Miami Film Festival

Miami Film Festival (formerly Miami International Film Festival) is an annual film festival in Miami, Florida.

About

Miami Film Festival (formerly Miami International Film Festival) is an annual film festival in Miami, Florida, that showcases independent American and international films with a special focus on Ibero-American films.

The competitive film festival draws international and local attention, with films being showcased in several venues across the city center and includes features, documentaries, short films, and retrospectives.

The programming is selected so as to include: premiers for both established film-makers and up-and-comers, socially relevant films, multidisciplinary and experimental films, and films showcasing international musicians.

The stated mission of the Miami Film Festival is to bridge cultural understanding and encourage artistic development.

The Festival also hosts dozens of world-class events every year, including the Mercado de Cine Frances y Europeo, which brings together over 40 buyers and sellers from Europe and Latin America; annual events in partnership with VARIETY, including The International Feature Film Award Roundtable; as well as numerous workshops, masterclasses, legendary parties, and industry happy hours.

In recent years, the Miami Film Festival has attracted approximately 45,000 people a year, as well as 300 filmmakers, producers, talent and industry professionals from around the world as it showcases more than 100 feature narratives, documentaries and short films of all genres, from 40 different countries.

Awards

Knight Made in MIA Feature Film Award

$45,000 Knight Made in MIA Feature Film Award is a cash competition for the jury-selected feature film of any genre that features a qualitatively and quantitatively substantial portion of its content (story, setting and actual filming location) in South Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and/or Monroe counties) and that best utilizes its story and theme for universal resonance. The jury will have the option to award $22,500 each to two films that represent different genres (narrative, documentary, hybrid), or may elect to award the entire prize to one film. If there are insufficient entries, Miami Film Festival also reserves the right to combine the Knight Made in MIA Feature Film Award with the Knight Made in MIA Short Film Award into one Knight Made in MIA Category with the $55,000 of total prize money divided between a First Prize ($30,000), Second Prize ($15,000), and Third Prize ($10,000).

Knight Marimbas Award

$25,000 Knight MARIMBAS Award is a cash competition for the jury-selected U.S. or international narrative feature film (60 min or longer) that best exemplifies richness and resonance for cinema’s future.

Knight Made in MIA Short Film Award

$10,000 Knight Made in MIA Short Film Award is a cash competition for the jury-selected short film under 30 minutes of any genre that features a qualitatively and quantitatively substantial portion of its content (story, setting and actual filming location) in South Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and/or Monroe counties) and that best utilizes its story and theme for universal resonance. If there are insufficient entries, Miami Film Festival also reserves the right to combine the Knight Made in MIA Feature Film Award with the Knight Made in MIA Short Film Award into one Knight Made in MIA Category with the $55,000 of total prize money divided between a First Prize ($30,000), Second Prize ($15,000), and Third Prize ($10,000).

Jordan Ressler First Feature Award

$10,000 cash to the filmmaker (director, or writer/director) of the jury-selected best film made by a filmmaker making his or her feature narrative (60 min or longer) film debut. The Award is courtesy of the South Florida family of the late Jordan Ressler, an aspiring screenwriter whose life was tragically cut short before he could realize his dream.

USA Latino Short Film Award

The USA Latino Short Film Competition is a short film competition open to open to Latino/a/x filmmakers (writers, directors or producers) who submit an 8 to 20 minute film. Submitting filmmakers must be legal residents of the 50 U.S. states, DC or Puerto Rico.

Alacran Music in Film Award

Highlights the power of music in film and celebrates the role of the film composer. Alacran would like to celebrate the artists behind the music composition, which often stays in the shadow, for their contribution to the film industry with complimentary studio time at Alacran Group’s state-of-the-art recording studios for Best Original Score. For Best Original Score of all opt-in feature films in the Festival.

Documentary Achievement Award

Prize given to one documentary film as voted upon by the Festival audience, awarded to the film’s lead producer (production company). All feature-length documentary (50 min or longer) playing in the Festival’s Official Selection are eligible for this Award.

Miami International Short Film Award

$4,000 Miami International Short Film Award is a cash competition, with the award given to a jury-selected narrative short film (30 min or less) of any genre from anywhere in the world.

Documentary Short Film Award

$1,000 Documentary Short Film Award is a cash competition, with the award given to a jury-selected documentary short film (30 min or less) from anywhere in the world.

Goya Quick Bites Short Film Competition

$2,500 Goya Quick Bites Short Film Award, courtesy of Goya, to the filmmaker of a jury selected short film (20 minutes or less) of any genre, that best showcases the intersection of food and community. This includes stories that feature a strong focus on food culture, mealtimes, or the way the culinary experience spices up our daily lives.

Narrative Feature Film Audience Award

Presented to the filmmaker of the Festival audience’s choice of best non-documentary feature (60 min or more) of the entire Official Selection.

Short Film Audience Award

Presented to the filmmaker(s) of the Festival audience’s choice of best eligible short of any genre (30 min or less) of the entire Official Selection.

Rene Rodriguez Critics Award

Presented to the filmmaker of one feature film of any genre voted on by a select group of accredited film critics covering the annual Festival, for the film they consider the best of that year’s selection.

$1,000 CINEMASLAM (For Florida Film Students Only)

CinemaSlam is Miami Film Festival’s annual Florida film school competition. The purpose of CinemaSlam is to foster excellence in student filmmaking and expose students to the value of film festivals in connecting their work with public audiences and industry professionals. One $1,000 grand prize, along with other honors and recognitions, will be awarded to select Cinemaslam finalists during the 2023 Miami Film Festival, taking place from March 4-13, 2022. Please read the eligibility criteria carefully. Only eligible films will be considered and no refunds will be given for ineligible submissions.

Non-competition Feature Categories

Special Presentation

This out-of-competition category highlights significant Narratives (60 min or more) from both masters and up-and-coming filmmakers from all around the world, including an international selection of dramas, comedies, suspense thrillers, and innovative docudramas.