2024 Miami Film Festival Full Program Announced

Miami Film Festival announced its acclaimed lineup for its upcoming Festival taking place from April 5-14, 2024. The Festival will open with Thelma, directed by Josh Margolin and starring June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, and Parker Posey. The Festival will close with Ezra, directed by Tony Goldwyn, who will be in attendance on Saturday, April 13. Featuring ten World Premieres, ten North American Premieres, five U.S. Premieres, and 11 East Coast Premieres, and 42 Florida Premieres, the 2024 Miami Film Festival will celebrate more than 165 feature narratives, documentaries, and short films of all genres, from over 31 countries worldwide.

“This year’s lineup spotlights exciting narrative programming, essential documentaries, and groundbreaking shorts, bringing an unbelievable host of films to our local community,” said James Woolley, Executive Director. “The Miami Film Festival is delighted to welcome our audiences back for another year of incredible screenings and inspiring conversations.”

“We are thrilled to be bringing this incredible slate of diverse and exciting films to Miami,” said Lauren Cohen, Director of Programming. “With over 30 countries featured and nearly half of the presented features being directed by women, this lineup showcases films from some of the most prestigious festivals in the world, as well as a hugely impressive slate of works from up-and-coming filmmakers making their world, international, and North American premieres. We are so proud to have a lineup of films that will truly move audiences as we celebrate the very best in world cinema.”

MFF will open with the Magnolia Pictures film Thelma. Josh Margolin’s American comedy film follows a grandmother who embarks on a quest to recoup her money after she loses $10,000 in a phone scam. The film stars June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg, and Malcolm McDowell. Director Josh Margolin and producer Zoë Worth will be in attendance to introduce the film.

The Festival will close with Bleecker Street’s Ezra, starring Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, Robert De Niro, Vera Farmiga, Whoopi Goldberg, and Rainn Wilson. From director Tony Goldwyn, Ezra follows Max Bernal, a stand-up comedian living with his father, while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra with his ex-wife. When forced to confront difficult decisions about their son’s future, Max and Ezra embark on a cross-country road trip that has a transcendent impact on both their lives. Ezra is an endearing and often funny exploration of a family determined to find their way through life’s complexities with humor, compassion, and heart. 

Three MARQUEE screening presentations will be presented with directors in attendance for post-screening Q&As. These include:

Dear Jassi (India, directed by Tarsem Singh), following the story of a young couple who desperately want to be together, but are separated due to time, distance, and societal expectations. Directly following the Florida Premiere screening of Dear Jassi, the Festival will host a 35mm retrospective screening of Singh’s 2000 film The Cell, co-presented by Popcorn Frights.

Sing Sing (United States, directed by Greg Kwedar), following the story of a theater troupe who finds escape from the realities of incarceration through the creativity of putting on a play in this film based on a real-life rehabilitation program and featuring a cast that includes formerly incarcerated actors. Starring Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Paul Raci and Sean San José. 

The Performance (United States, directed by Shira Piven), following the story of Harold May, an American Jew and gifted tap dancer. While on tour in Europe, Harold, played by Jeremy Piven, and the rest of his troupe are scouted by a German attaché who leads the troupe to an exclusive performance for Hitler himself.

Three CINEDWNTWN Gala screening presentations will take place at the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall with talent in attendance. These include:

Los Frikis (United States, directed by Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz) – World Premiere – Based on the true story of teenagers who deliberately inject themselves with HIV to escape the oppression of “Special Period” Cuba.

Mountains (United States, directed by Monica Sorelle), following a Haitian demolition worker who is faced with the realities of redevelopment as he is tasked with dismantling his rapidly gentrifying Miami neighborhood.

The Asylum (United States, directed by Jaime Gutierrez), transports us back to Miami Senior High in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, where we witness the impact and legacy of the Stingarees basketball program.

The Festival will also feature a CENTERPIECE screening of The Idea of You, directed by Michael Showalter, the celebrated director behind films such as The Big Sick and The Eyes of Tammy Faye. The Idea of You stars Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, and centers on Solène, a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected whirlwind romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet.

Additional events include:

• Preview Night screening of the Sony Pictures Classics film Wicked Little Letters on March 20th at Miami Dade College’s Koubek Center.
• Bal Harbour Village’s Movie Night on the Beach, featuring a free screening of the 2007 indie hit film Waitress on March 14th, in celebration of Pi Day.
• Free Screening of official Festival selection Suze at Mayfair House Hotel & Garden in Coconut Grove.
• Spotlight on Cuban Cinema, showcasing over ten films from Cuban and Cuban exile origin, sponsored by ArtesMiami.

The Festival is curated by Director of Programming Lauren Cohen; senior programmer Thom Powers (documentary), Ivonne Cotorruelo (Ibero-American Films Programmer), Rachel Bleemer (features), Alejandro Rios (Cuban Films Programmer), and Chris Molina (short films).

Other major Festival sponsors are Miami-Dade County, State of Florida’s Division of Arts and Culture, Miami Downtown Development Authority, official wine sponsor The Critic, Tilia Real Estate and The Historic Alfred I. Dupont Building. The Festival’s headquarter hotel is the JW Marriott Marquis Miami. All Spanish-language films in Miami Film Festival are supported by FlixLatino. 

Miami Film Festival screenings will take place at 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. Individual tickets for all Festival events will go on sale to the general public beginning March 7. Festival members will have the opportunity to pre-buy beginning March 5.

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