Reeling

The 2009 Borscht Film Festival launches tonight

By Miamians, for Miamians: That's the credo behind the 2009 Borscht Film Festival, which will unspool short films made entirely in South Florida by local filmmakers at 7 p.m. Saturday at downtown Miami's Gusman Center for the Performing Arts.

Now in its sixth year, the festival was created by students at New World School of the Arts as a showcase for works created by like-minded aspiring filmmakers. This year, the festival joins forces with the Miami World Cinema Center (MWCC) in Wynwood, the not-for-profit film studio designed to nurture and assist the local moviemaking scene.

At Saturday's event, MWCC will premiere CCCV Stories, five commissioned shorts chosen from more than 100 proposals. Each film is set in a specific Miami neighborhood and tells an only-in-Miami story. Among them: Of Metrorails and Megasaurs, in which Norah Solarzano uses live action and experimental animation to tell the story of a little girl's first visit to downtown Miami; Day n Night Out, set in Liberty City and Homestead, written by playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney and directed by Lucas Leyva, is about a young man and the seemingly insurmountable obstacles of his life, and Xemoland, Daniel Cardenas' animated tale of a 7-year-old boy who becomes lost in an imaginary world.

All the winners were directed by local filmmakers under the age of 30. The Cinema Center provided initial $5,000 budgets, which the filmmakers parlayed into bigger budgets by working with local vendors and in-kind donations.

"Orson Welles was 24 when he made Citizen Kane," says Patrick deBokay, founder and CEO of the Cinema Center. "The young are the future of the images of tomorrow. Our center, and this festival, are a way to give young people of Miami the passion and the will to make films."

For more information about the 2009 Borscht Film Festival, go here.

Viva España!

The Miami International Film Festival, Miami Dade College and Centro Cultural Español-Miami are hosting the Festival of New Spanish Cinema, a weeklong festival of Spanish films running Tuesday Oct. 6 through Sunday Oct. 11 at the Tower Theater, 1508 SW Eighth Street, Miami.

 The series kicks off with a 7 p.m. cocktail reception Tuesday, followed by a screening of The Shame (La verguenza), director David Planell's drama about a married couple (Alberto San Juan and Natalia Mateo, pictured above) who decide their eight-year old adopted Peruvian son is too much for them to handle and contemplate sending him back home.

Here is the schedule for the rest of the festival. Tickets for all screenings are $6 ($5 for Film Society members, MDC students, CCE members and senior citizens) except opening night, which is $10. A special all-screenings pass is $40. For more information, call 305-237-3456.

7:30 p.m. Wed. Oct 7 and Sunday Oct. 11: Camino, an exploration of religious fundamentalism centering on an 11 year-old girl confronting two defining life issues: Love and death.

7:30 p.m. Friday Oct. 9: Amateurs, the story of a lonely 65 year-old retire who must decide if the teenage girl suddenly claiming to be his daughter is telling the truth.

9:30 p.m. Friday Oct. 9: Desperate Women (Enloquecidas), a comic thriller about three women on the trail of a man who may or may not be dead, directed by Juan Luis Iborra (Mouth to Mouth, Km. 0).

 

5:30 p.m. Saturday Oct. 10 amd Sunday Oct. 11: De Profundis - The Sound of the Sea, an animated love story about a painter whose boat capsizes and is rescued by a mermaid.

7:30 p.m. Saturday Oct. 10: A Fiance for Yasmina (Un novio para Yasmina), a comedy about a wife suspects her husband is cheating on her with another woman, who in turn is trying to get her elusive beau to tie the knot.

9:30 p.m. Saturday Oct. 10: One-Armed Trick (El truco del manco), a drama about an aspiring hip-hop artist suffering from paralysis in half of his body since birth, which won three Goya awards (Spain's equivalent to the Oscars).

''The Cove'' will be screened at the Tokyo Film Festival

In a surprising last-minute decision, organizers of the Tokyo Film Festival have agreed to screen The Cove, the documentary expose of the horrific dolphin slaughter that takes place annually in the Japanese coastal town of Taiji.

