Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival to Host Signature Encuentros Development Program for Global Spanish and Portuguese Films in Progress

For Immediate Release:

March 2, 2011

Miami Dade College’s
Miami International Film Festival to Host Signature Encuentros Development Program for Global Spanish and Portuguese Films in Progress

Industry events and meetings for 2011 participants and projects from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Miami to be held March 9-11 in Miami Beach

Miami, FL — As the leading U.S. film festival gateway for Ibero-American filmmakers seeking assistance with global financing, development, distribution and theatrical release, organizers of Miami Dade College (MDC)’s 2011 Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), today announced the lineup of projects selected to participate in the ninth-annual edition of the internationally renowned Encuentros Program for feature-length projects in progress. Encuentros (“encounters” in Spanish) is the only development program of its kind among film festivals in the U.S.—and one of the few in the world—that is dedicated exclusively to nurturing new Spanish- and Portuguese-language cinema from Spain, Portugal, Central America, South America and the Caribbean, as well as film projects targeting U.S. Hispanic audiences. The Program’s private, by-invitation-only series of networking meetings and roundtable discussions will be held March 9-11 at the Royal Palm Hotel in Miami Beach (Festival headquarters and Official Host Hotel).

“We are proud of Miami International Film Festival’s track record of support to some of the best Iberoamerican film projects to emerge since 2003,” said Festival executive director Jaie Laplante. “I am certain that by bringing this year’s slate of projects to Miami for encounters with some of the most astute professionals in the business, these projects will find their way to MIFF premieres in the years to come.”

Since the program’s inception in 2003, numerous international award winners and box-office successes have received assistance through Encuentros, including: Acné from Uruguay by director Federico Veiroj; Dog Eat Dog (Perro come perro) from Colombia by director Carlos Moreno; Giant (Gigante) from Uruguay and Argentina by director Adrián Biniez; The Life of Fish (La vida de los peces) from Chile by director Matías Bize; Machuca from Chile by director Andres Wood; and, Madeinusa from Peru, the stunning 2006 debut by director Claudia Llosa, who scored a 2010 Oscar nomination for Best Foreign-Language Film for her follow-up The Milk of Sorrow (La teta asustada). One director, Chilean Gonzalo Justiniano, has even participated twice, first for Lokas (2008) and the soon-to-be-released Have You Seen Lupita? (¿Alguien ha visto a Lupita?).

The international filmmakers and six projects listed by their working titles that are confirmed to participate in the 2011 Encuentros Program are:

• 180 segundos (180 seconds) from Colombia by director Alexander Giraldo
  State of production: Post-production
  Brief synopsis: Can the most successful thief in the city pull off his last big score, leave town and retire? With only three minutes (180 seconds) for the job from start to finish, there’s absolutely no room for errors, but there could be a few wrinkles: a substitute crew member, corrupt police who may want the loot for themselves and a loyal crew who are annoyed they will miss part of the big soccer match, scheduled at the same time as the heist.
  Encuentros representative: Producer Diego Ramirez, whose credits include All Your Dead Ones (Sundance, Rotterdam and MIFF, 2011), Dog Eat Dog (Sundance and MIFF, 2008), Hiroshima (Toronto, 2009), In Coma (Cartagena, 2011) and One, The Story of a Goal (Guadalajara and MIFF 2010).
• Carne de perro (Dog Flesh) from Chile by director Fernando Guzzoni
  State of production: Pre-production; shooting scheduled to begin July 2011
  Other production notes: This project was selected as a participant at the Cannes Residence for 2010- 2011; was voted best project at the Biarritz Film Festival in France in 2009; and was one of the winners of the Chilean Audiovisual Fund. Most recently, it was selected for the Cinemart, at the 2011 Rotterdam International Film Festival.
  Brief synopsis: Dog Flesh (Carne de perro) takes us through a complex week in the life of Alejandro, age 50. A lonely, frugal and unpredictable man, he carries within him the hostility of a dark past as a torturer from Pinochet’s dictatorship. As Alejandro gets dangerously close to losing his grip on reality, he attempts to give new meaning to his life.
  Encuentros representative: Producer Adrián Solar, who runs CENECA Producciones in Chile and has more than 25 film credits, including: My Best Enemy (Mi mejor enemigo) (2004), The Guest (El Huesped) (2005), (In Bed) En la cama (2005) and (Forbidden to Forbid) Prohibido Prohibir (2007).
• Pescador from Ecuador and Colombia by producer/director Sebastián Cordero
  State of production: Post-production
  Brief synopsis: Blanquito is 30, and lives with his mother in a small fishing village on the coast of Ecuador. He is no fisherman, however; he doesn’t have a clue about how to use a net and is not interested in learning. One day, a Colombian woman named Lorna arrives, and Blanquito becomes obsessed with her. When boxes of cocaine “bricks” wash up on shore, the two join forces to sell them for their own personal gains—with interesting and complicated consequences. Encuentros representative: Producer/director Sebastián Cordero, whose credits include Ratas, Ratones, Rateros (1999), Crónicas (2004) and Rabia (2009).
• Polvo (Dust) from Guatemala by director Julio Hernández Cordón (director of Marimbas From Hell, an Official Selection in the MIFF 2011 Ibero-American Competition)
  State of production: Post-production
  Other production notes: Dust was developed at the “Residence Cinefondation” of the Cannes Film Festival Market and with EAVE – Puentes in 2010. It won a development funding award at the Amiens Film Festival in 2008 and is being funded by Ibermedia.

