Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival, the only major film festival worldwide produced by a college or university, is delighted to announce legendary Chilean TV personality Don Francisco will be the recipient of the Festival’s inaugural PRECIOUS GEM AWARD at the closing night of the Festival’s fall GEMS Festival. The award will be presented in recognition of Don Francisco’s significant contributions to the story and progress in 2010 of the fate of the trapped Copiapó miners, influences that are cinematically immortalized in Patricia Riggen’s film The 33.
The presentation of the Award will take place in a ceremony on Sunday, October 25th at MDC’s Tower Theater Miami at 6:00 p.m. with the presence of distinguished guests from the world of cinema, individuals associated with the actual events in Copiapó, local dignitaries and Miami Film Society patrons.
“The Festival look forwards to being able to honor Don Francisco with our heartfelt appreciation for all he has done for the Copiapó story,” stated Jaie Laplante, the Festival’s Executive Director & Director of Programming.
The Festival is additionally delighted to announce that Mexican megastar Kate del Castillo(Weeds) will appear on the Red Carpets at both the GEMS Opening Night Gala presentation to officially open the Festival, and at the Closing Night Gala presentation of The 33, in which she also stars. The Festival also confirmed legendary Argentine actor Guillermo Francella(The Secret in Their Eyes, Corazón de león) will attend the GEMS Festival’s US premiere of The Clan, in which Francella has a career-topping role as Arquímedes Puccio.
Other expected guests for GEMS 2015, include:
Marcel Piedras Cervantes, Co-Producer of Havana Motor Club
Marcel Piedras Cervantes is the Cuban co-producer of Havana Motor Club.
Saul Garcia, Vehicle Owner, Havana Motor Club
Saul Garcia is the Cuban-American owner of one of the race cars featured in Havana Motor Club..
Matías Mosteirín, Producer of The Clan
Matías Mosteirín has produced and executive produced numerous award-winning films, many of which have been official selections of Miami International Film Festival, including the Oscar-nominated Wild Tales (2014), Septimo (2013) and Gone Fishing (2012).
Armando “Piti” Lorenzo Munnet, Subject in Havana Motor Club
Armando “Piti” Lorenzo Munnet is one of the real life racers in Havana Motor Club. A resourceful car mechanic and fierce competitor, used ingenuity and handmade parts to turn his dull black 1956 Ford, which he nicknamed Bucephalus, after Alexander the Great’s horse, into a formidable racing machine.
Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, Director of Havana Motor Club
Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt is from Brooklyn, New York. He co-directed and edited Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel, which was featured in Miami International Film Festival in 2012, and was an editor on Valentino: The Last Emperor, who opened the
Patricia Riggen, Director of The 33
Patricia Riggen is from Guadalajara, Mexico. She was the first female director to open Miami International Film Festival, with her debut feature Under The Same Moon at the 2008 Festival. She also directed the feature Girl in Progress (2012).
María Ripoll, Director of It’s Now or Never
María Ripoll has previously directed the feature films Twice Upon a Yesterday aka The Man With Rain in His Shoes (1998), Tortilla Soup (2001), Utopia (2003), Your Life in 65 (2006) and Traces of Sandalwood (2014).
Carlos Alvarez Sanchez, Subject in Havana Motor Club
Carlos Alvarez Sanchez is one of the real life racers in Havana Motor Club.
Trey Edward Shults, Director of Krisha
Trey Edward Shults makes his directorial debut with Krisha.The film won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at SXSW 2015, and was later invited to the prestigious Semaine de la Critique in Cannes 2015.
Antonia Zegers, Actress in The Club
Antonia Zegers is unforgettable in the part of Sister Mónica in The Club. She has appeared in all of Pablo Larraín’s films includingNo alongside Gael García Bernal which premiered at Miami International Film Festival 2013, Post Mortem (2010) and Tony Manero (2008). She is a well-known television actress in Chile, and has starred in many TV movies and mini-series.
Four films screening at GEMS are official submissions from their home countries for the 88th Academy Awards including Taiwan’s The Assassin, Colombia’s Embrace of the Serpent, Argentina’s The Clan andChile’s The Club. The Festival’s programmers selected these films prior to their submission announcements, making this fall event quite a crystal gazer.
To purchase tickets, visit www.gems2015.