In an interview with the Associated Press, festival chairman Tom Yoda declined to discuss how the decision was reached, but admitted there had been strong arguments against showing the film, which could lead to "an unexpected controversy."

"We considered the freedom of expression," Yoda said. "And there was interest in the work from all over the world." 

The Cove's presence at the festival will be downplayed - it isn't even part of the festival's official program book - but the fact the movie is being shown there at all should be thrilling news for director Louis Psihoyos and dolphin activist Richard O'Barry. Both of them told me they believe if The Cove was ever shown in Japan, public outcry would ensure the dolphin slaughter would cease.

The American Black Film Festival returns to Miami

After a two-year stint in Los Angeles, theAmerican Black Film Festival returns to Miami today. Here is a link to my story about the festival, which runs through Sunday.

The story ran on the front page, which also featured a tease to my Transformers review. I like it when they run my name in big red letters on 1A. You never see them running this guy's name on 1A like that.

26th Miami International Film Festival unveils its award winners

Here is the list of the winning films at this year's festival, which were handed out last night. The festival is still unspooling movies today. Check out www.miamifilmfestival.com for today's schedule of screenings.

WORLD COMPETITION
Knight Grand Jury Prize - $25,000
The Past is a Foreign Land (Il Passato È Una Terra Straniera) by Daniele Vicari, Italy

Special Jury Mention
Best Director, Enrique Rivero, Parque Vía, Mexico

Special Jury Mention
Best Actor, Michele Riondino, The Past is a Foreign Land (Il Passato È Una Terra Straniera) by Daniele Vicari, Italy

Special Jury Mention
Best Supporting Actress, Olga Louzgina in Katia's Sister (Het Zusje Van Katia) by Mijke de Jong, Netherlands

Audience Award 
Kisses by Lance Daly, Ireland/Sweden

FIPRESCI AWARD
Involuntary (De Ofrivilliga) by Ruben Östlund, Sweden

IBERO-AMERICAN COMPETITON
Knight Grand Jury Prize - $25,000
Historias Extraordinarias by Mariano Llinás, Argentina

Special Jury Mention
Best Actress, Catarina Zaavera for The Maid (La Nana) by Sebastián Silva, Chile/Mexico

Special Jury Mention
Tony Manero by Pablo Larraín, Chile/Brazil

Special Jury Mention
Gasoline (Gasolina) by Julio Hernández Cordon, Guatemala

Audience Award
Nora's Will (5 Dias sin Nora) by Mariana Chenillo, Mexico

DOX COMPETITON
Miami Dade College Grand Jury Prize - $25,000
Shakespeare and Victor Hugo's Intimacies (Intimidades de Shakespeare y Victor Hugo) by Yulene Olaizola, Mexico

Special Jury Mention
For its poetic qualities The Inheritors (Los Herederos) by Eugenio Polgovsky, Mexico

Special Jury Mention
For the courage of the subject matter Mental (Seishin) by Kazuhiro Soda, Japan/USA

Special Jury Mention
For Cinematography 16memories (16memorias) by Camilo Botero Jaramillo, Colombia

Audience Award
16 memories (16memorias) by Camilo Botero Jaramillo, Colombia

SHORTS COMPETITION
Miami Dade College Grand Jury Prize  - $2,500
First Love (Elso Szerelem) by Ildikó Enyedi, Hungary

Runner Up
Sandpit#186 (Balastiera#186) by Adina Pintilie and George Chiper, Romania 

Special Jury Mention
Best Performance to Carla Ribas in Day In Day Out (Cotidiano) by Joana Mariani, Brazil

Special Jury Mention
Best Cinematography to Isi Sarfati for Land and Bread (Tierra y Pan) by Carlos Armella, Mexico

CUTTING THE EDGE COMPETITION
On War (De La Guerre) by Bertrand Bonello, France

Special Jury Mention
Beket by Davide Manuli, Italy

SCREENWRITER JORDAN ALEXANDER RESSLER AWARD - $5,000
The Maid (La Nana) by Sebastián Silva, Chile/Mexico

