THE 12TH MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL GEMS!
GEMS is Miami’s mini fall film festival featuring more than 40 of the season’s top award contenders and prestige pictures. For this 12th edition, we’ve made GEMS bigger than ever – with a record-breaking number of films, more screening days, celebrity talks, and a film industry happy hour.
Six big-screen powerhouses are being honored at the festival, including legendary South Korean director Park Chan-wook, who will be presented with Miami Film Festival’s Precious Gem Master Award on Opening Night after a screening of his film NoOtherChoice . Other honoree-guests include actor Lucy Liu with a screening of her new film Rosemead ; Clueless costume designer Mona May; actor Dylan O’Brien with his Sundance Award-winning film Twinless ; actor Ethan Hawke, who has two films screening at GEMS; and iconic director Gus Van Sant, who attends with his latest film, Dead Man’sWire .
The lineup includes submissions from the Best International Feature Film category at the 2026 Oscars as well as works from cinematic auteurs from across the globe, representing a total of 24 countries. We’ll close GEMS with WakeUpDeadMan:AKnivesOutMystery. This third installment of director Rian Johnson’s series stars Kerry Washington, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, and Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc.
Those are just some of the great films included in the lineup – far too many to mention on this page – and we hope you’ll spend time browsing this guide and coming out to see as many of them as you can.
Miami Film Festival is a year-round organization, and GEMS is one of two signature events that we host. The larger Miami Film Festival is happening April 9-19, 2026, and will be packed with more than 90 feature films, celebrity conversations, and filmmaker panels. We also present the year-round Cuban Cinema Series, our Miami Film Festival Society membership program with screenings year-round, and a $100,000 fund for documentaries called The Louies.
Enjoy GEMS – we’ll see you in the cinema!
James Woolley
Executive Director Miami Film Festival
CUBAN CINEMA SERIES
Lauren Cohen Director of Programming
Miami Film Festival
A free series of Cuban classics screening year-round at MDC’s Koubek Center.
MIAMI FILM
FESTIVAL
Save the dates – Miami Film Festival returns to cinemas April 9-19, 2026.
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TICKETS – ON SALE NOW!
Buy via the Miami Film Festival website: miamifilmfestival.com
For assistance, email: tickets@miamifilmfestival.com
VENUE BOX OFFICES
Box offices are available at all venues and open one hour before the first screening of the day at that venue. Patrons may purchase tickets for all Festival screenings at all venues, when available.
RUSH LINES
At most venues the Festival will offer rush lines so that tickets can be purchased for sold-out events, as available – turn up to try your luck!
PICK SIX PASS –RETURNING THIS SEASON
Six films for GEMS at a reduced price; not valid for Opening or Closing Night, or films with high-profile guests: Clueless, Dead Man’s Wire, Rosemead, or Twinless
General Audience: $95 Members: $85
VENUES
BILL COSFORD CINEMA
5030 Brunson Dr. Coral Gables, FL 33146
CORAL GABLES ART CINEMA
260 Aragon Ave. Coral Gables, FL 33134
KOUBEK CENTER
2705 SW Third St. Miami, FL 33135
O CINEMA MIAMI BEACH
1130 Washington Ave. Miami Beach, FL 33139
SILVERSPOT CINEMA
300 SE Third St., #100 Fifth Floor Miami, FL 33131
TOWER THEATER
1508 SW Eighth St. Miami, FL 33135
WOLFSON AUDITORIUM AT MIAMI DADE COLLEGE
300 NE Second Ave. Bldg. 1 – Second Floor Miami, FL 33132
PLEASE NOTE: Seating for ticket holders is guaranteed up to 15 minutes before the start of screening. At 15 minutes to showtimes, you will be seated at management’s discretion. All programs and showtimes are subject to change without notice. No refunds or exchanges.
Opening Night Film & Party
Closing Night Film
Screenings
Screening: Clueless
Screening: Dead Man’sWire
Special Screening: Rosemead
Special Screening: Twinless
Free Screening: Meet Me in St.Louis Talk: Ethan Hawke
(Arco)
OPENING NIGHT
OPENING NIGHT PRE-RECEPTION
OCT 29 6 PM PARTY KOUBEK
Get in the GEMS spirit with a pre-party on the lawn at Koubek Center. Drinks and food will be supplied by Mexica Tequila, Cerveceria La Tropical, Divieto, Fogo de Chão, Santo Dulce! Churros, Paella y Ole, CrepeMaker, and Mariquitas Chips.
Koubek Center
2705 SW Third St., Miami, FL 33135
CLOSING NIGHT
WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY
Directed by Rian Johnson
USA, UK |
NO OTHER CHOICE +
Q&A WITH PARK CHAN-WOOK
Directed by Park Chan-wook
South Korea | 2025 | 139 min Korean with English subtitles
Join legendary director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave) in person as we honor him with Miami Film Festival’s Precious Gem Master Award at our Opening Night screening of his latest satirical masterpiece, NoOtherChoice . With shades of Parasite, he tackles corporate ruthlessness and economic desperation with a new modern classic.
