Overview The Miami Film Festival is Miami Dade College's spring film festival, and its fall companion, GEMS, is where awards-season films screen early: the 24 GEMS films of 2024 went on to 41 wins and 147 nominations, seven of those wins at the Oscars. The spring festival runs 11 days across Downtown Miami, Miami Beach, Little Havana, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove and beyond, with independent American and international films and a program the festival calls the preeminent destination for Ibero-American cinema. GEMS, launched in 2014, runs in the fall around Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. The festival was founded in 1983 and sits inside MDC's Office of Cultural Affairs, alongside Miami Book Fair, Live Arts Miami and the Freedom Tower; the college serves more than 120,000 students. On site The spring program is built around gala and marquee screenings with red carpets, an Opening Night party, a Closing Night ceremony and party, celebrity conversations, culinary and film pairings, happy hours in the city's neighborhoods and industry networking sessions. Filmmakers attend their screenings, so the director of a film is often there to meet the audience afterward. In 2026 Tuner opened the festival, Power Ballad closed it, and The Christophers and Poetic License were the Centerpiece films. Between festivals the free Cuban Cinema Series screens classic and contemporary Cuban films year-round, often with a filmmaker conversation afterward. Audience Three in four attendees live in South Florida. More than 400 filmmakers attend, many launching their films into the U.S. market, and they share screenings and parties with film fans and industry professionals. In the festival's own research, 70% of attendees say they are likely to support businesses that back it. Talent and Influencers Each edition hands out named tributes. In 2026 Bob Odenkirk received the Precious Gem Award after a screening of Normal, Adam Scott and Matt Bomer received Vanguard Awards, Danielle Brooks and Lili Reinhart the Art of Light Award, and Sonia Manzano the Impact Award. Track record The 2026 edition, the 43rd, showed more than 160 narratives, documentaries and short films from 45 countries, 40 of them world premieres. The GEMS 2024 slate included The Brutalist, A Real Pain, I'm Still Here and Emilia Perez, and across the season its films took seven Oscars, nine Golden Globes, eight BAFTAs and six Goyas. Brand presence Sponsors come in at five levels, from Contributing to Premiere, and the top two carry category exclusivity. Recognition runs on screen before films, on posters at every venue and in the printed program guide, which runs 30,000 copies and is mailed to 10,000 homes. Every level carries a sponsor credential with skip-the-line access and invitations to year-round events, and a brand commercial can play before screenings.