INTERNATIONAL FILM GUIDE INSPIRATION AWARD
For best up and coming new Director in the Ibero American section
The Maid (La Nana) by Sebastián Silva, Chile/Mexico

FLORIDA FOCUS AWARDS
Miami Mini Film
Electric Revolution by Mark Moormann
                      
Student High School Short Film
Winner - Mighty Deadly by Marcus Gonzalez
Special Jury Mention - Legacy: the Story of Miami High by Andre Benitez
                     
Student College Student Film
Tie – Suddenly the Sunrise by Jhonny Obando and The Man Who Was Bold by Michal Zebede

CATEGORY NOTES
Ibero-American Competition
This inspiring competition showcases dramatic features by first and second-time directors from Latin America, Spain and Portugal.  Filmmaker is awarded a $25,000 Knight Grand Jury Prize.

Dox Competition
Documentary feature films from around the world are screened in this prestigious competition.  Social issues, diverse cultures, icons and inspiring people are an integral part of this category. Filmmakers is awarded a $25,000 Miami Dade College Grand Jury Prize.

Shorts Competition
This category features three programs of the best short films from around the world.  Filmmaker is awarded a  $2,500 Miami Dade College Grand Jury Prize.

Cutting the Edge Winner
 MIFF’s newest competition category is an exciting presentation of audio-visual experimentation, surpassing cutting-edge notions. In its first edition, this program showcases provoking, and sometimes extreme, works that stand at the crossroads of video and art disciplines of every kind. Cutting the Edge featured four programs of short films.

Jordan Alexander Ressler Screenwriting Award
Presented by the Jordan Alexander Ressler Charitable Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego. Juried prize of $5,000 awarded to winning screenwriter in the Ibero-American Competition.

International Film Guide Inspiration Award
Presented by Wallflower Press and The Criterion Collection – winning emerging Ibero-American filmmaker will be awarded prizes including: special Awards Scroll, a copy of the 2009 edition of the International Film Guide, various series of films (DVD) and books.

2009 Miami International Film Festival Jury

President of the Jury – Ken Kelsch
Vietnam veteran and filmmaker, Kelsch studied at NYU, receiving his Masters of Fine Arts in 1978.  That year, he was also Director of Photography on his first film: Abel Ferrara's DRILLER KILLER.  Kelsch has worked on documentaries with CNN's Special Assignment Division, and has parachuted with camera for his Army Ranger piece.  He re-teamed with Ferrara in 1992 on BAD LIEUTENANT, and later, BLACK AND WHITE OPUS, THE ADDICTION, THE FUNERAL, BLACKOUT, NEW ROSE HOTEL.  Their latest project is CHELSEA ON THE ROCKS.  Ken has shot many foreign films and TV projects including NOW AND AGAIN, FLING and two seasons of MEDIUM.

World Competition Jury
• MARTIN REJTMAN– (Argentina – assistant director and screenwriter Silvia Prieto)
• PAULA ASTORGA– (Mexico – founder and director of FICCO-Cinemex) 
• JAN CVITKOVIC– (Slovenia – director of bread and Milk and Gravehopping)
• BEATRICE KRUGER– (Switzerland – Casting Agent, FBI Casting and E-Talenta)

FIPRESCI Jury
• PAULO PORTUGAL– (Portugal)
• JOSEFINA SARTORA– (Argentina) 
• ELEANOR RINGEL CARTER– (USA)

Ibero American Jury
• MATÍAS BIZE– (Chile – director of En la Cama and Lo Bueno de Llorar)
• LISANDRO ALONSO – (Argentina – director of La Libertad and Liverpool) 
• ELENA MANRIQUE –  (Spain – executive producer of Pan’s Labyrinth)

Dox Competition Jury
• CAO GUIMARÃES – (Brazil – filmmaker and visual artist)
• JEAN-PIERRE REHM – (France – museum curator) 
• NINA MENKES – (USA – filmmaker and visual artist)

