Miami International Film Festival Announces “MIFFecito” Festival to Celebrate Grand Re-Opening of Historic Tower Theater

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Miami International Film Festival, Produced and Presented by 

Miami, FL – Miami International Film Festival (MiamiFF), a program of Miami Dade College’s MDCulture, today announced plans to celebrate the grand re-opening of MDC’s Tower Theater, the classic 1926 movie house that is one of Miami’s oldest cultural landmarks, with a mid-season Festival, “MIFFecito.”

After closing the Tower Theater’s doors for several months to undergo much-needed repairs, with the support of the City of Miami led by Commissioner Frank Carollo, MDCulture plans to provide an even greater cinematic experience for Miami patrons for the beloved facility’s re-opening. Tower Theater patrons now enjoy big, beautifully immersive cinematic pictures, with a depth, color and realism that is at the forefront of the new era in global motion picture exhibition, thanks to MDCulture’s recent upgrade of projection equipment to a state-of-the-art 4K digital experience.

To celebrate, MiamiFF has created MIFFecito, a four-day event set for October 16 – 19, 2014, to be held exclusively at MDC’s Tower Theater. MIFFecito will distill the annual MIFF experience of the best of world cinema, into a concentrated weekend of 8 to 10 international, North American, US and Florida red-carpet premieres accompanied by in-person appearances by visiting filmmakers and stars, as well as parties and additional social events.

“Following the overwhelming success of our 31st annual edition this past March, common refrains from Miami movie lovers were laments about the long wait until next year’s Miami International Film Festival,” said MiamiFF executive director Jaie Laplante.  “Just as Miami’s beloved ‘cafecito’ culture is an enduring part of life in the Magic City, so too will ‘MIFFecito’ provide the perfect teaser taste to next year’s 32nd edition running March 6-15, 2015.”

The MIFFecito program will be announced in early September.

Thousands of guests attended the 31st annual Festival, which screened 97 feature films and 44 short films from 39 countries. For more information, please visit miff2020.wpengine.com or call 305-237-FILM (3456).

The Tower Theater was recognized by USA Today as “one of the 10 great places to see a movie in splendor” in the newspaper’s round-up of the best old-fashioned movie palaces in America.

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Miami International Film Festival (MiamiFF), celebrating its 32nd anniversary March 6 – 15, 2015, is considered the preeminent film festival for showcasing Ibero-American cinema in the U.S., and a major launch pad for all international and documentary cinema. The annual Festival, produced and presented by Miami Dade College, attracts more than 60,000 audience members and more than 400 filmmakers, producers, talent and industry professionals. It is the only major festival housed within a college or university. In the last five years, the Festival has screened films from more than 60 countries, including 300 World, International, North American, U.S. and East Coast Premieres. MiamiFF’s special focus on Ibero-American cinema has made the Festival a natural gateway for the discovery of new talent from this diverse territory.  The Festival also offers unparalleled educational opportunities to film students and the community at large. Major sponsors of the 2015 Festival include Knight Foundation, Lexus and Miami-Dade County. For more, visit miff2020.wpengine.com or call 305-237-MIFF (3456).

MDCulture is the Cultural Affairs Department of Miami Dade College (MDC). Comprising the Miami Book Fair International, Miami International Film Festival, Tower Theater, the Center for Literature and Theatre, Koubek Center, Freedom Tower, MDC Live Arts and MDC Galleries and Museum of Art + Design, MDCulture is committed to providing everyone the opportunity to come in contact with innovative thinkers, creators and tradition bearers from around the world. With each presentation, MDCulture offers a bridge between cultures and ideas, creating new opportunities for the increasingly diverse population of Miami to come together through shared live arts experiences. For more, visit mdculture.org.

MiamiFF Contact:
Tatyana Chiocchetti | Tel: +1 786-390-4874 | tatyana@miamifilmfestival.com

Juan Mendieta, +1 305-237-7611, jmendiet@mdc.edu