MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE

By Manuel Lopez

A fan favorite night, Desserts and Directors kicked off the week on a sweet note. MoviePass along with Stella, and many of Miami’s sweetest delights helped create a wonderful night to celebrate the scene-stealing directors whose career spans over half a century. This year we honored one of Spain’s most renowned filmmakers, Carlos Saura.

The night started with a Carlos Suara tribute plus the screening of “Saura(s)” at the Olympia Theatre and then moved to 1306 Miami for some Miami beats and treats. DJ YSL set the vibes for the night accompanied by Stella, and Miami’s sweetest snacks Viv’s Waffle Shoppe, Nummies Bake Shop, CrepeMaker and Miami Candies just to name a few. There was a little bit of everything for everyone.

MoviePass hosted a giveaway where one lucky winner won a one-year free membership to MoviePass. Most if not all directors and crew members to the films showing at the Miami Film Festival were in attendance to this great party.

The night was a great opportunity to network with some directors and share some of your thoughts and opinions of their work. I was lucky enough to spend some time with Rod Llaverias, director of “Holy Hill” whose film was accidentally cut short during Fight Like A Girl & More Short Films. I got to hear a little bit about his decision in shooting the film in the Dominican Republic along with the difficulties it brought. Desserts and Directors was a wonderful event that gathered some very talented like-minded people.