Heads up, film fanatics! Eight original new screenings are premiering at the Little Havana theater thanks to Oolite Arts and Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Miami Film Festival and you can watch them for free.
In a commitment to support the careers of indie filmmakers right here in the city, the two nonprofit community leaders teamed up to launch an initiative named Family Commissions. It provided a total of $120,000 to eight filmmakers to create new short films responding to the theme of “family” and what it means to them. The storytellers selected to participate are: Adrian Cardenas, Javier Labrador, Chris Molina, Frantzy Moreau, Michael J. Ruiz-Unger, Mariana Serrano, Rahe-wanitanama and Randy Valdes.
Each of them had up to six months to work on their films, which are going to be presented at the Tower Theater on Thursday, August 25 from 7-9 p.m.
Here’s the full schedule to look forward to:
- “In an Orderly Fashion” by Adrian Cardenas – A Zen-seeking nurse refuses to comply with her husband’s unwavering wish after he’s diagnosed with a terminal illness. Cardenas, a former Major League Baseball player, turned the lens on his parents, their family home and home videos in the creation of his film.
- “Road Work Ahead” by Javier Labrador – After a hard day at work, Ernesto and Sebastián go out for a walk. The two are father and son, but haven’t lived together in a while. Everything goes as planned, until they get into an awkward conversation they have been avoiding. Both try to understand each other, but still, communication for the deaf son and his father is a long road.
- “I Wonder If I’m Growing” by Chris Molina – In this first-person documentary, Molina combines talking heads with his own archival footage to document a quarter-life crisis brought on by his ever-changing family dynamics as he sinks deeper into adulthood.
- “Boy.with.angel.wings” by Frantzy Moreau – A young man returns home for the holidays to be with the family he has left. After he gets robbed of a family heirloom, he will stop at nothing to recover it, even if it brings him to his demise.
- “Save the Flea” by Michael J. Ruiz-Unger – Teenagers Miguel and Rosa go on a first date, embarking on a search for a mysterious booth that holds an ancient good luck charm that can save the flea market – home to their family businesses – from permanent closure.
- “Arroz, Leche y Powerball!” by Mariana Serrano- A dysfunctional Hispanic family plays the Powerball in hopes to better their lives, but they learn the real prize lies within them.
- “Remedios” by Randy Valdes – After a brain transplant, Remedios struggles to redefine her identity in a male body. When she finds her former body standing in the attic, alive and healthy albeit vacant of mind, it thrusts her meddling family into chaos over what she should do with it.
- “Arihuna (Foreigner)” by Rahe-wanitanama – This first-person documentary tells the story of an Indigenous woman who explores routine denial in the context of family and personal losses, while other certain forms of her original territories are devalued.
If you attend the screening, you’ll also be able to meet all eight filmmakers in person! Although the event is free and open to all, you should RSVP to attend. Visit the MDC Tower Theater website for more information.
The Tower Theater Miami is located in the heart of Little Havana, next door to the famous Domino Park, at 1508 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33135