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Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival unveiled the lineup for its 13th Miami Film Festival GEMS, the festival’s fall midseason event taking place from Oct. 29-Nov. 5. GEMS will open with A24’s “The Debut” from writer-director Jesse Eisenberg and close with A24’s “Club Kid” from writer-director and star Jordan Firstman.
Julianne Moore stars in “The Debut” as Mona Friedman, a shy, unassuming housewife who is cast in a bit part at a small community theater and becomes a zealous method actor, ready to wage war on the show’s domineering director (Paul Giamatti) to protect the artistic integrity of her role. The musical comedy also stars Halle Bailey, Eisenberg and Bernadette Peters, with music and lyrics by Eisenberg.
In “Club Kid,” Firstman stars as Peter, a hard-partying New York City club promoter whose whirlwind lifestyle is upended by the arrival of the 10-year-old son he never knew he had. The film, which had its world premiere in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, also stars Cara Delevingne, Diego Calva and Kirby Howell-Baptiste.
Centerpiece titles include “Being Heumann”, “Behemoth!”, “Bunker”, “Elsinore”, “Paper Tiger”, and “Wild Horse Nine.” The festival also places a focus on international submissions to the Academy Awards, and will feature submitted titles such as Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden”, Lukas Dhont’s “Coward”, and Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur.”
Variety will also honor Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated actor, writer and director actor John Turturro with the Variety Creative Vanguard Award during the festival. The award will be presented as part of a moderated conversation about his illustrious career and his latest film, “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York”, hosted by Variety’s co-president and co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh. “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York,” written and directed by Noah Segan, will also screen at the festival.
Additionally, “Mouse,” from directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson, will screen as part of the lineup, with the filmmakers receiving the Festival’s Art of Light Award. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and comes from the filmmakers behind “Ghostlight.”
Kyle MacLachlan will receive the Precious Gem Award at a special event in partnership with Books & Books in Miami to honor the release of his debut memoir “Fictional Self.” In honor of the 25th anniversary of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” the festival will host a special retrospective screening of the cult-favorite rock musical, followed by the Impact Award presentation and Q&A with writer, director and star John Cameron Mitchell.
“The 13th edition of GEMS further solidifies the festival as a major awards season stop, bringing together some of the most anticipated films of the year alongside a curated collection of discoveries from around the world,” said Lauren Cohen, Director of Programming. “With 50 titles, this is the largest GEMS line-up yet. To be able to celebrate the work of incredible storytellers such as Danny Boyle, Martin McDonagh, James Gray, Pedro Almodovar, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Mike Leigh, Siân Heder, and Brad Bird all in one lineup captures the richness and resonance of world cinema today.”
“Audiences can expect GEMS 2026 to be one of our most memorable editions yet,” said James Woolley, Executive Director of the festival. “We are beyond thrilled to honor actor Kyle MacLachlan, filmmaker John Cameron Mitchell and Los Javis for their incredible contributions to the entertainment industry.”
The Centerpiece films include:
- “Being Heumann” – from Academy Award-winning director Siân Heder, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rebekah Taussig, is based on the memoir by disability rights activist Judy Heumann. The film tells the story of the 1977 takeover of the San Francisco Federal Building, when Heumann (Ruth Madeley) and a coalition of disabled activists refused to leave until the government enforced Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, in what became the longest occupation of a federal building in American history. Mark Ruffalo stars as Joseph Califano, the government official standing in their way, and Dylan O’Brien also stars.
- “Behemoth!” – From Academy Award-nominated director/writer Tony Gilroy follows Alex Serian (Pedro Pascal), a gifted cellist who returns home to Los Angeles after 20 years on the road. Music, which has been the constant all-consuming river of his life, swells him into an adventure that will change him forever. The film also stars Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, Alexa Swinton, Kaya Ralls, Erik Griffin, JoBeth Williams, Margarita Levieva, with Hank Azaria, and Will Arnett.
- “Bunker” – From director Florian Zeller (“The Father,” “The Son”) Bunker centers on an architect who takes a morally ambiguous job building a survivalist bunker for a tech billionaire, while his wife begins to question their marriage of 17 years. The psychological thriller stars Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz.
- “Elsinore” – From director Simon Stone (“The Dig”) and writer Stephen Beresford (“Pride”) tells the true story of actor Ian Charleson (Andrew Scott), who in 1989 stepped into the role of Hamlet at London’s National Theatre while privately battling AIDS, in a performance that became the triumph of his career. The film also stars Olivia Colman, Billie Piper and Johnny Flynn.
