Miami, FL (Oct. 1, 2024) — Miami Dade College’s (MDC) renowned Miami Film Festival (MFF) today unveiled the lineup for its 11th Miami Film Festival GEMS, the Festival’s fall midseason event taking place from Oct. 30 – Nov. 3. GEMS will feature 30 films from over 15 countries, opening with “The Room Next Door,” three Centerpiece screenings of “Emilia Pérez”, “Maria”, and “The Brutalist”, and closing with “A Real Pain.”
“This year’s GEMS is without a doubt our biggest one yet. Not only is it our largest program with over 30 prestige titles being featured, it’s our most diverse – animation, episodic content, documentaries, retrospectives, and narrative epics – it’s all here,” said Lauren Cohen, Director of Programming. “When you have titans of their craft such as Pedro Almodóvar, Alfonso Cuarón, Brady Corbet, Mike Leigh, Pablo Larraín, Steve McQueen, and Andrea Arnold all with new movies in the same program, you know you’re in for something special.”
“Our upcoming GEMS offers a glimpse of what’s to come at the Miami Film Festival in April,” said James Woolley, Executive Director of the Festival. “GEMS has reinforced its status as a must-attend festival for award-season contenders, and we are absolutely thrilled to welcome extraordinary talents like Alfonso Cuarón, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, along with actor Sebastian Stan and renowned costume designer Arianne Phillips.”
The Festival will open on Oct. 30 with “The Room Next Door,” directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. The Sony Pictures Classics film follows Ingrid (Moore) and Martha (Swinton) who were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. Ingrid went on to become an autofiction novelist while Martha became a war reporter, and they were separated by the circumstances of life. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.
Two Netflix titles have been selected as Centerpiece Screenings. France’s official submission to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature, “Emilia Pérez,” directed by Jacques Audiard, follows the journey of four remarkable women in Mexico, each pursuing their own happiness. The fearsome cartel leader Emilia (Karla Sofía Gascón) enlists Rita (Zoe Saldaña), an unappreciated lawyer stuck in a dead-end job, to help fake her death so that Emilia can finally live authentically as her true self. The film won the Cannes Jury Prize and Actress Prize earlier this year. Written and directed by Audiard (Rust and Bone, A Prophet), the double Cannes-winning film also stars Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Édgar Ramírez. “Maria,” features Academy Award®-winner Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, one of the most iconic performers of the 20th century. Directed by Pablo Larrain, the film follows the American-Greek soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. “Maria” reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life.
The final Centerpiece Screening is A24’s “The Brutalist,” an epic historical drama film written and directed by Brady Corbet, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mona Fastvold. The film follows visionary architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) and his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) as they flee post-war Europe in 1947. As they rebuild their legacy and witness the birth of modern America, their lives are changed forever by a mysterious and wealthy client. Alongside Brody & Jones, the film stars Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy and Isaach De Bankolé. The film will screen in its original 70mm format at the festival.
On Nov. 1, three-time Academy Award-nominated costume designer Arianne Phillips will be honored with the Precious Gem Award during a conversation about her career. This is the first time the award is being presented to a costume designer. This year she worked on the upcoming titles “Joker 2: Folie a Deux” directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, and James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown” starring Timothée Chalamet. Her other credits include “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “Walk the Line,” “W.E.,” “Don’t Worry Darling,” “Nocturnal Animals,” “A Single Man,” “Girl, Interrupted,” and “The People vs. Larry Flynt.” Arianne has received one award and eight nominations from the Costume Designers Guild, the coveted “Campari Passion Award” at the Venice Film Festival, two BAFTAS nominations, a Critics Choice Awards nomination, and a Tony Awards nomination.
Closing out the Festival on Nov. 3 is Searchlight Pictures’ “A Real Pain” directed by, written by and starring Jesse Eisenberg. The film follows mismatched cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) on a tour through Poland to honor their grandmother. Their adventure becomes complicated as old tensions resurface while exploring their family history.
