’ll Come Back,” directed by Aaron Tyler Gil, Gerald Pain – United States

• “Stay for the Q + A,” directed by hazart – World Premiere

• “The Girl Who Cried Pearls,” directed by Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski – Florida Premiere

• “The Last Game (El Último Juego),” directed by Daniel Chile – International Premiere

• “The Littles,” directed by Andrew Duplessie – Florida Premiere

• “The Motive,” directed by Jorge Molina – World Premiere

• “The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much,” directed by Eric Jackowitz – Florida Premiere

• “The Whistle,” directed by Greg Franklin

• “They’re Packing,” directed by Noah Wolfe, Gabi Carrubba – Florida Premiere

• “Too Romantic,” directed by Talia Light Rake – World Premiere

• “Under the Mountains’ Shadow,” directed by Andrés I. Estrada – U.S. Premiere

• “Valley Fever,” directed by Antonio Pinheiro – World Premiere

The $1,000 Short Documentary Film Award, with support from the University of Miami School of Communication, Department of Cinematic Arts and co-presented with UM’s Bill Cosford Cinema, will see the following films in competition:

• “Arepas en bici,” directed by Jonah Moshammer, Brennan McGee – Florida Premiere

• “Hilda O. Vs The State of New York,” directed by Alison Cornyn, Heather Greer – Florida Premiere

• “If You Really Love Me, Outlive Me,” directed by Alejandro Ruax, Saskia d’Altena – Florida Premiere

• “Oh Whale,” directed by Winslow Crane-Murdoch

• “Rancor,” directed by Carlos Alejandro Halley – World Premiere

• “They Call Me the Tattoo Witch,” directed by Lindsay Nyman – Florida Premiere

Taking part in the annual Florida student film $1,000 Cinemaslam Competition will be:

• “Florida,” directed by Giulia Abreu

• “Ghost of The Marsh,” directed by Ross Widener

• “JIT,” directed by Samuel Correa

• “Krome Ave.,” directed by Eva A. Martinez – Florida Premiere

• “Mighty Spoonbills,” directed by Sada Balboa – World Premiere

• “The Golden Touch,” directed by Sam Perez Laurenza

SPECIAL EVENTS

Additional events include:

• The Princess Diaries – Join us at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens for the 25th anniversary of The Princess Diaries, directed by Gary Marshall. Step into the world of Genovia as we celebrate Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway’s feel-good classic in a stunning immersive setting.

• Whiplash in Concert – Relive the 2014 Academy Award®-winning film Whiplash, starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons, written and directed by Damien Chazelle, in a mesmerizing live concert experience conducted by composer Justin Hurwitz.

• Going to Extremes: A John Waters 80th Birthday Celebration – Celebrate John Waters’ 80th birthday with the filmmaking legend in person at this radical, comedy-revival show at the Arsht Center.

  The Festival is curated by Director of Programming Lauren Cohen; Thom Powers (Senior Documentary Programmer), Ivonne Cotorruelo (Ibero-American Films Programmer), Alejandro Ríos (Spotlight on Cuba Programmer), Roberto Pazos (Filmed in Peru Programmer), Steve Hunsicker (Filmed in Peru Programmer), and Chris Molina (Guest Short Films Programmer). Talks are programmed with Miami Media and Film Market.

  Major Festival sponsors are Miami-Dade County, Miami Downtown Development Authority, Telemundo 51, NBC 6, The TILIA Companies, and The Historic Alfred I. dupont Building. The Festival’s headquarter hotel is the JW Marriott Marquis Miami.

  John S. and James L. Knight Foundation supports Miami Dade College’s Department of Cultural Affairs through its comprehensive digital transformation initiative. Programming in Miami Beach is done with the support of the City of Miami Beach Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council, and the Miami Beach Mayor and City Commissioners. Programming in Coral Gables is made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables Cultural Arts Division.

  Additional notable support includes Amazon, Silverspot Cinema Miami and Tel-Air Interests.

  Spanish-language programming is supported by V-ME Media Inc. and DIRECTV. Spanish-language programming also receives support from FlixLatino. Films from Italy receive support from Instituto Italiano di Cultura Miami.

  Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival, in partnership with ArtesMiami, is proud to announce the launch of the Miami Film Fund, a new initiative that will award a total of $15,000 in grants to filmmakers with ties to Miami and its Cuban-American community. Sponsored by ArtesMiami, the fund will distribute grants through the Coral Gables Community Foundation during its inaugural year to celebrate and elevate cinematic storytelling connected to the Miami community. Read more here.

   

  Miami Film Festival will host screenings at the Olympia Theater, Silverspot Cinema, Koubek Center, the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall, Colony Theatre, Cosford Cinema, Coral Gables Art Cinema, FIU, Little Haiti Cultural Center, the Miami Beach Bandshell, O Cinema South Beach, Sanctuary of the Arts, and Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. Individual tickets for all Festival events will go on sale to the general public beginning March 11. For more information, visit miamifilmfestival.com or call 305-237-FILM (3456).

   

  About Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival

  Celebrating cinema in two annual events, Miami Film Festival (43rd annual edition April 9-19, 2026) and Miami Film Festival GEMS (November 2026), Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival is considered the preeminent film festival for showcasing Ibero-American cinema in the U.S., and a major launch pad for all international and documentary cinema. The annual Festival welcomes more than 45,000 audience members and more than 400 filmmakers, producers, talent and industry professionals. It is the only major festival housed within a college or university. In the last five years, the Festival has screened films from more than 60 countries, including 300 World, International, North American, U.S. and East Coast Premieres. The Festival also offers unparalleled educational opportunities to film students and the community at large. For more information, visit miamifilmfestival.com or call 305-237-FILM (3456).

   

   

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