Based on Donald E. Westlake’s novel TheAx, the story follows Man-su on his desperate hunt for a new job after his abrupt layoff from the paper company he served for 25 years. With limited job opportunities in the industry and with bills mounting, Man-su will go to violent lengths to make ends meet.
Winner of the inaugural International People’s Choice Award at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, this pitch-black comedy will shock you in ways only Park Chan-wook can.
Benoit Blanc returns for his most dangerous case yet in WakeUpDeadMan:AKnivesOutMystery, the third installment of Rian Johnson’s comic thriller franchise. In his latest turn as the droll detective at the heart of the series, Daniel Craig’s iconic character sifts through a series of suspects when the fearsome Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) turns up dead. And, as usual, everyone is a suspect, including a star-studded cast made up of Kerry Washington, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, and more. The darkest film of the franchise and runner-up for the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, WakeUpDeadMan is a funny, twisty, gothic whodunit that makes this visit to church a sinfully good time.
THE LOUIES will provide $100,000 shared between six Miami-based filmmakers to create six documentaries about the unique & culturally significant South Florida region we call home.
Presented by: Miami Film Festival
Sponsored by: Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation
PRECIOUS GEM AWARD: LUCY LIU FOR ROSEMEAD
MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL GEMS 2025
FILMMAKER HONORS AT
OCT 25
An icon since her 1999 Emmy nom for AllyMcBeal , Lucy Liu gained increasing acclaim for performances in Charlie’s Angels , Chicago , Kill Bill , Kung Fu Panda , Set it Up , and Elementary . A celebrated visual artist and a UNICEF Ambassador, in 2019 Liu became the second Asian American woman in nearly 60 years to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
PRECIOUS GEM MASTER AWARD: PARK CHAN-WOOK FOR NOOTHERCHOICE
A South Korean film director, screenwriter, and producer among the most acclaimed auteurs in the world, Park Chan-wook opens GEMS with No Other Choice . Best known for his Vengeance trilogy of films (SympathyforMr.Vengeance, Oldboy, SympathyforLady Vengeance), he also directed Stoker and The Handmaiden , and was co-showrunner on TheSympathizer .
PRECIOUS GEM AWARD: MONA MAY FOR CLUELESS
In honor of the 30th anniversary of Clueless, we’re recognizing its legendary costume designer Mona May (RomyandMichele’sHighSchoolReunion , Enchanted , TheWedding Singer , TheHouseBunny). We’ll talk about everything from that iconic yellow plaid Jean Paul Gaultier skirt suit to Cher’s virtual closet and Dionne’s hat collection. NOV 1
VANGUARD AWARD: DYLAN O’BRIEN FOR TWINLESS
NOV 1 5 PM COSFORD
Dylan O’Brien, talented star of TheMazeRunnerand the TeenWolf series, is being honored with Miami Film Festival’s Vanguard Award in recognition of his remarkable performance in Twinless . The film won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, where O’Brien received the Dramatic Special Jury Award for acting.
VARIETY VIRTUOSO AWARD: ETHAN HAWKE
Variety and MFF bring you an exclusive in-depth conversation with Ethan Hawke as he’s honored with the Variety Virtuoso Award. He stars in two films at GEMS this year: Richard Linklater’s BlueMoonand Rick Gomez’s SheDances
ConversationsponsoredbyMiamiDowntownDevelopmentAuthority,Tel-AirInterests,and TheSetaiMiamiBeach. NOV 2
PRECIOUS GEM AWARD: GUS VAN SANT FOR DEAD MAN’SWIRE
We’ll bestow a Precious Gem Award to Gus Van Sant – and record an episode of The HollywoodReporterAwardsChatter podcast – after a screening of his latest film, Dead Man’sWire . Among the director’s prolific filmography is MyOwnPrivateIdahowith River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves, To Die For with Nicole Kidman, the Palm d’Or-winning Elephant , and GoodWillHunting , which was nominated for nine Oscars. NOV 3
CENTERPIECES
BELÉN
Directed by Dolores Fonzi
Argentina, USA | 2025 | 105 min Spanish with English subtitles NOV 3 7:30 PM TOWER
HAMNET
Directed by Chloé Zhao
UK | 2025 | 125 min
English
NOV 1 8 PM CGAC
JAY KELLY
Directed by Noah Baumbach
USA | 2025 | 132 min
English
NOV 2 3:15 PM KOUBEK
Based on the true story that sparked an international movement, Belénchronicles the harrowing case of Julieta, a young woman falsely accused of infanticide, and Soledad, the fearless lawyer who takes on the explosive case. From the producers of WildTales , Beléntakes us to Tucumán, a conservative region of Argentina, where Julieta’s trial becomes a flashpoint for the ongoing fight for women’s reproductive rights. As Soledad faces off against a corrupt legal system, Julieta’s story ignites a groundswell of solidarity, galvanizing a movement for justice and bodily autonomy. Based on Ana Correa’s book WhatHappenedtoBelén , the film is a gripping courtroom drama, searing critique of systemic injustice, and celebration of resilience and sisterhood.
