Miami Film Festival – April 5-14 2024
Marimbas Award
$20,000 Marimbas Award is a cash competition for the jury-selected U.S. or international narrative feature film (60 min or longer) that best exemplifies richness and resonance for cinema’s future. The cash prize will go to the lead producer (production company), but is eligible to be split with a US distributor, if there is a US company that has made a commitment to release the winning film in US theaters prior to a VOD release.
A marimba is a variation of a xylophone that produces a deeper, richer and more resonant tone that 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 top award is inspired by the 2011 winner of the Festival’s top award, Julio Hernandez Cordon’s Marimbas from Hell, which embodies the spirit of forward-looking cinema.
2024 WINNER
Los Frikis, directed by Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz
2023 WINNER
The Beasts, directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen
2022 WINNER
Freda, directed by Géssica Généus.
Jury: Damon D’Oliveria, April Dobbins, and Rubén Peralta Rigaud
2021 WINNER
Quo Vadis, Aida?, directed by Jasmila Žbanić.
Jury: Mollye Asher, Claire Breukel, and Samuel Kishi Leopo
2020 WINNER
La Llorona, directed by Jayro Bustamante, lead produced by La Casa de Produccíon of Guatemala in co-production with Mexico, and distributed in the US by Shudder.
Jury: Álvar Carretero de la Fuente, Rupert Lloyd and Elena Manrique.
2019 WINNER
Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra’s Birds of Passage
Ciudad Lunar Productions of Colombia and The Orchard (US distributor)
2018 WINNER
Diego Lerman’s A Sort of Family (Una especie de familia)
2017 WINNER
Cristian Jimenez and Alicia Scherson’s Family Life (Vida de familia)
2016 WINNER
Pascal Caucheteux and Jacques Audiard’s Dheepan
2015 WINNER
Luis Albores, Erika Avila, Carlos Mesa and Armon O’Farrill’s The Obscure Spring (Las oscuras primaveras)
2014 WINNER
Fernando Coimbra’s A Wolf at the Door
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