  Brief synopsis: Juan knows the man who turned his father over to the Army during the Guatemalan Civil War; he sees him every day, and he wants revenge. Ignacio and Alejandra are working on a documentary about women who are searching for their lost family members— civilians who “disappeared” in a war that people no longer care about. Juan’s mother, Delfina, is one of their subjects. They try to interview Juan as well, but he declines. Personal problems begin to slow down the documentary’s production, in a way that parallels Juan’s own predicament.

Encuentros representative: Producer Fernanda del Nido, founder of Tic Tac Producciones (Spain), which fosters European and Latin American co-productions, and whose credits include: ¿Qué culpa tiene el tomate? (2009), Agua fría de mar (2010), 18 Meals (2010), Behind the Lights (2011), and Dust (2011).

• Sobre Ruínas: Noite de Reis (Resurgence: Three Kings Night) from Brazil by director Vinícius Reis

  State of production: Pre-production; shooting scheduled for summer 2011
  Other production notes: The original screenplay by Rita Toledo was selected by the Fundación Carolina’s IV Latin American Film Projects Lab in Madrid, Spain, and by the International Seminar of Script Edition and Creative Production IBERMEDIA-UNIACC in Chile. In 2010, Resurgence was one of seven projects (out of 175) to win the prestigious Fund for Low-Budget Features from the Brazilian Ministry of Culture.
  Brief synopsis: One night in the town of Paraty, on the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro, the participants of the Three Kings Night, are busy preparing for the festivities. A man wanders into town; only a few recognize Jorge, who had left five years earlier after his young son, Lucas, died in a fire. Jorge returns to reconnect with his wife, Dora, and daughter, Júlia. Between rehearsals for the festivities and New Year’s Eve, the three family members meet and reminisce, rebuilding bonds that had been lost, human feelings that have been on hold.
  Encuentros representative: Producer Gisela Camara, a co-founder of Brazilian production company El Desierto Filmes with director Jorge Durán and producer/editor Gabriel Durán. The production company’s film credits include: The Color of Destiny (A Cor do seu Destino), official selection in Berlin and Toronto, Best Film in Cartagena; Forbidden to Forbid (Proibido Proibir), which won more than 10 international awards; and Love is All We Need (Não Se Pode Viver Sem Amor), which screened at Guadalajara, Pusan and Montreal.

• Sweet 15 from (Miami, Florida) USA by director Anna Margarita Albelo
  State of production: In development; scheduled to shoot October–December 2011
  Brief synopsis: Sweet 15, to be director Anna Margarita Albelo’s feature film debut, is a coming- of-age comedy set in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood in the 1980s. One day, Lucy Alvarez gets an assignment in school: present a Contribution of Work (C.O.W.) that defines your individual and cultural identity. Lucy and her best friend, Ambrosia, find the perfect project; a “Quinces” celebration, the traditional Latin celebration of a young girl’s transition into womanhood. Unfortunately for Lucy, Erika Payne, the school’s social center and daughter of a wealthy, local politician, has a suspiciously similar idea for her presentation: a Sweet 16 party to end all parties. What’s worse, all three girls share the same birthday, so Lucy and Ambrosia’s Quinces falls on the same night as Erika’s Sweet 16! Who will have the best party?
  Encuentros representatives: Director Anna Margarita Albelo and Producer Jamin O’Brien, head of production and co-chair of Worldview Entertainment, a motion picture production and financing company. His film credits include Boynton Beach Club, Just Like the Son written and directed by Morgan Freeman, and Handsome Harry, starring Jamey Sheridan, Steve Buscemi, and Campbell Scott.