ScreeningsponsoredbyV-MEMediaInc.and DirecTV.
From Academy Award-winning writer-director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) comes the magnificent story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet . Winner of the prestigious People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival – and an anticipated front-runner at the 2026 Academy Awards – Hamnetfollows William Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, played by an awe-inspiring Jessie Buckley in one of the absolute best performances of the year. Here, we see everything through her discerning eyes: her courtship with William, the birth of their first child, and the painstaking emotional unraveling that came with the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet. Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel of the same name, Hamnetpowerfully reframes literary history.
JayKelly , the new film from Academy Award nominee Noah Baumbach, follows famous movie actor Jay Kelly and his devoted manager, Ron (Adam Sandler), as they embark on a whirlwind and unexpectedly profound journey through Europe. Along the way, both men are forced to confront the choices they’ve made, their relationships with their loved ones, and the legacies they’ll leave behind. A gripping character study played by a phenomenal George Clooney in the title role, JayKellyalso stars Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, and Greta Gerwig. The end result is an entertaining mediation on identity, isolation, and celebrity - and how the hardest role to play in life is that of ourselves.
NUREMBERG
Directed by James Vanderbilt
USA | 2025 | 148 min
English, German with English subtitles
OCT 30
7:30 PM
THE SECRET AGENT (O AGENTE SECRETO)
NOV 2 6:15 PM KOUBEK
Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho
Brazil, France, Netherlands, Germany | 2025 | 160 min Portuguese with English subtitles
SENTIMENTAL VALUE (AFFEKSJONSVERDI)
Directed by Joachim Trier
CENTERPIECES
The Allies – led by unyielding chief prosecutor Robert H. Jackson – are tasked with ensuring that the Nazi regime answers for the unveiled horrors of the Holocaust, as a U.S. Army psychiatrist is locked in a psychological duel with former Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, played by Russell Crowe in an unforgettable turn as Hitler’s second-in-command. With powerhouse performances from its star-studded cast made up of Crowe, Rami Malek, Michael Shannon, Leo Woodall, John Slattery, and Richard E. Grant, Nuremberg is a historical deep dive into one of the most consequential trials in history. More than just a history lesson, director James Vanderbilt’s shrewd film dissects the very concepts of justice and moral responsibility.
Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. He arrives in Recife during carnival week hoping to reunite with his son, but soon realizes that the city is far from being the nonviolent refuge he seeks. TheSecretAgentwas the winner of multiple awards at the Cannes Film Festival, including best actor for Wagner Moura, best director for Kleber Mendonça Filho, and the FIPRESCI Prize. Filho is a master filmmaker and has directed myriad Brazilian classics, including NeighboringSounds , Aquarius , and Bacurau . The SecretAgent is one of his most striking films yet: a neo-noir political thriller that also pays loving homage to 1970s cinema.
English, Norwegian with English subtitles NOV 1 4 PM
Norway, France, Denmark, Germany | 2025 | 134 min
Estranged sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their absent father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given the part to an eager young Hollywood star. Suddenly, the siblings must navigate their complicated relationship with their father – and deal with an American actor dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics – in this Cannes Grand Prix winner. Directed by Joachim Trier (writer-director of the Oscar-nominated film TheWorstPersonintheWorld), Sentimental Value is yet another film that proves he is one of the most gifted, empathetic filmmakers working today.
A POET (UN POETA)
Directed by Simón Mesa Soto
Colombia | 2025 | 123 min Spanish with English subtitles
Oscar Restrepo’s obsession with poetry has brought him no glory. Aging and erratic, he has succumbed to the cliché of the poet in the shadows. Meeting Yurlady, a teenage girl from humble roots, and helping her cultivate her talent brings some light to his days. But dragging her into the world of poets may not be the way. Columbia’s official submission to the Academy Awards and winner of the Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize this year at Cannes, Miami Film Festival alum Simón Mesa Soto (Amparo) has crafted a biting and sardonic look at art institutions, the self-important people that inhabit them, and those that will do anything to squeeze their way in.
Screening sponsored byV-Me Media Inc.and DirecTV. NOV 5 6:30 PM
A PRIVATE LIFE (VIE PRIVÉE)
Directed by Rebecca Zlotowski
France | 2025 | 107 min French with English subtitles
Renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner is deeply troubled by the sudden death of one of her patients. Convinced it was murder, she decides to investigate. An official selection at some of the world’s most renowned film festivals – including Cannes, Telluride, Toronto, San Sebastian, and New York –A Private Life marks two-time Academy Award-winning actress Jodie Foster’s first French-speaking lead role. In her remarkable hands, she takes a story about obsession and infuses it with both camp and sincerity. And while at first glance it appears to be a murder mystery, there’s something much more interesting bubbling beneath the surface in this psychological tale of emotional suppression and personal discovery.
