Eduardo J. Padrón
President
Office of the President
300 N.E. Second Avenue
Miami, Florida 33132-2297
305-237-3316
epadron@mdc.edu
Message From the President
Monday, February 28, 2011
Miami International Film Festival Kicks Off Friday With <em>Chico & Rita</em>
The 28th edition of Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) will kick off at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, March 4, with the 7 p.m. screening of the Goya Award-winning film Chico & Rita. Directed by Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal, Chico & Rita marks the first animated Opening Night Film in MIFF’s history and features a sensual collision of color, passion and music from what has been described as the greatest period of creativity in Cuban-American jazz. The screening will be followed by the Opening Night Gala at the Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College.
The 2011 festival, March 4 - March 13, features a lineup of more than 100 films from 40 countries, including four world premieres, and 15 North American and U.S. premieres. Among the films screening at MIFF 2011 are the Red Carpet World Premiere of Things Fall Apart, co-written by and starring Grammy Award winner Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson; Michel Leclerc'sCésar Award-winning film The Names of Love; François Ozon’s César Award-nominated film Potiche, starring two of France's most celebrated actors, Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu; and Morgan Spurlock’s Sundance Film Festival hit, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. Denis Villeneuve’s Academy Award-nominated Incendies will serve as the official Awards Night Film on Saturday, March 12.
Highlights of this year's festival include a free, outdoor preview screening of HBO’s documentary The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical (Wednesday, March 2, 7 p.m., on the 7,000-square-foot-projection wall of New World Symphony’s newly built Miami Beach campus). Other highlights include a Career Achievement Tribute to prolific Danish filmmaker and Golden Globe winner Susanne Bier (Brothers, After the Wedding, Things We Lost in the Fire), which will feature a screening of the Academy Award-winning In a Better World; the REEL Seminars series of panel discussions and educational seminars with film-industry leaders and noted filmmakers; the Paella Parade; the REEL Music Scene; Ibero-American and World competitions; Doc-You-Up; Cutting the Edge; Filmapalooza 2011; and our Opening Night and Closing Night galas. A description of these events may be found on the Miami International Film Festival website.
For more information about the 2011 program, volunteer opportunities, or to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.miamifilmfestival.com/.
See you at the movies.
Eduardo