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Belen

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Miami Dade College's (MDC) Miami Film Festival (MFF) opens its 12th Miami Film Festival GEMS, the Festival's fall midseason event taking place from Monday, Oct. 29 through Wednesday. Nov. 5.

GEMS will feature 40 films from over 20 countries, opening with “No Other Choice” with director Park Chan-wook in attendance to receive the Precious Gem Master Award. The festival will close with “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” and feature Centerpiece screenings of “Belén,” “Hamnet,” “Jay Kelly, “Nuremberg,” “Sentimental Value” and “The Secret Agent.” In addition, two other Precious Gem Awards will be presented - one to Lucy Liu at a screening of “Rosemead” and another to Mona May at a 30th anniversary screening of “Clueless.”

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Clueless

Lauren Cohen, Director of Programming said in a statement that: “With 40 prestige titles, this is the largest GEMS line-up we have brought to our Miami audience to date. Beyond having the work of some of film world's most established auteurs, we have 24 countries featured as well as 10 international official submissions to the 2026 Academy Awards. It is truly an astonishing year for cinema, and that's really reflected in our program.”

“Audiences can expect GEMS 2025 to be one of our most memorable editions yet,” said James Woolley, Executive Director of the Festival in a statement. “As we continue to cement our place on the fall awards circuit, we are beyond thrilled to honor visionary filmmaker Park Chan-wook, trailblazing artist Lucy Liu and innovative costume designer Mona May along with Ethan Hawke, Dylan O'Brien & Gus Van Sant for their incredible contributions to the entertainment industry.”

As a preview to the Festival on Monday, Oct. 25 the Festival will host a special screening of the award-winning film “Rosemead” with star and producer Lucy Liu in attendance to be presented with the Precious Gem Award during a Q&A following the screening.

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Rosemead

Liu is a critically acclaimed actress and filmmaker internationally recognized for roles in films including “Kill Bill,” “Charlie's Angels,” “Chicago,” “Set It Up,” “Presence,” and “Red One.” She earned Emmy nominations for “Ally McBeal” and “The Pirate Queen” and has produced and championed impactful documentaries including “Freedom's Fury” and “Redlight.” A celebrated visual artist and longtime UNICEF Ambassador, Liu became only the second Asian American woman in nearly 60 years to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The festival opens on Monday, Oct. 29 with “No Other Choice,” directed by Park Chan-wook. Chan-wook will be presented with the Precious GEM Master Award at a Q&A following the screening. Based on Donald E. Westlake's novel “The Ax,” the film follows Man-su on his desperate hunt for a new job after his abrupt layoff from the paper company he served for 25 years. Park Chan-wook is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, and producer who is among the most acclaimed auteurs in the world. Known for his “Vengeance Trilogy,” consisting of “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance,” “Oldboy,” and “Sympathy For Lady Vengeance,” he has continued to receive worldwide acclaim with films such as “Thirst,” "Stoker," "The Handmaiden," "Decision to Leave," and with the TV series "The Little Drummer Girl" and "The Sympathizer". He has also produced “Snowpiercer” and “Uprising.”

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Wake Up Dead Man

On Saturday, Nov. 1, in honor of the 30th anniversary of “Clueless,” the festival will host a special retrospective screening of the 1995 classic, followed by a Precious Gem Award presentation and extended Q&A with the film's legendary costume designer Mona May. May is recognized for her role as the costume designer for films such as “Romy and Michele's High School Reunion,” “Enchanted,” “The Wedding Singer” and “The House Bunny.”

Closing out the Festival on Wednesday, Nov. 5, is Netflix's “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” written, directed and produced by two-time Academy Award nominee Rian Johnson and starring Daniel Craig, Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack and Thomas Haden Church.

In the newest installment of the “Knives Out” franchise, Benoit Blanc returns for his most dangerous case yet.

The Centerpiece films include:

• Amazon MGM Studios' “Belén” a movie based on the true story chronicling the harrowing case of Julieta, a young woman falsely accused of infanticide, and Soledad Deza (Dolores Fonzi), the fearless lawyer who takes on the highly controversial, explosive case.
• Focus Features' “Hamnet” from Academy Award® winning writer/director Chloé Zhao, which tells the powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet. The film stars Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson & Joe Alwyn.
• Netflix's “Jay Kelly” from Academy Award nominee Noah Baumbach, follows famous movie actor Jay Kelly and his devoted manager Ron as they embark on a whirlwind and unexpectedly profound journey through Europe. Along the way, both men are forced to confront the choices they've made, the relationships with their loved ones, and the legacies they'll leave behind. Co-written by Baumbach and Emily Mortimer, the film stars George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, and more.
• Sony Pictures Classics' “Nuremburg” followings the story of the Allies, led by the unyielding chief prosecutor, Robert H. Jackson, have the task of ensuring the Nazi regime answers for the unveiled horrors of the Holocaust while a US Army psychiatrist is locked in a dramatic psychological duel with former Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring. The film stars Russell Crowe, Rami Malek and Michael Shannon.
• NEON's “Sentimental Value” tells the story of sisters Nora and Agnes reuniting with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star. Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with their father - and deal with an American star dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics. The film stars Elle Fanning, Stellan Skarsgård and Renate Reinsve.
• NEON's “The Secret Agent” set in Brazil in 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. He arrives in Recife during carnival week, hoping to reunite with his son but soon realizes that the city is far from being the non-violent refuge he seeks.

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Canceled: The Paula Deen Story

The Festival will also be screening “Canceled: The Paula Deen Story” with acclaimed Miami director Billy Corben in attendance. “Canceled” revisits the meteoric rise and sudden downfall of one of America's most iconic celebrity chefs. Paula Deen built a Southern culinary empire becoming a beloved TV personality. But in 2013, her admission to using a racial slur in the past ignited a media firestorm. Without formal investigation or due process, she became one of the first public figures to face full-blown “cancellation,” transforming into a lightning rod in the emerging culture wars and a symbol of social media mob justice. Corben and producing partner Alfred Spellman have screened many of their previous works at Miami Film Festival, including “Dawg Fight” (MFF 15), “Magic City Hustle: (MFF 19), “Screwball” (MFF 19), “537 Votes” (GEMS 2020), “God Forbid” (GEMS 2022), and “Men of War” (GEMS 2024).

Photographer:

Dead Man's Wire

Other notable films screenings at the 2025 GEMS Festival includes:

Photographer:

No Other Choice

Dylan O'Brien will receive the Vanguard Award on Nov. 1, Ethan Hawke will receive the Variety Virtuoso Award on Nov. 2 and Gus Van Sant will receive the Precious Gem Award on Nov. 3.

This year's Festival will host screenings at its principal venue Silverspot Cinema Downtown in addition to MDC's Koubek Center, Coral Gables Art Cinema, and introducing GEMS screenings as well at Bill Cosford Cinema and O Cinema Miami Beach.

For ticket sales and the complete GEMS 2025 lineup and schedule visit www.miamifilmfestival.com.