  Encuentros is the cornerstone of the Miami International Film Festival’s Industry Program. The program will be an intensive, three-day networking event, offering new and established directors and producers face-to-face meetings with an array of international film industry executives, including distributors, international sales agents and financiers. They will be able to pitch their projects, each in varying stages of planning and production, and build professional relationships that hopefully will lead to funding, completion, screenings on the international film festival circuit and eventual theatrical release. The

following film industry advisers and executives are scheduled to attend:

20th Century Fox, Puerto Rico/Caribbean: Gustavo Rodriguez-Aparicio

(The office that handles regional distribution of 20th Century Fox titles.)

Aeroplano Cine (Argentina): Sebastián Aloi

(The Buenos Aires-based film production company behind Norberto’s Deadline (Norberto apenas tarde), Fase 7, The Paranoids and Death Club.)

Canana Films (Mexico): Pablo Cruz

(The Mexico City-based film production company founded by actors Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal that is behind Abel, Jean Gentil, Sin Nombre, Rudo y Cursi and Solo quiero caminar; also a top distributor in Mexico behind Leap Year (Año bisiesto), Ajami, The White Ribbon, Fish Tank, The Milk of Sorrow (La teta asustada), Food Inc. and Let the Right One In.)

Dynamo Capital (Colombia): Rodrigo Guerrero

(The Bogota-based film production and distributor behind With or Without Love (Una hora más en Canarias), Undertow (Contracorriente), Rage (Rabia), Dog Eat Dog (Perro come perro), Santanás and Maria Full of Grace.)

Figa Films (USA): Alex Garcia

(The Los Angeles-based distributor and international sales representative behind Marimbas From Hell (Las marimbas del infierno), Half of Oscar (La mitad de Oscar), A Useful Life (La vida útil), Hiroshima, I Travel Because I Have to, I Come Back Because I Love You (Viajo Porque Preciso, Volto Porque Te Amo)

Latido Films (Spain): Silvia Iturbe

(The Madrid-based international sale agent, production company and distributor behind The Secret in Their Eyes (El secreto de sus ojos), Fados, Of Love and Other Demons and Born to Suffer.)

Latino Public Broadcasting (USA): Patricia Boero

(The Los Angeles-based TV production company and distributor behind Chicano Rock! The Sounds of East Los Angeles, Voces, Accordion Dreams and The Blue Diner.)

Magnolia Pictures (USA): Peter Van Steemburg

(The New York City-based production company, distributor and international sales agent behind Magic Trip: Ken Kesey’s Search for a Kool Place, Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times, Ceremony, The Last Circus (Balada triste de trompeta), I’m Still Here, Monsters, I Am Love and Square Grouper.)

Maya Releasing (USA): Tonantzin Esparza

(The Los Angeles-based distributor behind How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer, The Dry Land, The Vicious Circle and Maldeamores.)

Ondamax Films (USA): Eric Mathis

(The Miami Beach-based international sales representative behind Perpetuum Mobile, Perfidy, Gasolina, Coyote and Fabricando Tom Zé)

Paradigm Talent Agency (USA): Carlos Carreras

(The Beverly Hills, Calif.-based talent agency that represents more than 2,100 directors, producers, actors and other talent working in Hollywood today.)

Paramount Pictures (USA): Ben Cotner

(The Los Angeles-based film production company and distributor behind the Transformers franchise, Paranormal Activity, Men In Black III and other international blockbusters.)

Shoreline Entertainment: Sam Eigen

(The Los Angeles-based film production company, distributor and international sales agent behind All

Your Dead Ones (Todos tus muertos), Besouro, Undertow (Contracorriente) and Southern District (Zona Sur).

Strand Releasing (USA): Marcus Hu

(The Culver City, Calif.-based distributor behind Tyrannosaur, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Leap Year (Año bisiesto), Carancho, Rage (Rabia), My Year Without Sex, Puccini for Beginners, Darkbluealmostblack (Azuloscurocasinegro), Grbavica: The Land of My Dreams, Mysterious Skin and Psycho Beach Party.)

