Miami Film Festival GEMS Presents 50 Titles in Record-Breaking Program

The Miami Film Festival GEMS has announced a program of 50 films, marking its largest lineup to date. The event runs through Nov. 5 and serves as a fall showcase for titles entering the awards season circuit. James Woolley, the festival's executive director, stated that audiences can expect this edition to be one of the most memorable in the festival's history.

The festival opened with the screening of The Debut, a musical comedy from A24 directed by Jesse Eisenberg. Julianne Moore stars in the film as a timid housewife who transforms into a fervent method actor within a community theater production. The cast also includes Halle Bailey, Paul Giamatti, and Bernadette Peters. Eisenberg wrote the original music and lyrics for the project.

Jordan Firstman's Club Kid will close the festival. The film recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Firstman plays a New York club promoter whose life changes after he meets his 10-year-old son, a child he did not know he had. Cara Delevingne, Diego Calva, and Kirby Howell Baptiste co-star in the production.

Variety will present two major honors during the event. On Monday, Nov. 2, John Turturro will receive the Creative Vanguard Award. The ceremony will include a conversation about his career and his latest project, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, which will also screen at the festival.

On Wednesday, Nov. 4, Spanish filmmakers Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, known collectively as Los Javis, will receive the Variety Virtuoso Award. They will participate in a special conversation regarding their work and their latest film, La Bola Negra. Actor and musician Guitarricadelafuente, who stars in the new film, will join them for the event.

The festival will also honor filmmakers Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson with the Art of Light Award on Nov. 3. The award recognizes their Berlin premiering drama Mouse, a follow-up to their acclaimed film Ghostlight. The presentation will follow the screening of Mouse.

Kyle MacLachlan will receive the Precious Gem Award at a special event on Nov. 27. Held in partnership with Books & Books, the event celebrates his debut memoir, Fictional Selves. MacLachlan is known for his roles in Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Dune, Sex and the City, and Desperate Housewives.

The Centerpiece lineup features six major titles, including Siân Heder's Being Heumann, which is based on the memoir of disability rights activist Judy Heumann. Other films include Tony Gilroy's Behemoth!, starring Pedro Pascal, and Florian Zeller's Bunker, featuring Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz. The slate also includes Simon Stone's Elsinore, James Gray's Paper Tiger, and Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine.

International Oscar submissions add to the program, including Ryusuke Hamaguchi's All of a Sudden, Lukas Dhont's Coward, and Andrey Zvyagintsev's Minotaur. James J. Robinson's First Light will also screen, accompanied by a question and answer session with the filmmaker. The festival will mark the 25th anniversary of Hedwig and the Angry Inch with a retrospective screening and Q&A featuring John Cameron Mitchell on Monday, Nov. 9, at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets and the full program are available at miamifilmfestival.com or by calling 305 237 FILMS.