Los Frikis by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz
US Latinx and Latin American productions—from and about Cuba, Venezuela, and Latino USA—were the top winners at the 41st edition of the Miami Film Festival, which ran from April 5 to 14, 2024.
Los Frikis, directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, was the recipient of the Marimbas Award, along with a cash prize of $20,000. Additionally, the film secured the position of second runner-up in the Audience Award competition. The Marimbas Award represents an international competition recognizing the new narrative feature film that best embodies richness and resonance for the future of cinema.
Inspired by true events, Los Frikis unfolds as a poignant coming-of-age narrative set in early nineties Cuba. It revolves around 18-year-old Gustavo, who idolizes his older brother Paco and their punk bandmates known as the "Frikis." When rumors circulate about a potential reprieve from the economic crisis, the Frikis resort to a drastic measure: intentionally injecting themselves with HIV to gain access to a government-run treatment facility. Within its walls, they carve out a utopian space for themselves to live freely and pursue their musical passions.
Mountains, the debut feature by Haitian-American director Monica Sorelle, clinched the Made in MIA Feature Film Award, accompanied by a cash prize of $25,000. The film chronicles the life of Xavier, a diligent middle-aged Haitian demolition worker, who grapples with the imminent displacement of his family from their Little Haiti residence. As gentrification encroaches, Xavier's steadfast loyalty to his work and community faces profound challenges, testing the bonds that hold his family together.
In the Summers, a semi-autobiographical piece by Colombian-American director Alessandra Lacorazza, starring Lio Mehiel, Sasha Calle, and the multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning musician Residente, triumphed with the Jordan Ressler First Feature Award, accompanied by a cash prize of $10,000. The film follows siblings Violeta and Eva as they navigate summers spent with their charismatic yet flawed father, Vicente. Their journey towards redemption is fraught with obstacles and revelations, forging a profound bond between sisters amidst the shadow of their father's addiction.
The Short Documentary Film Award, featuring a cash prize of $1,000, was bestowed upon Audio & The Alligator, directed by Venezuelan-Canadian filmmaker Andrés I. Estrada. The documentary portrays the tale of Audio Caña, a charming grandfather and farmer, renowned for his captivating storytelling. When Audio claims the existence of a 19ft alligator inhabiting his pond, his assertions are met with skepticism. Against the backdrop of the Venezuelan Plains, Audio embarks on a quest to validate his claim with the support of his family and his determined 6-year-old granddaughter.
Director Sebastián Marcano-Pérez was honored with the Cinemaslam Competition Award, accompanied by a cash prize of $1,000, for his personal essay Retrospection of a Home (once upon a time...). The essay delves into the collective memory of a family and their abandoned home in Venezuela, weaving a poignant narrative of nostalgia and loss.
The most popular film of the festival was The Shadow of the Sun / La sombra del sol by Venezuelan filmmaker Miguel Angel Ferrer, which earned the Audience Feature Film Award. Venezuela's entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars, the movie portrays Alex, a young deaf man who enlists the help of his older brother Leo to participate in a musical competition. Through Leo's voice, Alex endeavors to realize his dreams, facing formidable challenges that test his resilience in an unsupportive society.
Lastly, Cuban-American director Alejandro Renteria secured the Audience Short Film Award for Objects of Desire. The film chronicles the tumultuous journey of Jessy, a morally ambiguous young man embroiled in a web of challenges following his mother's abduction. To settle his debt, Jessy reluctantly agrees to seduce Carlos, an older man in a vulnerable state, who presents a dubious proposition promising to resolve his urgent predicament.
