The Miami Film Festival’s fall showcase event, GEMS, lands October 11 – 14. This year’s showcase, as usual, features a strong lineup of Oscar contenders and winners of major festival awards, as well as a virtual reality and gaming exhibition, panel discussions, masterclasses, and parties! Here’s what our interns and director are looking forward to.
José Ramirez: As an aspiring filmmaker, I’m really looking forward to Diego García’s Cinematography Masterclass on Saturday at 10:30 AM. It promises to go into depth on the fundamentals of movie photography from a cinematographer with industry experience and a film at the festival. (I’m also looking forward to seeing his film, Wildlife, because it’s Paul Dano’s directorial debut and I loved him in There Will be Blood.)
George Ibarra: I’m interested in the Virtual Escape Showcase that runs throughout the festival and especially the VR panel on Friday at 3PM. It looks like an interesting mix of the kinds of storytelling and games that we might be accessing in the near future. Plus Diliana Alexander from FilmGate Miami (who I am told has taught for the FIU Film Studies Program) will be leading the talk and discussion.
Akil Anderson: I’ve asked my boss to reschedule me so I can make it to the Burning screening on Saturday at noon. I love Korean directors Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho, but I’ve not yet seen a film from Lee Chang-dong. I’m also excited about the critic’s panel discussion featuring members of the Florida film critics circle following the movie.
Mario Avalos (intern alumnus): Honestly I’m excited about the opening night film and party. I love gritty crime dramas, and Birds of Passage, which is Colombia’s entry for the foreign language Oscar, looks like an especially good one. Plus its director, Cristina Gallego, will be there, and the opening night party will be a great chance to rub elbows with local and international industry people in an intimate setting.
Dr. Strycharski: Hands down I’m most excited for the Cold War screening. I loved the director Paweł Pawlikowski’s Oscar-winning Ida (2013), and stories that deal with post-War Poland always fascinate me. Pawlikowski is using the same DP from Ida, Lucasz Zal, so I’m looking for a similarly powerful aesthetic featuring gorgeous black and white photography and unbalanced framings within that 4:3 aspect ratio.
You can check out the full schedule and get your tickets here.