Shorts Competition Jury
• CHIARA CLEMENTE– (USA – filmmaker and visual artist)
• HELVECIO MARINS JR– (Brazil – filmmaker and programmer of San Paulo ISSF) 
• SEAN BAKER– (USA – co-creator of ‘Greg the Bunny’ and director of Prince of Broadway)

Cutting the Edge Jury
• BONNIE CLEARWATER – (USA – Executive Director and Chief Curator of MOCA, Miami)
• HADLEY HENRIETTE – (USA – Managing Editor of 944 Magazine)
• CHRISTINE TAPLIN – (USA – Curator of the Sagamore Hotel, ‘The Art Hotel’)

"Paradise" lost

Here's a link to my interview with director Leon Ichaso, whose new movie Paraiso (Paradise) makes its world premiere at the Colony Theater tonight as part of the Miami International Film Festival.

Tickets for tonight's screening are available on a rush-only basis, but festival organizers have scheduled another showing of the film at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Tower Cinema. Check out www.miamifilmfestival.com for more details.

Watching the "Watchmen" boxoffice

According to early estimates by boxofficemojo.com, Watchmen grossed $55 million this weekend, which is a healthy figure for a violent, 2 1/2-hour R-rated picture, but short of the $60-$70 million projections the studio was eyeing.

By comparison, 300 (the movie that landed Zack Snyder the Watchmen directing gig) earned $70 million in its debut weekend two years ago. The $55 million proves the graphic novel fans turned out en masse this week. It will be the film's word-of-mouth, however, that determines how it fares from now on.

I am seeing Last House on the Left tomorrow night at the AMC Aventura, so I am going to make it a double feature and finally see Watchmen on the IMAX there, either before or after the Wes Craven remake.

Today, I'm working on a Miami Film Festival piece to run in Tuesday's Herald on Leon Ichaso's Paraiso.  Here's a link to my piece from today's paper on wild man Abel Ferrara, who is being honored by the festival with a career achievement tribute on Thursday night. Even though the type is too small to read, I like posting the actual newspaper pages on here, because the stories look and read better in print than they do online.

Wait, does that make me sound like an old fart?

 

Opening today

The 26th Miami International Film Festival kicks off tonight (you can read a selection of reviews for this weekend's films here and read more festival-related stories here).

There are three festival films I'm hoping to catch this weekend. I'm also planning to make time for an IMAX screening of this other little movie opening this weekend, although I don't know if I'll be able to snag a ticket. Regardless, I'll post my Watchmen thoughts on here when I see it.

If you catch something good at the festival, please let me know about it here.

The 26th Miami International Film Festival takes chances

Now in its 26th year, the Miami International Film Festival is easy to take for granted. A reliable fixture on South Florida's late-winter calendar, the event is like an old friend who comes to town every March, bringing along a selection of international cinema with an emphasis on Latin American and Spanish-language productions.

The 2009 festival, which opens Friday and runs through March 15, still has plenty of natural gimmes for Miami, such as Celia the Queen, a loving documentary tribute to the life and career of the legendary singer; El nido vacio (Empty Nest),an Argentine comedy with a touch of magic realism about a middle-aged couple (Cecilia Roth and Oscar Martinez) figuring out what to do with themselves after their children have grown up and moved out; Una semana solos (A Week Alone), the story of suburban Argentine kids left to their own devices by vacationing parents; or Cachao: Uno Mas, a celebration of the late Cuban bass player Israel "Cachao" Lopez hosted by Miami homeboy Andy Garcia.

 

Those selections sell themselves. But look more closely at this year's slate of 97 feature-length and 40 short films and you'll notice a marked - and welcome - difference.

Echoing the spirit of the festival's early editions, this year's lineup is more interested in challenging its audience and broadening its cinematic horizons than in coddling them. Although the roster of directors includes such familiar festival names as Gus Van Sant, Lucrecia Martel, Diego Lerman and Jane Campion, the overall feel is brighter, fresher, with a slate crammed with movies by international filmmakers who embody the ongoing world-cinema trends of neo-realist storytelling, intimate character study and social discourse via fictional plotlines.

