‘I’ve Never Not Been From Miami’

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Rosie

ROSIE HERRERA X JONATHAN DAVID KANE

This week, Miami International Film Festival announced our full lineup of 129 films, including 100 features and 29 shorts.  10 of those shorts form the wittily-named program “I’ve Never Not Been From Miami” (the double-negative “never not” being comically self-aware Miami parlance).

The program pairs some of Miami’s foremost emerging filmmakers with some of the city’s foremost emerging artists.  But if you’re expecting a conventional slate of talking head documentaries, our cadre of locals will once again prove that the originality in Miami’s arts scene is growing into something iconic.

Some of the films include:

ANA MENDEZ X KEISHA RAE WITHERSPOON:  A performance artist, Mendez delves into spiritual and ritualistic realms through a collaborative and experimental process that culminates in art mysticism.  Witherspoon is part of Miami-based Caribbean filmmaker collective Third Horizon, the team behind the short film “Papa Machete” about the fascinating skill of Haitian machete fencing.

CARA DESPAIN X KENNY RICHES:  Despain is an artist who explores regionalism, both in her native Utah and in Miami’s landscape.  Riches directed Miami favorite The Strongest Man, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival and later screened for local audiences at Miami International Film Festival.

DEON RUBI X MONICA PENA: Designer Deon Rubi works in jewelry, sculpture, and interior design, repurposing raw materials into sublime forms.  Peña directed Ectotherms, a hybrid film about teenage ennui in Miami’s swampscape.  The pair also collaborated on feature film Hearts of Palm, premiering at this year’s Festival.

FARLEY AGUILAR X KAREEM TABSCH: Aguilar’s “Invisible Country,” a haunting solo show blending social realism and abstraction, is currently on view at Spinello Projects, a beloved local gallery dedicated to launching some of the city’s most compelling artists.  Kareem Tabsch is the director of O Cinema and a number of short films which have screened at the Festival.    

ROSIE HERRERA X JONATHAN DAVID KANE: Herrera is the mastermind behind Rosie Herrera Dance Theater, lauded for its poetic, innovative, and imaginative performances brought to life by a company of exceptional dancers.  Jonathan David Kane is a prolific filmmaker, whose directorial debut “Papa Machete” premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and later screened at Sundance Film Festival and Miami International Film Festival.  

Other artists profiled include Aholsniffsglue, Agustina Woodgate, Pioneer Winter, Edson Jean, and Brian Butler, with filmmakers Andrew Hevia, Joey Daoud, Swampdog, Tina Francisco, and Tabatha Mudra documenting.  The program is curated by filmmaker Ronnie Rivera (“The Sun Like a Big Dark Animal”) and sponsored by WPBT2, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation.

Experience what it’s like to live and create in Miami!  “I’ve Never Not Been From Miami” will screen in the beautiful Olympia Theater on Monday, March 7th at 7pm as part of the Festival’s Soiree Series.  Tickets are $30 and include a “Behind the Curtain” on-stage after-party featuring DJ Woozles with the artists and filmmakers in attendance.

For more information: https://miamifilmfestival.com/films/ive-never-not-been-from-miami/[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Miami Film Festival