Sep 4, 2026 - Things to Do

Free film festival brings indie movies to Miami this weekend

Martin Vassolo

Illustration of film reel strips in the shape of a heart. — Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The Urban Film Festival is bringing independent cinema to Overtown and downtown Miami this weekend.

The big picture: South Florida has a ton of great film festivals, but you usually need to pay for tickets. The UFF is free.

Driving the news: The annual event, taking place Friday-Sunday, will screen nearly 200 indie films from local, national and international filmmakers.

There will also be Master Discussions, filmmaker Q&As and professional development and networking opportunities.
UFF is collaborating with VURT to connect filmmakers with the mobile-first vertical streaming platform.

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The festival opens Friday at the Overtown Performing Arts Center with films by students in Florida Film House International's 1st Take Youth Film Program.

There will also be a welcome party Friday at Red Rooster Overtown.

On Saturday and Sunday, UFF takes over Silverspot Cinema downtown for screenings and two days of Master Discussions covering topics ranging from writing and acting to distribution.

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Free film festival brings indie movies to Miami this weekend

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