- “Paper Tiger” – In James Gray’s deeply felt and intense crime thriller, set in 1986 New York, a naïve engineer, Irwin (Miles Teller) accepts a seemingly lucrative business proposition from his brother, Gary (Adam Driver), a former cop. But when Irwin witnesses something he wasn’t meant to see at the Gowanus Canal, the brothers find themselves pulled into a dangerous confrontation with the newly emerging Russian mafia. As the threat of violence escalates, Irwin’s wife Hester (Scarlett Johansson) sounds the alarm, Irwin desperately tries to protect his family, and Gary is forced to make an impossible choice to save those he loves.
- “Wild Horse Nine” – From Academy Award-winning writer-director Martin McDonagh is set shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, when CIA agents Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) are dispatched by their bureau chief (Steve Buscemi) from Santiago to Easter Island, where Chris’s bond with a pair of rebellious students threatens to send the trip sideways. The black comedy also stars Mariana di Girolamo, Ailín Salas with Tom Waits and Parker Posey.
Two more anniversary screenings round out the program. The festival will host a special 20th anniversary screening of Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens. The festival will also present a 10th anniversary screening of Anna Biller’s “The Love Witch” in 35mm on Halloween.
The festival will also host two preview night screenings before the festival dates. First will be “Fjord” directed by Cristian Mungiu, which will play on October 14 at Silverspot Cinema. Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the film stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve. The second Preview Night title is Sundance hit Wicker directed by Alex Huston Fischer & Eleanor Wilson on October 20. The film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Debicki, Peter Dinklage & Richard E. Grant.
The complete list of films screening at the 2026 GEMS Festival include:
- “All of a Sudden” (Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
- “Bedford Park” (Director Stephanie Ahn)
- “Being Heumann” (Director Siân Heder)
- “Behemoth!” (Director Tony Gilroy)
- “Bitter Christmas” (Director Pedro Almodovar)
- “Bunker” (Director Florian Zeller)
- “Burgundy” (Directors Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw)
- “Campeón Gabacho” (Director Jonás Cuarón)
- “Clarissa” (Directors Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri)
- “Club Kid” (Director Jordan Firstman)
- “Coward” (Director Lukas Dhont)
- “Elsinore” (Director Simon Stone)
- “Everytime” (Director Sandra Wollner)
- “First Light” (Director James J. Robinson)
- “Fjord” (Director Cristian Mungiu)
- “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (Director John Cameron Mitchell)
- “I Play Rocky” (Director Peter Farrelly)
- “Iron Boy” (Director Louis Clichy)
- “Ink” (Director Danny Boyle)
- “Josephine” (Director Beth de Araújo)
- “La Bola Negra” (Directors Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi)
- “La Gradiva” (Director Marine Atlan)
- “Look Back” (Director Hirokazu Kore-eda)
- “Marie Antoinette” (Director Sofia Coppola)
- “Minotaur” (Director Andrey Zvyagintsev)
- “Mouse (Directors Kelly O’Sullivan & Alex Thompson)
- “Paper Tiger” (Director James Gray)
- “Queen at Sea” (Director Lance Hammer)
- “Ray Gunn” (Director Brad Bird)
- “Rehearsals for a Revolution” (Director Pegah Ahangarani)
- “Risa and the Wind Phone” (Director Juan Cabral)
- “River” (Director Joshua Giuliano)
- “Rose” (Director Markus Schleinzer)
- “Sad Girlz” (Director Fernanda Tovar)
- “Summer of Three” (Director Carlitos Ruiz-Ruiz)
- “Tangles” (Director Leah Nelson)
- “Tender Loving Care” (Director Mike Leigh)
- “The Beloved” (Director Rodrigo Sorogoyen)
- “The Debut” (Director Jesse Eisenberg)
- “The Gallerist” (Director Cathy Yan)
- “The Huntress” (Director Suzanne Andrews Correa)
- “The Liberation” (Director Guy Nattiv)
- “The Life & Deaths of Wilson Shedd” (Director Tim Blake Nelson)
- “The Love Witch” (Director Anna Biller)
- “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” (Director Noah Segan)
- “Time Warp” (Director Allison Berg)
- “Wicker” (Director Alex Huston Fischer & Eleanor Wilson)
- “Wild Horse Nine” (Director Martin McDonagh)
- “Yellow Letters” (Director Ilker Catak)