Tornasol Films (Spain): Mariela Besuievsky

(The Madrid-based production company behind the in-development Everyone Has a Plan (Todos tenemos un plan), starring Viggo Mortensen; The Last Circus (Balada triste de trompeta); No Return (Sin retorno); the 2010 Oscar winner The Secret in Their Eyes (El secreto de sus ojos), Hermanas and Don’t Tempt Me.)

Venevisión International (Argentina): Millie Luna

(The Buenos Aires-based TV and film distributor behind Others, Lolita’s Club, A Ton of Luck, Bolivar Is Me and Captain Pantoja and the Special Services.)

VisitFilms (USA): Ryan Kampe

(The New York City-based international sale agent that specializes in films on the festival circuit; current clients include Small Town Murder Songs, Tilva Rosh, The Cave of Forgotten Dreams and The Off Hours.)

William Morris Endeavor (USA): Alexis Garcia

(The Los Angeles-based talent agency that represents almost 3,000 directors, producers, actors, editors and other talent working in Hollywood today.)

Encuentros was founded in 2003 by former MIFF programmer Diana Sanchez, who currently serves as the leading Ibero-American films programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival. Sanchez rejoined MIFF earlier this year as a consultant, the senior programmer of the Festival’s signature Ibero- American Competition and director of the Encuentros Program.

During the past nine years, Encuentros has supported more than 55 feature films and documentaries in progress. More than half of those participating works were eventually completed and some went on to achieve critical acclaim and industry distinctions, in addition to box-office popularity and numerous awards on the international film festival circuit. Program success stories that are set to return to Miami for their premieres during MIFF 2011 include:

• U.S. Film Festival Premiere of the feature film The Invisible Eye (La mirada invisible) from Argentina by director Diego Lerman (Encuentros 2010, under the previous working title Ciencias morales, Moral Sciences), an Official Selection of the MIFF 2011 Ibero-American Competition
• U.S. Premiere of the feature film Jean Gentil from Dominican Republic by directors Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas (Encuentros 2009), an Official Selection of the MIFF 2011 Ibero-American Competition
• North American Premiere of the animated documentary Little Voices (Pequeñas voces) from Colombia by directors Jairo Carrillo and Oscar Andrade (Encuentros 2008, under the previous working title Nacidos bajo fuego, Born Under Fire), an Official Selection of the MIFF 2011 DOX Competition and Doc-You-Up Program

• International Premiere of the feature film Water and Salt (Agua y sal) from Argentina by director Alejo H. Taube (Encuentros 2008), an Official Selection of the MIFF 2011 Ibero- American Competition

Other Encuentros success stories that have been completed and released since 2003 include:

• 7 Virgins (7 vírgenes) from Spain by director Alberto Rodriguez (Encuentros 2005); nominated for six 2006 Goya Awards, including Best Film and Best Screenplay, and won Best New Actor; winner, Silver Seashell for Best Actor, 2005 San Sebastián International Film Festival
• Acné from Uruguay by director Federico Veiroj (Encuentros 2005, under previous working title La Coproducción), an Official Selection of MIFF 2009; winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 American Film Institute’s AFI Fest and nominee for Best Spanish-language Foreign Film at the 2009 Goya Awards (Spain).
• Bad Day to Go Fishing (Mal día para pescar) from Spain and Uruguay by director Álvaro Brechner (Encuentros 2006); winner, Free Spirit Award, 2009 Warsaw International Film Festival; winner, Best Actor, 2009 Mar del Plata Film Festival; winner, Best Screenplay, 2009 Lima Latin American Film Festival; winner, Best Art Director, 2009 Gijón International Film Festival
• The Ballroom (Chega de Saudade) from Brazil by director Laís Bodanzky (Encuentros 2006), released theatrically in Brazil in 2007
• Dog Eat Dog (Perro come perro) from Colombia by director Carlos Moreno (Encuentros 2007), an Official Selection of MIFF 2008; nominee, Grand Jury Prize, World Cinema Competition, 2008 Sundance Film Festival; winner, Best Feature Debut, 2008 Lima Latin American Film Festival; winner, Silver Colon for Best Screenplay, 2008 Huelva Latin American Film Festival; winner, Mayahuel Award for Best Actor, 2008 Guadalajara Mexican Film Festival
• The Dog Pound (La perrera) from Uruguay by director Manuel Nieto (Encuentros 2004), an Official Selection of MIFF 2007; winner, Tiger Award for Best First Feature, 2006 Rotterdam International Film Festival; winner, Best Cinematography, Clarín Entertainment Awards (Argentina); nominee, Golden India Catalina Award for Best Film, 2007 Cartagena Film Festival
• Giant (Gigante) from Uruguay and Argentina by director Adrián Biniez (Encuentros 2007); winner, Silver Bear and Best Debut Film, 2009 Berlin International Film Festival; winner, Horizons Award, 2009 San Sebastian International Film Festival; nominee, Best Spanish-language Foreign Film, 2010 Goya Awards (Spain).
• Heartlift (Lifting de corazón) from Argentina by director Eliseo Subiela (Encuentros 2003); MIFF 2006 Opening Night Film
• The Holy Girl (La niña santa) from Argentina by director Lucrecia Martel (Encuentros 2003), an Official Selection of MIFF 2005; World Premiere at 2004 Cannes Film Festival
• In Coma (En coma) from Colombia by director Juan David Restrepo (Encuentros 2009), World Premiere at 2011 Cartagena Film Festival.

