Calling all movie buffs! Miami Dade College’s acclaimed Miami Film Festival is returning today — April 3rd — and one can say it’ll be its biggest and best year ever. Running through April 13th, the beloved event is now in its 42nd year and will feature more than 198 feature films from over 45 countries worldwide. A noteworthy 35 of them will be world premieres and 72 will make their Florida premiere.
About Miami Film Festival 2025
MFF has honored cinema since 1983 and is considered the preeminent film festival for showcasing Ibero-American cinema in the U.S. This year’s festival will open with “Meet the Barbarians,” a French comedy drama by Julie Delpy that follows a small town preparing to welcome Ukrainian refugees in exchange for government subsidies, but a Syrian refugee family shows up instead.
The festival will close with “On Swift Horses,” starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, Will Poulter, Diego Calva and Sasha Calle. From director Daniel Minahan, the 1950s-set western tells a story of love and luck.
What to expect at this year’s Miami Film Festival
A highlight of the festival are the exclusive Marquee screenings and insightful Q&As with directors that are set to take place: “Another Simple Favor” (directed by Paul Feig), “Oh, Hi!” (directed by Sophie Brooks) and “Two Women” (directed by Chloé Robichaud).
Feig will not only be in attendance, but he’ll receive the festival’s Precious Gem Award. Mark Duplass will be honored with the Impact Award following a screening of his show, “Good American Family,” and Roger Ross Williams will also be given the Impact Award following a screening of his acclaimed documentary, “Stamped from the Beginning.”
Lastly, Melanie Lynskey will receive the Precious Gem Award and participate in an in-depth conversation about her career, including her two-time Emmy nominated performance in “Yellowjackets,” along with “Heavenly Creatures,” “Don’t Look Up,” “The Last of Us” and “The Tattooist of Auschwitz.”
In addition to spectacular screenings, MFF will award cash prizes to many different films, from its $15,000 MARIMBAS Award for international narrative feature films to its Made in MIA Short Film Award for the best short film in South Florida — with a $60,000 in equipment rental prize provided by Panavision.
Where does the Miami Film Festival take place?
Screenings will take place at multiple venues across the city, including Silverspot Cinema, the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall, Regal Cinema South Beach, Cosford Cinema, Coral Gables Art Cinema, the Miami Beach Bandshell, O Cinema South Beach and PAMM. Notably, MFF will be reviving the historic Olympia Theater in downtown Miami, an architectural 1920s gem!
For the full schedule and tickets, head to the Miami Film Festival website.