 "This year's festival is not radically different in structure," says Vivian Rodriguez, executive director of cultural affairs for Miami Dade College, which is presenting the festival for the sixth year. "We still have the Ibero-American competition, which is where audiences find the biggest comfort level with a lot of Spanish-language films.

"But we also wanted this year's festival to mature and take a larger view and present the kinds of films we might not have presented before," Rodriguez says. "We wanted to push the parameters and see what people are doing with film at the edges. What can you do with this medium and what can you say with it as an art form? It is definitely an edgier program."

For example: Paraiso (Paradise), the latest by Cuban-American filmmaker Leon Ichaso (El Super, Bitter Sugar, El Cantante), focuses on a Cuban balsero who arrives in South Florida and grabs his shot at the good life by taking advantage of everyone he meets - eventually resorting to murder when people get in his way.

Shot entirely in Miami on digital video for a tiny budget, Paraiso is a stylish and captivating take on cultural assimilation, South Florida-style - a bracing blast of uncompromising honesty that will surprise anyone expecting another poignant and heartwarming drama about Cuban exiles assimilating to life in the United States.

Afterschool, the indelible debut of 25-year-old director Antonio Campos, takes another familiar subject - adolescent anomie within the halls of a prep school - and explores it in an astonishingly bold and hypnotic manner, using stunning widescreen compositions, breathtakingly long takes and elliptical storytelling to capture the essence of a troubled teen's struggle to preserve his moral bearings in the face of an all-consuming alienation.

Tony Manero, the study of a middle-aged Chilean man obsessed with winning a John Travolta-lookalike contest during Pinochet's reign of terror in the late 1970s, turns what sounds like a comic premise into a disturbing exploration of the corrosive effects of pop culture.

Even this year's recipient of the festival's career-achievement tribute veers away from the comfortable and predictable. Legendary wild man Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant, King of New York, The Funeral) will be honored for the first time in this country with a series of screenings of past and current films, including Mary, his 2005 seldom-screened tale of the actress (Juliette Binoche) playing Mary Magdalene in a biblical drama directed by an arrogant director (Matthew Modine) who casts himself as Jesus Christ.

"This year's festival is not a program for children," admits festival director Tiziana Finzi, a veteran of the Locarno and Venice Film Festivals who is overseeing Miami's programming for the first time. "I have to admit I'm a little scared about what the reaction is going to be to some of these films, but I've been getting e-mails from directors all over the world saying the program is very, very strong and powerful for America."

 

Reflecting the dire economic realities that affect any cultural program, the 2009 festival is smaller than recent editions were, with fewer films, fewer venues (the Intracoastal and Byron-Carlyle cinemas will not participate this year),fewer screenings at the tough-to-fill Gusman Center for the Performing Arts and smaller, more intimate parties.

Advance ticket sales, too, have been slower than in the past.

"They haven't been as fast and heavy as previous years, although they're picking up a little now," Rodriguez says. "We always expected a little bit of a slowdown because of the economy, so that part of it didn't surprise us. But maybe changing things up had something to do with it, too. But at their best, the arts are about research and experimentation.

"Just like we do with Cultura del Lobo [MDC's international performance series], we're not only presenting the easy mainstream. It's a perfect role for an educational institution like the college. As someone who loves movies, I think this year's festival is a giant candy store. It's not all pretty candy, but it's a very exciting lineup."

 

Finzi says festival organizers have been making a "marketing guerrilla" across Miami in the past week, hoping to push specific films towards the audiences that might appreciate them best. But even if this year's festival is a harder sell than usual, Finzi says that sort of change will benefit the event's long-term future.

