Billboard Women in Music 2025
The 42nd version of the Miami Film Festival in 2025 is with a collection characterized by a particularly strong display of local films and features for the first time, in addition to the row of the killers of prominent honorees. In total, 198 titles in the festival will play from April 3 to 13 through a mixture of narrative groups, documentary and short features.
The festival, held by Miami Dead College, opens with the “Meet the Barbarians” comedy by Julie Delby (one of the Impact Award for this year). The closing night film is “On Swift Horses” by Daniel Minahan, a drama in the fifties of the last century starring Daisy Edgar Jones and Jacob Illdy.
The festival hosts an international list – films are included from more than 45 countries – but there is also a focus on promoting local talents, whose leadership at the Labor Festival is particularly prominent in this year’s programming.
“I am very positive, it is a record number of local stories at the festival,” says James Walli, the executive director of the Miami Film Festival.
The festival includes two categories dedicated to films that focus on South Florida: the MADE In MIA Award for Features, and a prize made in Mia Short Film.
“The largest amount of films we have ever made in the Made In MIA category since its inception,” says Lauren Cohen, the director of programming, with nine films competing in the opening opening. It includes “Ethan Bloom” from Hirschil Faber, which Cohen describes as a “true love message to Miami”, and it is a “story coming from age” about the traditions of adolescent Jewish family and the emerging interest in Catholicism.
There are also 15 films in the short local category, including “People’s Boats” written by Al’kens Plancher and “Blue Mirror” by Angela Rio and “Night Train Last Stop” by Gina Margilo. Cohen says the local films of the festival “are always the first to sell us.”
“Our city loves seeing local filmmakers, local vigils and crews using our city in well -known locations,” says Cohen.
Cohen says the highlight of another is the documentary of Xander Robin “The Python Hunt”, about the competition initiative to eliminate the gas snake in Everglades. Another film under the title of the environment is “The Edge of Hope” Dodley Alexis, about the devastating effect of climate change on Miami.
In addition, the festival welcomes a number of other honorable honorable people to admit their films and television achievements. Specifically, precious GEM Awards go to Paul Feig and Melanie Lynskey. Meanwhile, besides Delpy, Mark Duplass and Roger Ross Williams will also receive effects. Billy Zan will be awarded the ART of Light Award.
Cohen is also looking to show filmmakers for the first time: “This is to a large extent, more than the Jordan Risler is a prize feature ever. I don’t think I saw a year with these strong features for the first time before.”
Among those for the first time “Autumn Summer” written by Jared Ishaq, which is “comfortable, comfortable and longing for the past,” says Cohen, in addition to “Magic Hour” written by Jacqueline Christie, a poem to “The magic of filmmaking” and “The ability to chase your dreams at any age.”
In short films, Cohen highlighted “mice!” Written by Neil Sorech Mawlani – “A sarcastic look at the internet culture and the mentality of mob” – and “Mickey Duzig’s confessions of Gombuton addict”, a documentary that includes animation. Cohen says that Jin Austin’s “Jin Austin” tells a very original comic story “about a woman from the time of Jane Austin describing menstruation.
In recent years, the festival has tried to expand its programs with more talks with talents and through its mark in the region. “Now we walk around in Miami Beach. We have been in the center of Miami. We have been in the Coral Japles, in Little Havana,” says Cohen. “We really extend our legs in this way and make sure that people from all different Miami fields can find a theater working for them.”
