Miami GEMS Film Festival spotlights awards contenders

Miami’s legion of film fans get an extra treat this week via the expanded ninth edition of the Miami Film Festival GEMS. The carefully curated, week-long festival (under the aegis of Miami Dade College) unspools Nov. 3-10 at Miami’s historic Tower Theater, showcasing some of the most lauded fall festival entrants along with five international Oscar submissions.

On the docket are awards contenders, from opener “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” to closing night’s “The Fabelmans,” from Steven Spielberg. Sarah Polley’s buzzed about “Women Talking” is a centerpiece presentation; Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” is the other.

Narrowing down programming choices is never easy, says interim executive director Nicolas Calzada, but the festival’s aim is clear- cut and provides “an advance taste of the best films of the year that have strong chances at awards consideration.” Formerly a weekend, Miami Gems is now a week, has grown every year since its inception and it’s never enough, contends Lauren Cohen, Miami GEMS’ director of programming. “It’s hard to condense the line-up in such a remarkable year for cinema,” she notes.

The intent is to blend higher-profile Oscar contenders with “hidden gems and the kind of films that are nurtured at film festivals which may or may not have a commercial run,” she says. All benefit from a theatrical screening and presentation, putting international films on equal footing with major studio releases.

She points to Mary Nighy’s “Alice Darling” (in competition for the first feature award presented at the Miami Film Festival in March) as a perfect example of a film with a strong impact that shouldn’t be ignored by filmgoers.

Among the 25 features from 12 countries are four documentaries, including Venice Golden Lion winner “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” from Laura Poitras. Art-related topics do well in Miami, explains Cohen, who expects the film to resonate with GEMS’ audience. “This is our biggest and best line-up and we’re so proud of it,” adds Cohen. 

Special events are also highly anticipated: the opening night party at the Tower Theater, which takes over the entire complex, plus three awards presentations. There’s a first-ever ensemble award to “Glass Onion’s” virtuoso cast and a career Precious Gem award to Paul Dano for “his latest great performance playing the father in ‘The Fabelmans,’ ” explains Calzada. Those award ceremonies will be virtual; actor Raul Castillo will receive the Art of Light kudo in-person after A24’s “The Inspection’s” screening. “It’s a memorable supporting role and powerful performance,” explains Calzada of Castillo’s turn as a sympathetic drill sergeant in writer/director Elegance Bratton’s story inspired by his own life.

Despite the challenges of the COVID pandemic, the iconic Tower Theater (programmed year-round by the Miami Film Festival) has retained its devoted audience. “Thankfully we are really seeing a strong resurgence in moviegoing,” says Calzada, pointing to the theater’s recent record-breaking run for “Argentina, 1985.” “We’re starting to get back to pre-COVID attendance and even better, and we hope that will carry over into GEMS,” he adds.

However, after 20 years, city of Miami officials moved in September to end Miami Dade College’s management of the 96-year-old Tower Theater in the heart of Little Havana. Local filmmakers and fans have reacted strongly to the decision and petitioned for its reversal. “We’re encouraging people to reach out to city officials,” says Calzada. “The Tower has always been a theater and our hope is it always remains a cinema,” he says. Cohen concurs, “The vibe of that theater is so special, and it’s meant so much to the community.”

Prior the festival, Miami-based filmmaker Billy Corben’s “God Forbid: The Sex Scandal that Brought Down a Dynasty,” screened in a special GEMS preview. (The documentary follows the scandal surrounding a Miami Beach hotel pool attendant and the evangelist Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife). Corben credits the festival’s leadership and Miami-Dade College’s stewardship for putting “the Miami back” into the festival’s programming.  

He explains, “The priority they place on showcasing filmmakers from the 305 (and 786) has been transformative for us and the community.” Calzada agrees, “Supporting local cinema is in our DNA.”