And despite the more eclectic nature of the programming, the festival continues to develop its industry roots - an essential part of raising its international profile - with the introduction of an industry office that will cater exclusively to pairing filmmakers with potential financiers, along with scheduled visits by representatives from such studios as DreamWorks Pictures, The Weinstein Co. and Miramax Films.

"My lineup may be more radical than past ones, but after 25 years, all the film festivals around the world are having to find a way to change and stay fresh," Finzi says. "This is my first time in Miami, and the festival has been a challenge for me. And I think it's a challenge for the audience, too. So we'll see. But I have discovered there is a big part of this city that is very intellectual and very curious. If people are accepting of me, and I can stay, I plan to keep reaching out to that audience."

Miami International Film Festival unveils this year's lineup

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Just got back from the snazzy, high-tech press conference where organizers of the 26th Miami International Film Festival unveiled this year's lineup. I haven't had time to properly peruse the program yet, but I'm pretty psyched about their choice of notorious wild man Abel Ferrara as the recipient of this year's Career Achievement Tribute.

The festival's opening night is a documentary (a first for the festival, I believe) entitled Valentino: The Last Emperor, about the legendary fashion designer. Closing night will bring Empty Nest (El nido vacio), a comedy about a middle-aged couple (Cecilia Roth and Oscar Martinez) figuring out what to do with themselves after the last of their children moves out.

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Other intriguing titles in the lineup: Afterschool, director Antonio Campos' highly acclaimed drama about a high school student assigned to create an audiovisual tribute to two dead classmates; Paradise, which brings director Leon Ichaso (Bitter Sugar) back to Miami's mean streets for a tale about a Cuban exile whose arrival to South Florida leads to much trouble; and 8, a collection of shorts by eight international directors (including Gus Van Sant, Jane Campion, Mira Nair, Gaspar Noe and Wim Wenders) centering on the Millenium Development Goals on world poverty.

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In Tony Manero, a man will go to any length - including murder - to win a TV contest for best John Travolta impersonator. Director Steve McQueen's Hunger recounts the experiences by the IRA prisoners who went on a six-week hunger strike in the early 1980s in hopes of seizing the world's attention. And Andy Garcia returns to the festival with Cachao: Uno Mas, director Dikayl Rimmasch's portrait of the late, great Cuban musician Israel "Cachao" Lopez.

The complete lineup should be up on the festival's website later today, but if you can't wait, you can download it here as a .pdf file.

Stargazing at the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival

Actress Jane Lynch, who absolutely kills in every scene in Role Models she appears in, will attend the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival screening of I Do and I Don't at 7 p.m. Friday, where she will be honored with a Career Achievement Award.

Following that screening, Superman Returns' Brandon Routh (who has a memorable extended cameo in Zack and Miri Make a Porno) will attend the 9 p.m. showing of the romantic comedy Fling.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, actor Richard Chamberlain will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award before the festival screening of Strength and Honour. All screenings will be held at the Cinema Paradiso in Fort Lauderdale. Check out www.fliff.com for ticket info.

"Che" makes its U.S. debut

  Che, director Steven Soderbergh's already-controversial, two-part epic about the life and death of Ernesto "Che" Guevara (played by Benicio del Toro), still has not secured a U.S. distributor since it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May. But the two films will be shown at the 46th New York Film Festival, which runs Sept. 26-Oct. 12.

Other films in the lineup, which was announced today, include: Laurent Cantet's The Class, a look at high school life featuring actual students and teachers, which is the opening night film (and won the Palme d'Or at Cannes); Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler, which stars Mickey Rourke as a retired pro wrestler (and sounds a lot more accessible - and commercial - than The Fountain); Clint Eastwood's much-acclaimed Changeling, about a woman (Angelina Jolie) searching for her missing son in 1928 L.A.; and Ashes of Time Redux, Wong Kar Wai's recut and reshaped new version of his first (and only) martial arts movie.

I wanna go.

United Artists celebrates its 90th birthday - and you're invited

To celebrate its 90th anniversary, United Artists (aka the studio that Heaven's Gate killed) is taking a series of some of its best-known films around the country, including a stop in South Florida over four consecutive weekends in April and May.