ARCO
In 2075, 10-year-old Iris witnesses a mysterious boy in a rainbow suit fall from the sky. It’s Arco. He comes from an idyllic far future where time travel is possible, and Iris decides she must shelter him and do whatever it takes to help him return home. An ecological allegory dressed in a wondrous technicolor palette, Arco feels reminiscent of classic Miyazaki, while at the same time maintaining a unique quality all its own. Featuring a voice cast made up of Natalie Portman, Will Ferrell, and Mark Ruffalo and winner of best feature film at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Arco is a hopeful and imaginative animated film that’ll charm adults and kids alike. OCT 29 7 PM
Directed by Ugo Bienvenu
France | 2025 | 89 min English
BLUE MOON
Directed by Richard Linklater
USA | 2025 | 100 min English
NOV 2 3:15 PM
On March 31, 1943, lyricist and Broadway songwriter Lorenz Hart confronts his shattered self-confidence in Sardi’s bar as Richard Rodgers, his former collaborator, celebrates opening night of his hit Oklahoma! Starring Ethan Hawke in an astonishing performance as Hart, with Margaret Qualley, Andrew Scott, and Bobby Cannavale. Along with NouvelleVague it’s one of two Richard Linklater films about creative geniuses in this year’s lineup. Both films are radically different, and both are excellent.
Ethan Hawkewill be in Miami Sunday,November2,at 7 p.m.during GEMSto receivetheVariety VirtuosoAward and engage in a candid conversation about his extensive career.
CANCELED: THE PAULA DEEN STORY
Directed by Billy Corben
USA | 2025 | 103 min English
NOV 4 7:45 PM
From acclaimed director Billy Corben (CocaineCowboys), Canceled:ThePaulaDeenStory revisits the meteoric rise and sudden downfall of one of America’s most iconic celebrity chefs. Deen built a Southern culinary empire, becoming a beloved TV personality along the way. But in 2013, her admission of having used a racial slur in the past ignited a media firestorm. Without formal investigation or due process, she became one of the first public figures to face full-blown “cancellation,” transforming into a lightning rod in the emerging culture wars – and a symbol of social media mob justice. The film goes beyond the headlines to explore the intersections of race, media, accountability, and redemption, reopening the conversation about what really happened to Deen.
CASTRATION MOVIE PART 1: TRAPS
Directed by Louise Weard
Canada | 2024 | 275 min English
Strap yourself in for one of the year’s strangest, and yet greatest, cinema experiences! CastrationMovie Part 1:Traps is already long at 4.5 hours, and yet it is part of an anthology film with an expected 16-hour runtime (Castration Movie Part 2: The Best of Both Worlds is completed and is 5 hours). The screening will be at Silverspot Downtown so that filmgoers can lie back and nap when needed, and order food right to their seats; an intermission is included. Although we’re clearly fixated on the runtime, Castration really is an exceptionally funny deep dive on 4chan posts, incels, hormones, sex work, and just generally being a terrible person. Enjoy!
CHRISTY
Directed by David Michôd
USA | 2025 | 135 min English
Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney) never imagined life beyond her small-town roots in West Virginia – until she discovered a knack for knocking people out. Fueled by grit, raw determination, and an unshakable desire to win, she charges into the world of boxing under the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned-husband, Jim (Ben Foster). But while she flaunts a fiery persona in the ring, her toughest battles unfold outside it: confronting family, identity, and a relationship that just might become life-or-death. Featuring a career-best performance and stunning physical transformation from Sweeney in a film based on true events, Christy is an inspiring story about resilience, courage, and the fight to reclaim one’s life in the face of unimaginable challenges.
CLUELESS + Q&A WITH MONA MAY
Directed by Amy Heckerling
USA | 1995 | 97 min
English
At a Beverly Hills high school, queen bee Cher excels at makeovers and matchmaking. But figuring out her own love life? Ugh,asif! In honor of the 30th anniversary of Clueless, join us for this retrospective screening of the 1995 fave, where you’ll get to revisit the ultimate teen classic on the big screen, followed by a Precious Gem Award presentation and extended Q&A with the film’s legendary costume designer, Mona May. Wear your best Clueless-inspired outfit as we celebrate all things ’90s!
Mona Maywill receivethe Precious GemAward and engage in a Q&Asession post-screening of thefilm.ScreeningandconversationsponsoredbyWMiamiandMiamiFashionInstituteat Miami Dade College
COVER-UP
Directed by Laura Poitras & Mark Obenhaus
USA | 2025 | 117 min
English
Fresh off screenings at the Venice, Telluride, and Toronto International film festivals, Cover-Up is a political thriller tracing the explosive career of Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh. Deeply reported, it’s both a portrait of a relentless journalist and an indictment of institutional violence – revealing the impunity of the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. Drawing on exclusive access to Hersh’s notes, and interweaving primary documents and archival footage, the film captures the power of investigative journalism. Co-directed by Academy Award winner Laura Poitras, whose AlltheBeautyandtheBloodshed screened at the 2022 GEMS, and Emmy-winning filmmaker Mark Obenhaus, Cover-Up is essential viewing.
