The MiFo LGBT Film Festival Miami edition kicked off its 18th season on Friday, April 22 with more than 80 films.

The festival runs through May 1. 

This year's theme is United We Film. At a time in history that has seen momentous strides in LGBT equality, LGBT films have also risen to prominence worldwide. MiFo will present more than 80 films from 28 countries, guest appearances by actors, directors and producers, and a lineup of spectacular parties and events. The array of films includes 39 features, 14 documentaries, 31 shorts and an unprecedented number of premieres: four world premieres, three international premieres, one North American premiere, three U.S. premieres, 17 East Coast premieres, four Southeast premieres and two Florida premieres.

Films will be screened at the Regal Cinemas South Beach, Colony Theater, Miami Beach Cinematheque and the Wolfsonian-FIU, all in the heart of South Beach.

 Wednesday, April 27  7 PM, Regal South Beach: CENTERPIECE FILM

 
UNCLE GLORIA: ONE HELLUVA RIDE
In attendance: Robyn Symon, Director and Gloria Stein, the subject of the documentary
 
A perfect example of a "that only happens in Florida" story, Uncle Gloria: One Helluva Ride tells the tale of Butch, a macho senior owner of an auto wrecking company, who goes on the lam from the law during a nasty divorce and discovers her new self. Undergoing a risky sex-change operation due to her age, Gloria becomes a dominatrix, transgender activist, and finds love - all while trying to reconcile with her dysfunctional family.Uncle Gloria: One Helluva Ride is a darkly funny film full of family drama and fireworks.
 
Thursday, April 28  7 PM, Regal South Beach
VIVA
In attendance: Actors Hector Medina and Luis Alberto Garcia 
 
Jesus, a young hairdresser working at a Havana nightclub that showcases drag performers, dreams of being a performer himself. Encouraged by Mama, his mentor, Jesus finally gets his chance to take the stage. But when his estranged father Angel abruptly re-enters his life, his world is quickly turned upside down. As father and son clash over their opposing expectations of each other, Viva becomes a love story as the men struggle to understand one another and reconcile as a family.
 
Thursday, April 28  9:15 PM, Regal South Beach
M.O.B. WIVES OF RICHMOND          
In Attendance:  Dmitry Zhitov, Director; Jose Canto, Producer; Anelica O. Mark-Harris & Bessie Mark, drag queens who appear in the film
 
The M.O.B. (Magnificent, Outspoken, Beautiful) Wives of Richmond are a diverse group of female drag queens. These non-judgmental straight women aren’t afraid to drape themselves in the most elaborate and over-the-top outfits showing others that it is OK to be fabulous around the clock, to live outside the box and to dare to be different. Lovingly crafted by local filmmaker, Dmitry Zhitov.
 
Friday, April 29  9:15 PM, Regal South Beach
DOWNRIVER
In Attendance:  Grant Scicluna, Director; Reef Ireland, Actor
 
James has served time for his involvement in the suspected drowning of a young boy in a river years earlier, although the body was never found. Ravaged with uncertainty, dealing with an estranged family and forced to face the dead boy’s mother, James sets out on a journey of self-discovery, shocking revelations and danger as questions surrounding the boy’s death brim to the surface.  Downriver asks an audience to come to unsettling places. Can we begin to desire something good for someone who has done something so wrong?
 
Saturday, April 30  2:45, Regal South Beach
CLAMBAKE
In Attendance:   Andrea Meyerson, Director
 
The year is 1984, and a group of women innkeepers in Provincetown gathered together to figure out how to entice summer guests back during the off season. Women’s Week was born. Clambake charts the 30-year growth of Women’s Week in Provincetown, through archival footage, interviews with celebrities and founders, and current events and performances, offering a historical—and hysterical—look at what a handful of innovative women can accomplish.
 
Saturday, April 30  5 PM, Miami Beach Cinematheque
FAIR HAVEN
In Attendance:   Kerstin Karlhuber, Director; Jack Bryant, Writer; Thomas Molloy, Producer/Actor
 
Fair Haven follows a young man, James, who returns to his family’s farm after a long stint in gay-to-straight conversion therapy. He comes home believing that he has been “cured” of his same-sex desire. However, once home he is torn between the expectations of his emotionally distant father, and the memories of Charlie, a past, loving relationship he has tried to bury.
 
Saturday, April 30  7:30 PM, Miami Beach Cinematheque
LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED?
In Attendance:   Kim Rocco Shields, Director; Blake Cooper Griffin, Actor; Briana Evijan
 
Inspired by true events of bullying. A town is rocked when their local university’s picture-perfect star quarterback is outed for being a heterosexual after her peers discover her secret love affair with a male journalist.  Their community is part of a world much like our own, but with a twist: Same sex couples are the majority and mixed gender couples are the minority.
  

(A complete schedule of screenings, special events and parties is available at www.mifofilm.com.
See the complete guide here.)

Rebranded in 2015 as “MiFo,” the moniker joins together the Miami and Fort Lauderdale LGBT film festivals under one umbrella and one brand.  This not only solidifies South Florida as a major market for showcasing LGBT films, but also provides an opportunity for sponsors such Celebrity Cruises, Gilead and SHOWTIME to reach a broader, brand-loyal audience throughout South Florida.

                                       
The MiFo LGBT Film Festival is an internationally acclaimed event serving as a platform for numerous world, North American, and East Coast premieress. MiFo is also the largest LGBT cultural arts event in South Florida.
 
MiFo Miami has grown from a three-day festival in which 25 films were presented, to the current 10-day event with 80-plus films. The Fort Lauderdale Edition, Oct. 7 through Oct. 16, has evolved from a three-day event to a two-weekend event showcasing 50-plus films.

 Look for updates by visiting MiFo at www.MiFofilm.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mifofilmfest. 

For further information, including tickets, membership and sponsorship opportunities, go www.MiFofilm.com or call (305) 751-6305.