Miami Short Film Festival Returns Next Week

The twenty-third annual festival will offer film fabulousness in 30 minutes or less at venues across town November 8-10

Witness, from Iranian director Aida Tebianan. Photo courtesy Aida Tebianan
Witness, from Iranian director Aida Tebianan. Photo courtesy Aida Tebianan

For having the word short in its name, the Miami Short Film Festival sure has become a longtime favorite. The 2024 event, slated for November 8-10 throughout the 305, marks the twenty-third edition of the homegrown affair.

It’s the brainchild of local director William Vela, who has grown the festival from the smallest of gatherings to a truly international affair. “It started with me renting 50 folding chairs, having a friend let me use his old gallery space, and showing my short film to friends,” Vela says. “Now, we’re reviewing 1,000 short films a year, we have 45 countries represented, and we’ve screened more than 2,000 films to date.”

Films included in the 2024 Miami Short Film Festival will be shown at O Cinema in Miami Beach, Silver Spot in downtown, and the Deering Estate in Palmetto Bay. The festival’s vision is encapsulated in three themes: “Crossing Borders, Binding Stories,” “Beyond Borders, Beyond Imagination,” and “Breaking the Limits, Building Bridges.”

The Roses, from Chinese director Qiao H. Photo courtesy Qiao H
The Roses, from Chinese director Qiao H. Photo courtesy Qiao H

While the festival attracts filmmakers from all over the world, a pride point has been the influx of Miami-bred submissions. Vela says the festival typically received five or six dozen submissions from Miamians. “While we may not have the longest history of filmmaking here, we are always looking to help provide a platform where we can and really nurture our community,” he explains.

“Miami really is a trampoline from the world into the United States, the No. 1 movie market in the world,” he continues. “With our festival, we’re able to attract high-quality content from Latin America, Europe, and everywhere in between. We want to attract even more. Our goal is to become the Sundance or Tribeca Film Festival of the short films world. And I think we are on our way.”

Little Haiti, Miami, USA, directed by Miami’s own XF Serrano. Photo courtesy XF Serrano
Little Haiti, Miami, USA, directed by Miami’s own XF Serrano. Photo courtesy XF Serrano

Three to See

Vela says these three key films should be on your must-not-miss list at this year’s Miami Short Film Festival

Witness, from Iranian director Aida Tebianan. This 15-minute film follows Sharmin, a young girl whose mother is murdered by her father. As she tries to find witnesses to defend her father from inevitable execution, she endures a battle between hope and fear.

Little Haiti, Miami, USA, directed by Miami’s own XF Serrano. This nearly nine-minute flick centers on Cuban native Erma, who is searching Little Haiti for a man who appears in a piece of art that her son painted. Erma doesn’t speak English, so she enlists the help of a 14-year-old Haitian-American teenager to aid her in her search.

The Roses, from Chinese director Qiao H. This 15-minute film tracks a divorcee’s romance with her lawyer, who serially seduces and rejects her—a true tale of manipulation and deception.

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