Screening supported bythe CityofMiami Beach.
DEAD MAN’S WIRE + Q&A WITH GUS VAN SANT
Directed by Gus Van Sant
USA | 2025 | 104 min English
On the morning of February 8, 1977, Anthony “Tony” G. Kiritsis, 44, entered the office of Richard O. Hall, president of the Meridian Mortgage Company, and took him hostage with a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun connected to a “dead man’s wire” from the trigger to Hall’s head. This is the true story of the standoff that took the world by storm as Kiritsis demanded $5 million, no charges or prosecution, and a personal apology from the Hall family for cheating him out of what he was “owed.”
GusVan Santwill receivethe Precious GemAward and engage in a recording ofThe Hollywood ReporterAwardsChatterpodcastafterthefilm.Screeningandconversationsponsoredby W Miami.
DEAF (SORDA)
Directed by Eva Libertad
Spain | 2025 | 100 min Spanish, Spanish Sign Language with English subtitles
As Ángela, a deaf woman, awaits the birth of her child with her hearing partner, Héctor, fears about motherhood roil to the surface as she confronts the reality of raising a baby in a world not built for her. Winner of two awards, including the Audience Award of the Panorama Section at the Berlin International Film Festival, director Eva Libertad’s film tells the semibiographical story of its lead, deaf actress Miriam Garlo, whose performance evokes strong parallels with Marlee Matlin’s Oscar-winning portrayal in Children of a Lesser God. She is joined by Goya-nominated Álvaro Cervantes (The Sex oftheAngels) and veteran Spanish Basque actor Elena Irureta (Patria).
Screening sponsored byV-ME Media Inc.and DirecTV.
DREAMS
Directed by Michel Franco
Mexico, USA | 2025 | 95 min English, Spanish with English subtitles
Fernando (Isaac Hernández, Someone Has to Die), a young ballet dancer from Mexico, dreams of international fame and life in the U.S. Believing he’ll be supported by his socialite lover, Jennifer (Jessica Chastain), he leaves everything behind and narrowly escapes death crossing the border. His arrival, however, disrupts Jennifer’s carefully curated world. But she’ll do anything to protect their future – and the life she has built for herself. The latest film from prior GEMS guest Michel Franco (Memory, New Order, After Lucia), in this film he reunites with Memory star Chastain, an Oscar winner for The Eyes ofTammyFaye.
Screening sponsored byV-ME Media Inc.and DirecTV.
FRANKENSTEIN
Directed by Guillermo Del Toro
USA | 2025 | 143 minutes English
From visionary, Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro comes an unforgettable adaptation of Mary Shelley’s immortal tale. At its center is Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist who brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment – and is swiftly confronted with the consequences of playing god. In true del Toro fashion, Frankenstein features lavish art direction and costumes, reigniting this tale with the type of fire and vitality that make it both classic and born anew. Starring Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, Jacob Elordi, and Christoph Waltz, the film brings to life its director’s signature blend of the gothic and grotesque in ways that need to be seen to be believed.
FUCKTOYS + Q&A WITH ANNAPURNA SRIRAM
Directed by Annapurna Sriram
USA | 2025 | 107 min
English
AP is convinced that the universe has it out for her – and she might be right. In Fucktoys, the wild, unfiltered debut from writer/director/star Annapurna Sriram, AP seeks a cosmic reset after a tarot card reading tells her she needs $1,000 and a sacrificial lamb to lift her curse. Armed with neither, she sets off on a bizarre quest through Trashtown, USA, in a film that channels the cinematic stylings of French New Wave, cross-pollinated with the rebellious vibe of ’90s-era Gregg Araki. Featuring a spunky and beloved cast that includes 13 ReasonsWhy’s Brandon Flynn – a New World School of the Arts alumni – the film took home a Special Jury Award at both the SXSW and Fantasia Film Festival.
IS THIS THING ON?
Directed by Bradley Cooper
USA | 2025 | 122 min English
As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex (Will Arnett), facing middle age and an impending divorce, seeks new purpose on the New York comedy scene, while Tess (Laura Dern) confronts the sacrifices she made for their family – forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take a new form. Bradley Cooper’s third film as a director after A Star is Born and Maestro, GEMS is screening IsThisThing On? just three weeks after its world premiere as the closing night film of the New York Film Festival. Funny and revealing, it’s a cathartic look at finding the humor in the face of life’s curveballs.
