The documentary film Cuban Dancer by Italian-Nicaraguan director Roberto Salinas was announced today as the winner of the Knight Made in MIA Feature Film Award, while Colombian film The City of Wild Beasts / La ciudad de las fieras by Henry Rincón as the winner fo the WarnerMedia Ibero-American Feature Film Award at the 38th annual edition of the Miami Film Festival.
The Knight Made in MIA Feature Film Award comes with a cash prize of $45,000 and it’s presented to a feature film that has a substantial portion of its content in South Florida and that best utilizes its story and theme for universal resonance. The WarnerMedia Ibero-American Feature Film Award is presented with a cash prize of $10,000.
Cuban Dancer, a co-production of Italy, Canada and Chile, tells the story of Alexis, a talented and proud student of the National Ballet School of Cuba, who spends his life practicing chassé and entrechats with his girlfriend and dance partner Yelenia. However, when his family moves to Florida to be reunited with his sister, he must adjust his expectations and dreams to a radically new environment. Alexis, facing rejection and homesick for his native Cuba, feels lost and alone. He must find his way in the world of American ballet while remaining faithful to his roots.
Set in Medellín, Colombia, The City of Wild Beasts follows Tato, who is an orphan adrift and a young lover of rap. Along with his friends Pitu and La Crespa, he seeks to resist and find a different alternative to death and crime, through the art of hip hop, participating in street jam battles. Tato has to run from his neighborhood, and his only option is to leave the city and live with Octavio, a grandfather and flower grower whom he doesn't know. Two generations, two ways of life and a continuous feeling of loss, death and loneliness rain over Tato's life in his struggle to survive and find his own identity.
The short film Caro Comes Out directed by Brit Fryer and Cuban American writer Caro Hernandez was also announced as the $10,000 Knight Made in MIA Short Film Award, supported by Knight Foundation. As the festival had previously announced, the Mexican short film Asi en la tierra by Joel Vázquez Cárdenas was awarded with the $5,000 WarnerMedia Ibero-American Short Film Award.
The 38th annual edition of the Miami Film Festival took place March 5-14, 2021.
