Miami Film Festival lineup: Q&A's with stars, world premieres and special events
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Photo: Courtesy of Miami Film Festival
The Miami Film Festival lineup is out and let's just say fans of the TV hits "Severance" and "Better Call Saul" may want to scoop up some tickets.
Why it matters: The 43rd annual festival is a testament to South Florida's long-standing role in the film world, as local governments work to bring back productions once drawn to Florida's defunct incentive program.
Driving the news: The Miami Film Festival, organized by Miami Dade College, takes place April 9-19 and will screen over 160 films from around the world across several Miami-Dade venues, including the Olympia Theater, Silverspot Cinema and Vizcaya Museum & Gardens.
- Tickets are on sale now.
State of play: Notable premieres include Peacock's new South Florida-set series "M.I.A," Brazilian hacker thriller "The King of the Internet" and the documentary "Madwoman's Game," about a young Latina chess enthusiast.
- "Severance" star Adam Scott and "Better Call Saul" lead Bob Odenkirk are among the actors receiving awards at the festival.
- Scott will appear at a ticketed event discussing his career and new movie "Hokum" at MDC Wolfson's Chapman Center on April 17. (The April 16 screening of "Hokum" at Silverspot Cinema will also feature an introduction from Scott.)
- Odenkirk will take part in a Q&A about his new movie "Normal" following the April 11 screening at the Olympia Theater.
Special screenings include the April 15 U.S. premiere of the biopic "Milly, Queen of Merengue" at the Miami Beach Bandshell, with director Leticia Tonos Paniagua and Dominican singer Milly Quezada in attendance.
- Also: "Whiplash in Concert" on April 15 at the Adrienne Arsht Center, featuring a screening of the film accompanied by an 18-piece jazz band performing the film's music; and a 25th anniversary screening of "The Princess Diaries" at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens on April 13.
Zoom in: The film festival opens with "Tuner," a movie about a young piano tuner (Leo Woodall) who turns to a life of crime, picking locks with his mentor (Dustin Hoffman). April 9, Olympia Theater
- The festival closes with the film "Power Ballad," starring Paul Rudd as a washed-up wedding singer who teams up with a fading boy band star (Nick Jonas).
Contests: Filmmakers from Miami and across the industry will compete for prizes across several categories, including the $15,000 Made in MIA Short Film Award, sponsored by ArtesMiami.
New this year: ArtesMiami and festival organizers announced the launch of the Miami Film Fund, which will award a total of $15,000 in grants to filmmakers with "ties to Miami and its Cuban-American community."