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (YEK TASADOF-E SADEH)
Directed by Jafar Panahi
Iran, France, Luxembourg | 2025 | 105 min Persian with English subtitles
Vahid, an unassuming mechanic, has a chance encounter with Eghbal, a man he strongly suspects to be his former sadistic jailhouse captor. Panicked, Vahid gathers several former prisoners, all abused by that same man, to try and confirm Eghbal’s identity. As the bickering group drives around Tehran with a captive Eghbal, they must confront how far to take matters into their own hands with their presumed tormentor. From master filmmaker Jafar Panahi comes a searing moral thriller that engages with complex ideas about the uncertainty of the truth and the choice between revenge and mercy, as Panahi turns his personal dissonance into a profound and galvanizing work of art.
LA GRAZIA
Directed by Paolo Sorrentino
Italy | 2025 | 131 min Italian with English subtitles
NOV 2 12:45 PM
Mariano De Santis is the president of the Italian Republic. No connection to any real-life presidents; he’s entirely a product of the author’s imagination. A widower and a Catholic, he has a daughter, Dorotea, a legal scholar, like himself. As his term draws to a close, amid uneventful days, two final duties arise: deciding on two delicate petitions for a presidential pardon, true moral dilemmas that become tangled, in ways that seem impossible to unravel, with his private life. Driven by doubt, De Santis will have to make a decision nonetheless. And, with a deep sense of responsibility, that is exactly what this remarkable Italian president will do. An Oscar winner for The Great Beauty, director Paolo Sorrentino opened the Venice Film Festival with this elegant film.
LATE SHIFT (HELDIN)
Directed by Petra Volpe
NOV 2 6:15 PM
Switzerland, Germany | 2025 | 92 min Swiss German, German with English subtitles
Nurse Floria works with passion and professionalism in the surgical ward of a Swiss hospital, where her every move is perfect. She has an open ear for patients, even in the most stressful situations, and is immediately on hand during emergencies – ideally. But in the harsh reality of her daily routine, things are often unpredictable. When she starts her late shift one day, a colleague is absent from the fully occupied, understaffed ward. Amidst the ensuing hustle and bustle, Floria looks after a seriously ill young mother and an old man desperately waiting for his diagnosis, with the same care and routine as for a private patient with extra demands. But as the night progresses, her work becomes more and more of a race against time.
LEFT-HANDED GIRL (
)
Directed by Shih-Ching Tsou
Taiwan | 2025 | 109 min Mandarin with English subtitles
After several years of living in the countryside, a single mother and her two daughters return to Taipei to open a stand at a buzzing night market. Each in their way will have to adapt to this new environment to make ends meet and maintain family unity. But when their traditional grandfather forbids his youngest left-handed granddaughter from using her “devil hand,” generations of family secrets begin to unravel. Co-written, produced, and edited by Oscar winner Sean Baker, who is fresh off his Best Picture win for Anora and also known for Red Rocket, The Florida Project, and Tangerine. He and Tsou previously co-directed the Sundance hit Take Out in 2004.
LOVE+WAR
Directed by Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin
USA | 2025 | 92 min English
2
From National Geographic Documentary Films and Oscar-winning filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin comes the story of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario, who often risked her life to capture the stark realities of war – from the Middle East and Afghanistan to Ukraine. Love+War chronicles Addario’s ascent in the male-dominated world of conflict photography. Her work is dangerous; she’s been kidnapped twice while on assignment in war zones, a cost she must wrestle with each time she leaves her husband and two sons to go on assignment. Behind the camera, she’s is torn between an unwavering commitment to the essential work of journalism and the powerful, competing demands of motherhood.
MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
USA | 1944 | 113 min English
Travel back to turn-of-the-century America in Meet Me in St. Louis, MGM’s musical love letter to family, tradition, and the excitement of a world on the brink of change. Set against the backdrop of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, the film follows the lives of the Smith family through a year of seasonal joys and bittersweet transitions. Beautifully directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Judy Garland in one of her most magnetic roles; the two married a year after filming and welcomed the birth of daughter Liza Minnelli shortly after that. The film was selected as part of this year’s GEMS lineup to celebrate The Wolfsonian’s ongoing series World’s Fairs: Visions ofTomorrow, open through February 22, 2026.
NOUVELLE VAGUE
Directed by Richard Linklater
USA | 2025 | 105 min French with English subtitles
NouvelleVague is Oscar-nominated director Richard Linklater’s paean to the spellbinding magic of French cinema, reimagining the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s revolutionary Breathless, which ultimately cemented Godard as a pioneer of the French New Wave. As critic-turned-director Godard makes and breaks the rules, a mix of fresh faces and daring talents – including Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg, Aubry Dullin as Jean-Paul Belmondo, and Guillaume Marbeck as Godard himself –bring his spontaneous, electric film to life. Capturing the youthful dynamism and creative chaos at the heart of one of the world’s most beloved and influential movies, NouvelleVague transports us to the streets of 1959 Paris for an ode to the power of cinema to transform our lives.
NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE
Directed by Matt Johnson
Canada | 2025 | 98 min
English
NOV 5 9:15 PM
Winner of the People’s Choice Award in the Midnight Madness section at the Toronto International Film Festival – and with a rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes score – Nirvanna The Band The ShowThe Movie is solidifying itself as a modern cult classic. Mixing hilarious real-life public interactions with stars Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol’s wholly unique blend of guerrilla-style mockumentary filmmaking, pop culture references, bromance shenanigans, and time travel, the result is chaos and delight in equal measure. Back to the Future meets This Is SpinalTap meets Nathan forYou, Nirvanna is the year’s most outrageous comedy.
Screening supported bythe CityofMiami Beach.
THE PLAGUE
Directed by Charlie Polinger
Romania, USA | 2025 | 95 min English
NOV 2 6:15 PM
Winner of the Grand Prize and Critics Prize at the Deauville American Film Festival, as well as best picture at Fantastic Fest, The Plague – written by Charlie Pollinger and his directorial debut –is one of the year’s most striking first features. Set in the summer of 2003 at an all-boys water polo camp, the film follows a socially anxious 12-year-old who becomes ensnared in a cruel tradition targeting an outcast branded with an illness called “The Plague.” As the lines between childish prank and something darker begin to blur, he realizes the cost of belonging may be far greater than he imagined. Produced by and co-starring Joel Edgerton, who can also be seen in Train Dreams, The Plague is a raw and unsettling portrait of masculinity in its earliest formation.
THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE
As people across 1990’s Iraq struggle to survive, 9-year old Lamia has been selected to prepare a cake to celebrate the president’s birthday. In a landscape of fear and scarcity, where basic ingredients are nearly impossible to find, she sets out on a determined journey throughout the big city in search of eggs, flour, and sugar. Accompanied by her grandmother, her loyal friend Saeed, and her pet rooster Hindi, Lamia navigates vendors and police officers along the way. Selected as the Iraqi entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards and winner of the Camera D’Or and Audience Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, The President’s Cake embodies innocence, imagination, and inner strength. NOV 4 6:30
Directed by Hasan Hadi
Iraq, USA, Qatar | 2025 | 102 min Arabic with English subtitles
RENTAL FAMILY
Directed by HIKARI
USA, Japan | 2025 | 109 min English, Japanese with English subtitles
3
Set against modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family follows an American actor (Oscar winner Brendan Fraser, The Whale) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ lives, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection. Director HIKARI, known for episodes of Beef and TokyoVice, premiered the film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
ROSEMEAD + Q&A WITH LUCY LIU
Directed by Eric Lin
USA | 2025 | 97 min English, Mandarin with English subtitles
In a race against time, an ailing woman is stricken by the discovery of her teenage son’s violent obsessions and must go to great lengths to protect him – and others. Inspired by true events, Rosemead is the feature directorial debut of acclaimed cinematographer Eric Lin, and showcases a tour-de-force performance by Lucy Liu. Inspired by a LosAngelesTimes article, the film is a heart-wrenching story about love: a son’s love for his parents, a mother’s love for her son, and how far she’ll go to protect him – even from himself.
LucyLiuwillreceivethePreciousGemAwardandengageinaQ&Asessionpost-screeningofthe film.ScreeningandconversationsponsoredbyMiamiDowntownDevelopmentAuthority.
SHE DANCES
Directed by Rick Gomez
USA | 2024 | 93 min English
NOV 1 1 PM
Forced to reconnect on the road to her final dance competition, a father and daughter must confront their fractured relationship. As they navigate a shared tragedy, the whirlwind of the Young Miss Southeast Regional Dance Finals becomes the backdrop for their journey toward healing. Fresh off its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, She Dances is an intimate and moving treasure of a film. Starring Steve Zahn alongside his real-life daughter Audrey Zahn in her feature film debut, and co-starring our GEMS Variety Virtuoso Award honoree Ethan Hawke, it’s a story about rediscovering family and finding yourself – and about accepting what is and letting it shape you, and recognizing who you are through the memories of those you love most.
SIRÂT
Directed by Oliver Laxe
France, Spain | 2025 | 115 min Spanish, French with English subtitles
NOV 1
A father (Sergi López) and his son arrive at a rave deep in the mountains of southern Morocco. They’re searching for Mar – daughter and sister – who vanished months ago at one of these endless, sleepless parties. Surrounded by electronic music and a raw, unfamiliar sense of freedom, they hand out her photo again and again. Hope is fading but they push through and follow a group of ravers heading to one last party in the desert. As they venture deeper into the burning wilderness, the journey forces them to confront their own limits. Spain’s official submission for the Oscars, this Cannes sensation won the Jury Prize and three others, including Palm Dog for best canine performance.
Screening sponsored byV-ME Media Inc.and DirecTV.
