Audience Award Winner: Risa and the Wind Phone
Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival announced that Juan Cabral’s Risa and the Wind Phone is the winner of the Miami Film Festival GEMS 2026 Audience Award. The film, co-written by Pablo Minces, who joined us for an in-person Q&A, follows a young Argentine girl named Risa who discovers a phone that can speak to the dead.
First Runner-Up: Elsinore
Audiences were deeply moved by Andrew Scott’s performance as Ian Charleson in Elsinore. Directed by Simon Stone and also starring Olivia Colman and Joe Locke, the film follows Charleson in his final days as he prepares to play Hamlet at the National Theater.
Second Runner-Up: I Play Rocky
The ultimate underdog story behind the making of the beloved Rocky also captured the hearts of Miami Audiences. With a stunning performance by Anthony Ippolito as Sylvester Stallone, this crowd favorite was also the first runner-up for the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