• The Life of Fish (La vida de los peces) from Chile by director Matías Bize (Encuentros 2009), Chile’s Official Country Submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 2011 Academy Awards.
• Lokas from Chile by director Gonzalo Justiniano (Encuentros 2007), an Official Selection of MIFF 2008
• Machuca from Chile by director Andrés Wood (Encuentros 2003); World Premiere, 2004 Cannes Film Festival; winner, Best Film, 2004 Bogota Film Festival; winner, Best Film, Valdivia International Film Festival; winner, Best Cinematography, 2005 Havana Film Festival; winner, Audience Award, 2004 Vancouver International Film
• Madeinusa from Peru, the stunning 2006 debut by director Claudia Llosa, of the 2010 Oscar- nominated The Milk of Sorrow (La teta asustada); (pre-Encuentros, 2002): it was through these early meetings with Llosa that influenced the Miami International Film Festival to create Encuentros in 2003.
• Radio Love from Spain by director Leonardo Armas (Encuentros 2008), an Official Selection at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival and theatrically released in Spain
• Rolling Family (Familia rodante) from Argentina by director Pablo Trapero (Encuentros 2003), an Official Selection at MIFF 2005
• Santanás from Colombia by director Andrés Baiz (Encuentros 2005); World Premiere at MIFF 2007; winner, Best Colombian Film, 2007 Bogota Film Festival; winner Best Colombian Film, Cartagena Film Festival
• Septembers (Septiembres en el mar de la China) from Spain by director Carles Bosch (Encuentros 2006); World Premiere at MIFF 2007
• Son & Moon (Diario de un astronauta) from Spain by director Manuel Huerga (Encuentros 2007), an Official Selection of the MIFF 2010 DOX Competition
• The Watercolorist (El acuarelista) from Peru by director Daniel Rodriguez (Encuentros 2006), completed and released theatrically in 2008

  Other prominent Encuentros projects since 2003 that are still in the development pipeline and/or have been completed since late 2010 and are preparing for release later in 2011 or early 2012:

• Dirty Hearts (Corações Sujos) from Brazil by director Vicente Amorin, who previously directed the 2008 World War II drama Good, starring Viggo Mortensen and Jason Isaacs; (Encuentros 2004); completed early 2011
• Have You Seen Lupita? (¿Alguien ha visto a Lupita?) from Chile by director Gonzalo Justiniano (Encuentros 2004, under previous working title Lupe); completed early 2011 and stars real-life husband and wife Angelica Castro (In Plain Sight) and Cristián de la Fuente (Private Practice and MIFF 2010 Official Selection Dawson, Isla 10).
• The Line from USA by director Eduardo Sánchez (Encuentros 2009), whose 1999 feature film debut, The Blair Witch Project (co-written and co-directed with Daniel Myrick), revolutionized the

reality-horror genre, earned more than $250 million worldwide and won the Award of Youth for Best Foreign Film at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival and the 2000 Independent Spirit Award from Film Independent for Best First Feature made for under $500,000; project status: in pre- production; Sanchez is currently filming his latest horror film, The Possession.