Founded in 1919 by the fantastic foursome of Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith, UA was formed to give actors and filmmakers creative freedom in an era when the studios called the shots on every aspect of film production, from casting to the theaters where they were shown.

In 1981, after the financial disaster of Heaven's Gate, UA was absorbed by former rival MGM. In 2006, Tom Cruise and his producing partner Paula Wagner took over the reins of UA, securing $500 million to finance new productions.

The new UA's first release thus far, Robert Redford's Lions for Lambs, didn't fare very well. But this is supposed to be a birthday party, dammit, so let's not dwell on current events and relive the happy days instead.

Here is the list of the UA classics scheduled to be shown during the mini-fest. All screenings will be held at the Sunrise Cinemas Stadium 15 at Las Olas Riverfront, located at 300 SW First Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Each movie will be shown three times on its respective day at 1:30 , 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Ticket prices are as follows: $7 for the 1:30 p.m. screenings; all other shows are $8.50 for adults and $7.50 for students. Seniors 62 and over and children under 12 are $6 at all times. To buy tickets, go here.

I tracked down the original one-sheet posters for each of the films, because old movie posters are cool (and some of them are worth big bucks).

April 22 - Annie Hall

April 23 - The Apartment

April 24 - West Side Story

April 29 - Some Like It Hot

April 30 - Raging Bull

May 1 - Rocky

May 6 - The Seven Samurai The Magnificent Seven

May 7 - The Good The Bad and the Ugly

May 8 - Midnight Cowboy

May 13 - The Great Escape

May 14 - Dr. No

May 15 - The Manchurian Candidate

Attack of the film festivals

The 25th Miami International Film Festival may be over, but the local film festival season is just getting started.

First up is the third annual Women's International Film and Arts Festival, which runs March 28-April 6. Boasting 100 feature-length and short films "by women, about women and for all who love women," the event opens with the red pink carpet world premiere of Steam, starring Ally Sheedy and recent Oscar-nominee Ruby Dee, both of whom will attend.

The black-tie screening will be held at the Gusman, followed by an opening-night bash at the Havana Club featuring a performance by Xiomara Laugart, star of the off-Broadway hit Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz, which I can personally attest is a whopping good time. Unfortunately, the party carries a big "BY INVITATION ONLY" label on the program, which is usually code for "We don't want you here." Alabao!

Anyway. Other WIFF events include An Evening With Ruby Dee at the Lyric Theater on March 31, a slew of workshops and panels and, of course, movies. You can download a copy of the festival program here.

  Next up is the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary April 25-May 4. The festival launches with a screening of Breakfast with Scot and closes with Were the World Mine, both at the Gusman.

Other noteworthy events include the festival's centerpiece selection, The Secrets starring Fanny Ardant, and a tribute to iconoclastic film producer Christine Vachon (I Shot Andy Warhol, Go Fish, Far From Heaven) along with a screening of her latest film Savage Grace, starring Julianne Moore.

New this year is the addition of a parallel mini-fest, the Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, which will run May 1-May 4 with its own set of films. The festival's complete lineup will be unveiled this Sunday. 

A few weeks later, the 12th edition of the Brazilian Film Festival of Miami arrives. Running May 30-June 7, the event kicks off with a free outdoor screening of last year's People's Choice Award winners Urban Snapshots (Polaroides Urbanes) and Chicken Blood Stew (Galinha ao Molho Pardo) at the North Beach Bandshell on Collins Avenue.

Nine days of screenings, workshops and parties will follow at the Colony and Lincoln Theaters and Miami Beach Cinematheque. This year's lineup will be announced on April 18th.

Miami Film Festival wrap-up

Here's my wrap-up story on the 25th edition of the festival, which ran in today's paper. I'm talking to Michael Haneke this morning about his Funny Games remake that opens Friday, and then I'm interviewing Michael Pitt at 5 p.m. about the film. In between, I'm hoping to spend the bulk of the day channeling Ferris Bueller.