Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival Introduces “GEMS” and a New “MIFFecito” Program
 |
| For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival Introduces “GEMS” and a New “MIFFecito” Program
Return of October Mid-Season Festival to Become an Annual Event
MIAMI, FL – Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival, the only major film festival worldwide produced by a college or university, today announced that last season’s four-day mid-season Festival will return in 2015, with a new name, “GEMS.”
“GEMS” will unfold October 22 – 25, 2015, exclusively at MDC’s acclaimed Tower Theater, one of Miami’s oldest cultural landmarks, and feature las joyas de la corona (the jewels of the crown) of the season’s finest new cinematic works.
Executive director Jaie Laplante also announced that GEMS will become a permanent addition to the Festival’s activities, and will be held as an annual event every October. “It’s clear that the Festival’s programming and style continues to resonate with both veteran and new audiences in the Magic City,” he said. “GEMS will give us another opportunity to introduce a specially curated program of new movies that truly sparkle, as we countdown to the Festival’s 33rd edition next March 4 – 13, 2016.”
As with the first edition, the second annual Miami International Film Festival GEMS is expected to draw in-person appearances by international filmmakers and stars, and some anticipated Oscar contenders, and the Festival’s celebrated mix of parties, master classes and additional social events will continue to feature prominently. In 2014, Cuba’s Oscar submission Behavior (Conducta), Spain’s box office phenomenonSpanish Affair (Ocho apellidos vascos) and Mexico’s Paradise (Paraíso) received amongst their earliest U.S. screenings at the mid-season Festival.
Laplante further announced that the former name of the mid-season Festival, “MIFFecito,” would henceforth serve as the program title for the Festival’s family programming.
“Some of our most memorable moments of the past few years have been events where parents could share in the Miami International Film Festival experience along with their kids,” added Laplante. “Our on-stage post-screening soccer matches after our premiere of Juan Jose Campanella’s Foosball (Metegol)and the visit by Belt from the movie The Croods provided great memories, and we look forward to many more in this year’s MIFFecito program.”
The first program of short films for young children under the new MIFFecito insignia will take place Saturday afternoon, September 12, 2015, at the Freedom Tower as part of the Miami Downtown Development Authority’s DWNTWN Art Days.
Submissions for both programs will be accepted by the Festival beginning June 1st, with program details for both events will be unveiled over the summer, with the complete GEMS line-up announced in late September.
The 33rd annual edition of Miami International Film Festival will run March 4 – 13, 2016, and is expected to screen approximately 125 films from as many as 40 different countries. For more information, membership or sponsorship opportunities, please visit miff2020.wpengine.com or call 305-237-FILM (3456).
# # #
About Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival About MDCulture
Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival Contacts: |