Following closing night, on November 9th the Festival will host a marathon of Alfonso Cuarón’s new Apple TV+ Show “Disclaimer.” The screenings will include a conversation with Cuarón, during which he will be presented with the Precious Gem Award. “Disclaimer” follows the story of acclaimed journalist Catherine Ravenscroft (Cate Blanchett) who built her reputation revealing the misdeeds and transgressions of others. When she receives a novel from an unknown author, she is horrified to realize she is now the main character in a story that exposes her darkest secrets and threatens to destroy her family. In the lead-up to the career conversation & award presentation, the Festival will screen three of Cuarón’s films. Alfonso Cuarón is a five-time Academy Award winner who has written and directed acclaimed films including Golden Lion winner “Roma,” “Gravity,” “Children of Men” and “Y tu mamá también.” In 2022, he produced Alice Rohrwacher’s Oscar-nominated short film “Le Pupille,” making him the second person recognized in seven different Oscar categories. Cuarón’s other credits include “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” “Great Expectations,” “A Little Princess” and his directorial debut, “Sólo con tu pareja.”
Other notable films screening at the 2024 GEMS Festival includes:
● “All We Image As Light” (Director, Payal Kapadia)
● “Better Man” (Director, Michael Gracey)
● “Bird” (Director, Andrea Arnold)
● “Blitz” (Director, Steve McQueen)
● “Bob Trevino Likes It” (Director, Tracie Laymon)
● “Boca Chica” (Director, Gabriella Moses)
● “¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” (Director, Arthur Bradford)
● “The Colors Within” (Director, Naoko Yamada)
● “The Count of Monte Cristo” (Director, Matthieu Delaporte & Alexandre de La Patellière)
● “Dig! XX” (Director, Ondi Timoner)
● “Hard Truths” (Director, Mike Leigh)
● “Heavenly Creatures” (Director, Peter Jackson)
● “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” (Director, Pat Boonnitipat)
● “I’m Still Here” (Director, Walter Salles)
● “La Cocina” (Director, Alonso Ruizpalacios)
● “The Last Showgirl” (Director, Gia Coppola)
● “Marco, the Invented Truth” (Director, Jon Garaño & Aitor Arregi)
● “Memoir of a Snail” (Director, Adam Elliot)
● “Men of War” (Director, Billy Corben & Jen Gatien)
● “Mistress Dispeller” (Director, Elizabeth Lo)
● “Nightbitch” (Director, Marielle Heller)
● “Saturn Return” (Director, Isaki Lacuesta & Pol Rodríguez)
● “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (Director, Mohammad Rasoulof)
● “September 5” (Director, Tim Fehlbaum)
● “Universal Language” (Director, Matthew Rankin)
● “Unstoppable” (Director, William Goldenberg)
Giving audiences a taste of things to come is GEMS Preview Night on Oct. 5 featuring Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night.” At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television – and culture – forever. Directed by Jason Reitman, written by Gil Kenan & Reitman and told in real time, “Saturday Night” is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. Full of humor, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes until we hear those famous words.
In addition, the Festival will host the first-ever official U.S. premiere screening of Heartland on Sunday, October 27, with lead cast members Amber Marshall, Shaun Johnston and Michelle Morgan in attendance. Set in the rolling foothills of the Rockies in the fictional town of Hudson, Alberta, Canada, Heartland follows life on the iconic Heartland homestead as Amy and her family deal with the challenges of running a horse ranch, which has been in the Bartlett-Fleming family for six generations. Beloved by fans around the world the series has made its way into the hearts of viewers in more than 120 countries including the United States – where it was one of the top 10 most-viewed shows across all streaming platforms in 2023, and where Americans watched 22.8 billion minutes of the show in that year alone.
Previously announced, Sebastian Stan will receive the Precious Gem Award at a live recording of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast moderated by Scott Feinberg, Executive Editor of Awards. The event will be held on Nov. 3.
This year’s Festival will host screenings at Silverspot Cinema Downtown, MDC’s Koubek Center, Coral Gables Art Cinema, Regal South Beach, and MDC Wolfson Campus. For ticket sales and the complete GEMS 2024 lineup and schedule visit www.miamifilmfestival.com.
About Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival
Miami Dade College celebrates cinema in two annual events, Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival GEMS (Oct. 30 – Nov. 3, 2024) and Miami Film Festival (42nd annual edition Apr. 4-13, 2025). The 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. 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).
