PRESS CONTACT: Maggie Drayton, (305) 284-3147
Miami Short Film Festival Announces 2009 Dates, Theme, Sneak Peek of Program
“Back To The Roots” as MsFF takes special interest in Environment
MIAMI, FL (September 10, 2009) — The Miami Short Film Festival (MsFF) unveiled a sneak peek of the program for its 8th annual edition, scheduled for November 13th – 22st, 2009 announcing a special focus on the environment. “Back To The Roots” is MsFF’s slogan for 2009, as the Festival adds a new prize category for Best Environmental Short Film and replaces its Opening Night Gala red carpet with a “green” carpet.
“The first films ever made were short films,” MsFF Founder and Director William Vela said. “At the 2009 Festival, we are paying special attention to the short film as part of cinema’s roots, at the same time we look at what is happening in the world around us by showcasing several films that scrutinize our relationship with the natural world.”
Presented by the University of Miami School of Communication, the 2009 Festival will officially get under way with Opening Night Gala and “green” carpet experience on Saturday, November 14th at 8pm at the Bill Cosford Cinema in Coral Gables. Screenings will continue for the entire week at the Cosford Cinema, with additional events taking place at the Miami Beach Cinematheque on Española Way and at the Miami Children’s Museum on Watson Island where a special children’s program will screen.
Program highlights include:
•“Big Bad Dreams of Darkness”, a preview held near midnight on the eve of Opening Night (Friday the 13th), featuring an eclectic collection of after-dark genres
•“Spielberg and Lucas Met at Film School”, devoted to outstanding new work from students at NYU, UCLA and other film schools
•“Tommorrow’s Filmmakers Today”, celebrating top local student new works – “The World We Own”, exploring the theme of Environment, whether it be the physical world in which we live, or other environmental contexts, such as spiritual or social.
•“La Noche Latina”, the Festival’s always popular night of exclusively Hispanic works
The Festival received a record number of entries in 2009, more than 500, and is expected to screen approximately 70-80 works from approximately 20 countries, when MsFF announces its complete schedule in early October. Some of the films screening at the 2009 Miami Short Film Festival include: “Side Effects”, a US comedy directed by Chuck Rose starring Hollywood character actor Arye Gross; “The Macabre World of Lavender Williams”, a special f/x fable directed by Nicolas Delgado (Robert Zemeckis protégé, featuring the vocal talents of Christopher Lloyd and John Lithgow; “Death of a Boxer”, directed by Naji Abu Nowar, the Festival’s first-ever participant from Jordan, which tells the tragic true story of Abu Khadija Jordan’s first Olympic boxer; and “La Nochebuena de Paco y Manolo”, a collaborative effort directed by Hollywood actors Steve Wilcox and Alejandro Furth, a member of “Venezolanos en Hollywood”.
Two award winners from last year’s Festival went on to significant success: Best Narrative winner “Grisen (The Pig)” went on to receive an Oscar nomination as Best Live-Action Short, while Best of the Fest winner “Frankie” won the European Film Academy Award as Best Short of the Year.
The Festival’s Closing Night Gala will take place on Friday, November 20th at 9pm, at the University of Miami Bill Cosford Cinema, where award winners in the categories of Best Animation, Best Documentary, Best Experimental, Best Foreign, Best Local Production, Best Narrative and (new in 2009) Best Environmental Short Film will be announced. Of the seven category winners one will be crowned “Best of the Fest”, chosen by an esteemed jury that in 2009 chairs Hollywood feature filmmaker David Frankel (Marley & Me, The Devil Wears Prada).
The Closing Night Party will take place on Friday, November 20th at the Frances L. Wolfson courtyard of the School of Communication immediately following the Awards Ceremony as Festival organizers and sponsors, participating filmmakers and audience members join together to toast the success of the magnificent week of new cinematic discoveries just gone by.
Reserve the date – tickets for the 2009 Miami Short Film Festival will go on sale on Monday, October 12, 2009. For more information, visit www.miamishortfilmfestival.com or call 305-284-3147