• Meu Pais from Brazil by director André Ristum (Encuentros 2007, under the working title The Square Man, O Homem que deu certo), starring Rodrigo Santoro (I Love You Phillip Morris, Lost, 300); project status: filming completed in late 2010, currently in post-production and scheduled for 2011 release
• Pablo from USA by director Richard Goldgewicht (Encuentros 2008), an animated biography/documentary featuring real-life cameos and commentary by Jeff Bridges, Andy Garcia, Jon Voight, Angelica Huston and Jonathan Demme, among others; completed in late 2010
• Porfirio from Colombia by director Alejandro Landes (Encuentros 2010); project status: completed in late 2010 and scheduled for 2011 release.
• Tanta agua (So Much Water) from Uruguay by directors Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge (Encuentros 2008); project status: in pre-production in 2011 and scheduled for 2012 release
• El Último Comandante from Costa Rica and Brazil by directors Isabel Martinez and Vicente Ferraz (Encuentros 2007, under previous working title The King of Cha Cha Cha, El rey del Cha Cha Cha); completed in 2010

  The 28th annual edition of the Miami International Film Festival runs March 4-13, 2011. For more information about the Encuentros Program and a schedule of industry events during the Festival, visit www.miff2020.wpengine.com.

  IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR MEDIA PROFESSIONALS COVERING MIFF:

Film stills: Interviews:

Credentials/press badges:

Select film stills may be available for Encuentros projects. Contact MIFF publicists for details.

May be available with participating Encuentros directors and producers, as well as Encuentros development advisers and industry executives, and Encuentros Program Director Diana Sanchez in-between sessions at the Royal Palm Hotel (Festival HQ), 1545 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach. Contact MIFF publicists for details.

Press badges are REQUIRED for ALL PRESS to enter and cover Encuentros-related meetings and events, press conferences, pre- scheduled in-person interviews with directors and talent, REEL Education Seminars, post-screening panels and Q&A’s with directors and talent, and all other Festival special events. Only electronic applications will be accepted. You must register all members of your coverage team through the application posted on the “Accreditation” page in the “Press” section of the Festival’s website at www.miff2020.wpengine.com.

Press Updates: A complete schedule of all Festival events will be posted on the website within a week of the Festival. Please check our website,

www.miff2020.wpengine.com, for regular updates.

About Miami International Film Festival
The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), celebrating its 28th edition March 4-13, 2011, is the premier Ibero- American film festival in the U.S. The annual event, which is produced and presented by Miami Dade College, attracts more than 70,000 film enthusiasts and 400 filmmakers, stars and industry professionals. During the past five years, the festival has screened films from 60 countries and hosted 300 East Coast, U.S. and world premieres. Through Encuentros, the festival’s mentorship and film development program for filmmakers and projects from Spain, Portugal and Latin America, MIFF has become a primary gateway for the discovery of Ibero-American talent in the entertainment world. In addition, the festival’s REEL Education Seminar Series consistently attracts top executives from Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Classics, IFC Films, Fox Searchlight, DreamWorks Animation, HBO Films/HBO Latino and William Morris Endeavor, among many others. For more information, visit www.miff2020.wpengine.com or call 305-237-MIFF (3456).

About Miami Dade College

Miami Dade College has a long and rich history of involvement in the cultural arts, providing South Florida with a vast array of artistic and literary offerings including The Miami Book Fair International, the Cultura del Lobo performing arts series, The Cuban Cinema Series, nine visual arts galleries including The Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College and the School of Entertainment and Design Technology in addition to the Miami International Film Festival. MDC is the largest institution of higher education in the country and is nationally recognized for many of its academic and cultural programs. With an enrollment of more than 170,000 students, MDC is the nation’s top producer of associate in arts and associate in science degrees. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers offer more than 300 distinct degree programs, including baccalaureate degrees in education, nursing, public safety management and other in-demand fields.

Additional MIFF media contact: Danny Diaz, publicist, 305-389-8986, danny@miamifilmfestival.com.

Additional MDC media contacts: Tere Estorino, director of media relations, 305-237-3949, testorin@mdc.edu; Sue Arrowsmith, 305-237-3710, sue.arrowsmith@mdc.edu; Tarnell Carroll, 305-237-3359, tarnell.carroll@mdc.edu; or Alejandro Rios, 305-237-7482, arios1@mdc.edu.

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