Theater / Film

Miami Film Festival’s GEMS Features Buzzworthy Movies In Its 11th Edition

Written By Jesús Vega
October 22, 2024 at 4:44 PM

“María,” by director Pablo Larraín, is a psychological, biographical drama inspired by the last days in Paris of Maria Callas stars Angelina Jolie as the legendary opera diva. It shows as part of the Miami Film Festival’s GEMS opening on Wednesday, Oct. 30 and continuing through Sunday, Nov. 3. (Photo courtesy of MDC-Miami Film Festival)

Every year, lovers of the seventh art eagerly await the GEMS Festival, Miami Film Festival’s fall midseason event, organized by the Film Society of Miami and Miami Dade College.

“GEMS is the prelude to the Miami Film Festival’s awards season, presenting more than 25 of the season’s top contenders and prestige films,” says James Woolley, executive director of the Festival. “These films are some of the biggest titles traveling the world right now, not to mention the most acclaimed. Many of the films in the GEMS program will receive an Oscar nomination in March of next year. It is a fantastic opportunity for the public to see these films before the awards rush.”

This year’s GEMS will take place in several venues in Miami beginning Wednesday, Oct. 30 through Sunday, Nov. 3, featuring 30 films from more than fifteen countries.

GEMS will open at the Koubek Center on Wednesday, Oct. 30 with “The Room Next Door,” the first film shot in English by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar and starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. (Photo courtesy of MDC-Miami Film Festival)

GEMS opens at the Koubek Center on Wednesday, Oct. 30 with “The Room Next Door,” which is already sold out, is  Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language full-length feature and stars Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. The film recently received the prestigious Golden Lion award for best film at the Venice Film Festival. Written and directed by Almodóvar and based on the novel “What Are You Going Through,”  is about tells two professionals who were great friends in their youth, separated by life circumstances, who, after years without contact, meet again in an extreme situation.

Following Almodóvar’s film, GEMS will present a diverse range of screenings, such as “Emilia Pérez” (at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31 at the Silverspot Cinema Downtown Miami). In Spanish by French director Jacques Audiard, it won two awards at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie is described as a French musical crime comedy-drama.

France will also submit it to the next edition of the Oscars. With a cast headed by Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoé Saldaña, Selena Gómez, and Adriana Paz, Audiard’s film tells the story of four extraordinary women in Mexico. It mixes themes of transsexuality and organized crime and has been recognized for its narrative and unique approach.

Another of the featured screenings (at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 1 at the Silverspot Cinema Downtown Miami) is “María,” by director Pablo Larraín, a psychological, biographical drama inspired by the last days in Paris of Maria Callas, the legendary opera diva (born in New York to Greek parents), at the end of a glamorous and tumultuous career. The performance of the no less legendary Angelina Jolie is synonymous with extraordinary triumph and brings the promise of an Oscar.

The documentary “Men of War” by Miami filmmaker Billy Corben and New York-based Canadian co-director Jen Gatien screens on Friday, Nov. 1. (Photo courtesy of MDC-Miami Film Festival)

The film, also distributed by Netflix with a premiere in movie theaters Wednesday, Nov. 27 and streaming on Netflix on Wednesday, Dec. 11, is the third and the last of a trilogy that the Chilean filmmaker has dedicated to iconic women of the 20th century, also made up of “Jackie” (2016) and “Spencer” (2021).

Miami filmmaker Billy Corben, alongside his co-director Jen Gatien, will screen their documentary, “Men of War,” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1. The tragicomedy follows American-trained mercenaries attempting to overthrow the Venezuelan government – an incredibly timely story for the local Venezuelan community given recent political events.

Another title worth highlighting is “The Brutalist,” an epic historical drama written and directed by Brady Corbet in an Anglo-American and Hungarian co-production. The film narrates 30 years in the life of László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian-born Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor. At the end of World War II, he emigrated to the United States with his wife, Erszebét (Felicity Jones), in search of the “American Dream.”

At first, László faces a time of poverty and misery but soon secures a contract with a mysterious and wealthy client, Harrison Lee Van Buren, who will completely change the course of his life. The film, winner of the Best Director Award at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, will be screened in its original 70mm format at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. at the Coral Gables Art Cinema.

“The Brutalist” narrates 30 years in the life of László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian-born Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor. Shown here with Felicity Jones. (Photo courtesy of MDC-Miami Film Festival)

The 2024 GEMS Festival will close with “A Real Pain” after five days of special screenings and presentations of films by prestigious filmmakers such as Andrea Arnold, Mike Leigh, Walter Salles, and Gabriella A. Moses, among others who make up an extensive list.

“A Real Pain,” written, directed, and starring  Jesse Eisenberg, will be screened at 8 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 3, at 8 pm at Regal Lincoln Road. The comedy about two incompatible cousins who travel through Poland to honor their grandmother in a trip complicated by the resurgence of old family tensions co-stars Kieran Culkin of the HBO hit “Succession.”

Following the closing night, GEMS will host a day-long marathon dedicated to “Disclaimer,” Alfonso Cuarón’s new Apple TV+ series. Following the screenings, there will be a discussion with the filmmaker, and he will be presented with the Precious Gem Award. “Disclaimer” follows the story of acclaimed journalist Catherine Ravenscroft (Cate Blanchett), who built her reputation by revealing the misdeeds and transgressions of others.

Kieran Culkin, left, co-stars in “A Real Pain,” written, directed, and starring Jesse Eisenberg, right. The film screens at 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, at Regal Cinemas South Beach on Lincoln Road, Miami Beach. (Photo courtesy of MDC-Miami Film Festival)

But GEMS goes far beyond screenings, discussions, and the long-awaited presentation of the Precious Gem Award to Cuarón, costume designer Arianne Phillips and Romanian American actor Sebastian Stan.

This year sees the launch of The Louies. This initiative will benefit local filmmakers with funding, a new initiative the film festival is launching in partnership with the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation.

 “It is about supporting local filmmakers by providing $100,000 in funding for six documentary projects. The funding will be split into different categories: one filmmaker will receive $50,000 for a feature-length documentary, three filmmakers will receive $10,000 each for short documentaries, and two will receive $10,000 in completion funds to help them complete a project already in post-production,” says Wooley.

James Woolley is the executive director of the Miami Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of MDC-Miami Film Festival)

According to Wooley, the new program aligns with the Miami Film Festival mission of supporting local talent and giving filmmakers the resources they need to tell South Florida stories.

“We are very excited that ‘The Louies’ will help bring these stories to life and contribute to the films we can present at our festivals. It’s about creating a true pipeline of local content that reflects the rich and diverse culture of the region.”

WHAT: 11th Annual GEMS 2024 Miami Film Festival

WHERE: Silverspot Cinema Miami, 300 S.E. 3rd St.,  Miami; MDC’s Koubek Center, 275 SW 3rd St., Miami; Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; Regal Cinemas South Beach, 1120 Lincoln Road, and MDC’s Wolfson Campus, 300 NE Second Ave., Miami.

WHEN: Various times beginning Wednesday, Oct. 30 through Sunday, Nov. 3.

COST: Prices vary from $15.50 to $50 ($50 ticket is for opening night screening and party, prices vary for films and events). 

INFORMATION: Download a digital program guide here. More information at (305) 237-3456 miamifilmfestival.com 

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.

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