SLANTED
Directed by Amy Wang
USA | 2025 | 104 min English, Mandarin with English subtitles
As a senior in high school, Joan Huang idolizes winning prom queen as the embodiment of popularity, beauty, and the ultimate form of acceptance into American life. In her relentless pursuit for the crown, she undergoes an experimental racial transformation to become white and win the title. But what she thought was a dream come true soon reveals itself to be an emotional and physical nightmare. Slanted offers a biting, unapologetically satirical view on race and the uncomfortable journey of learning to love yourself and your culture. Winner of the Narrative Jury Award at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, Amy Wang’s directorial debut is a sardonic teen body-horror tale that’s part The Substance and part Get Out
THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE
Directed by Mona
Fastvold
UK, Hungary, Sweden | 2025 | 137 min English
NOV 2 3:15 PM
From writer and director Mona Fastvold (co-writer, producer of The Brutalist), TheTestament ofAnn Lee is a speculative retelling of the extraordinary story of the founder of the radical religious sect known as the Shakers. Starring Amanda Seyfried in an unforgettable turn as Ann Lee, she throws herself into this performance in a way that is truly astounding. Through her eyes, we see Ann Lee experience the traumas that shaped her, and the uncompromising convictions that made her one of the most enigmatic religious figures in pre-revolutionary America. Featuring rapturous and hypnotic original choreography from Celia Rowlson-Hall (VoxLux) , and music by Academy Award-winning composer Daniel Blumberg (TheBrutalist), TheTestament ofAnn Lee is a bold historical epic unlike anything you’ve seen before.
TRAIN DREAMS
Directed by
Clint Bentley
USA | 2025 | 102 min English
NOV 2 12:45 PM
Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), whose life unfolds during an era of unprecedented change in early 20th-century America. Robert grows into adulthood among the towering forests of the Pacific Northwest, where he helps expand the nation’s railroad empire alongside men as unforgettable as the landscapes they inhabit. And when his life takes an unexpected turn, he finds newfound meaning for the forests and trees he has felled. An ode to a vanishing way of life and to the extraordinary possibilities that exist within even the most simple of existences, Train Dreams captures a time and place that are now long gone, and the people who built a bridge to a future they could only dream of. With William H. Macy, Felicity Jones, Clifton Collins Jr., and Kerry Condon.
TWINLESS + Q&A WITH DYLAN O’BRIEN
Directed by James Sweeney
USA | 2025 | 100 min | English
In Twinless, two young men meet in a twin support group and form an unlikely friendship. Roman (Dylan O’Brien, The Maze Runner and the Teen Wolf series) and Dennis (James Sweeney) both search for solace and an identity without their other halves and soon become inseparable outside the group. But when Roman meets Dennis’ ebullient co-worker, Marcie (Aisling Franciosi), all is revealed to be not what it seems, as each man harbors secrets that could unravel everything.
Dylan O’Brienwill be in attendanceto receivetheVanguardAward and engage in a candid conversation about hiswork.Screening and conversation sponsored byTel-AirInterests and The BetsyHotel.
Miami Dade College
300 N.E. Second Ave. Miami, FL 33132-2296
Miami Dade College District Board of Trustees
Michael Bileca, Chair • Nicole Washington, Vice Chair • Anay Abraham •
Roberto Alonso • Maria Bosque-Blanco
Marcell Felipe • Ismare Monreal
Madeline Pumariega, President, Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College is an equal access/equal opportunity institution which does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, marital status, age, religion, national origin, disability, veteran’s status, ethnicity, pregnancy, sexual orientation or genetic information. To obtain more information about the College’s equal access and equal opportunity policies, procedures and practices, please contact the College’s Equity Officer: Cindy Lau Evans, Director, Office of Equal Opportunity Programs and ADA Coordinator, at 305-237-2577 (Voice) or 711 (Relay Service); 11011 S.W. 104th St., Room 1102-01; Miami, FL 33176. EquityOff@mdc.edu
Non-profit Organization
U.S. Postage PAID
Miami, FL PERMIT #313
Miami Dade College
300 N.E. Second Ave. Miami, FL 33132-2296
Miami Dade College District Board of Trustees
Michael Bileca, Chair
Nicole Washington, Vice Chair
Anay Abraham
Roberto Alonso
Maria Bosque-Blanco
Marcell Felipe
Ismare Monreal
Madeline Pumariega, President, Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College is an equal access/equal opportunity institution which does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, marital status, age, religion, national origin, disability, veteran’s status, ethnicity, pregnancy, sexual orientation or genetic information. To obtain more information about the College’s equal access and equal opportunity policies, procedures and practices, please contact the College’s Equity Officer: Cindy Lau Evans, Director, Office of Equal Opportunity Programs and ADA Coordinator, at 305-237-2577 (Voice) or 711 (Relay Service); 11011 S.W. 104th St., Room 1102-01; Miami, FL 33176. EquityOff@mdc.ed
