If you’re a fan of all things cinema, then you don’t want to miss out on the 9th annual Miami Film Festival GEMS coming to MDC’s Tower Theater. Expanding to eight days from its traditional four-day format, the festival returns from November 3-10 and is set to screen some of the best films from around the globe.
There’s a spectacular lineup this year, with films from 14 countries making it the most ever in a GEMS lineup. The festival will open with Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the sequel to the 2019 mystery film Knives Out, and will close out with Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, which stars Gabriel LaBelle as a 16-year-old aspiring filmmaker alongside Michelle Williams and Paul Dano.
In fact, Paul Dano will virtually receive the Precious GEM Award, which honors those one-of-a-kind artists whose contributions to cinema are lasting and unforgettable.
Actor Raúl Castillo will also receive the Art of Light Award and will attend a screening of The Inspection, where he stars as the sympathetic superior, Drill Sergeant Rosales, a deeply moving film about a young gay Black man, rejected by his mother and with few options, who decides to join the Marines.
Two centerpiece screenings on the lineup include director Sarah Polley’s Women Talking, based on the novel by Miriam Toews, and Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, which is being touted as a triumphant return to the big-screen for its lead actor, Brendan Fraser, who received a six-minute standing ovation at the London Film Festival for his role.
Over the years, Miami Film Festival GEMS has evolved into one of the country’s premiere fall festivals, where Miami cinephiles can come to the historic Tower Theater Miami and, in the course of a week, see all of the most acclaimed films of the year and surefire Oscar contenders before anyone else has had a chance to see them,” said Interim Executive Director Nicolas Calzada. “This year’s extraordinary lineup is no exception. We are so proud of this collection of gems from over a dozen different countries. Miami’s film-loving community is in for a huge treat.”
It’s more important now than ever to support MDC’s Tower Theater by showing up to this year’s festival. After two decades of operating the art cinema, Miami Dade College is looking for alternatives because City of Miami officials made the decision to terminate the college’s lease. The decision is effective Jan. 2, 2023.
MDC’s historic Tower Theater is located at 1508 SW Eighth Street. For more information on this unmissable celebration of the movies, head to their website.