Ever want to get up close and personal with a film director about what goes into a movie? The Key Biscayne film festival will give film buffs a very special opportunity to know more.
The third installment of the festival, starting Jan. 29, will offer more live conversations with industry heavyweights. “Hosting an unprecedented number of visiting directors for live conversations, we’re providing our audience with the best festival experience yet,” said Isabel Custer, a Miami filmmaker and the festival’s co-founder.
Among the Florida filmmakers are Sasha Wortzel, set to discuss her first feature documentary River of Grass, and Miami-based director Herschel Faber, whose film Ethan Bloom stars Joshua Malina, Rachelle Lefevre and Carlos Ponce.
Opening night starts with,“Movies Under the Stars,” outdoors at Paradise Park. Attendees will get to enjoy Parker & Jimmy, a documentary short filmed in Florida about friendship and perseverance.
IF YOU GO:
TICKETS$0 to $50 for individual screeningspasses, to VIP PASS$125. Access to all screenings, panels and VIP cocktail parties WHEN4pm Thursday, Jan. 29 at the new Paradise Cinema with a 4 o’clock viewing of Mistura, a Peruvian historical melodrama about a woman grappling with societal judgment and elitism in 1960s Lima.WHERE:Screening locations vary, see Website for details https://kbfilmfestival.org
On Friday, Jan. 30, the festival moves to the University of Miami Rosenstiel School campus for the showing of River of Grass. Inspired by Everglades champion Marjory Stoneman Douglas and taking the name from her her book, the documentary interweaves Douglas’ writing, personal narration and archival footage.
Following the viewing, director Wortzel and producer Alexandra Codina will hold a live, post-screening conversation.
Saturday, Jan. 31, brings more with a matinee showing of Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, an intimate look at the Oscar-winning actress’ groundbreaking career, at Paradise Cinema. Thereafter, a panel with the producer of the critically acclaimed Ted Lasso, Kip Kroeger.
The fiims Ethan Bloom and River of Grass are part of the works selected at the 2026 Key Biscayne Film Festival
To close the evening, the festival moves to Paradise Park for the awards ceremony and the screening of the Coconut Grove-set film Ethan Bloom, directed by Herschel Faber. The director will also hold a post-screening discussion before a closing-night cocktail reception catered by Narbona. While the closing-night cocktail reception is a ticketed event, the screening is free for all to attend.
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The festival concludes on Sunday, Feb. 1, with a showcase of shorts by local youth filmmakers. Closing the festival is Naked Ambition, a documentary exploring the life of photographer Bunny Yeager, at Paradise Cinema.
Director Dennis Scholl, whose subjects have included Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid star Robert Redford, will attend a Q&A after the screening.
Key Biscayne Film Festival’s has some advice for festival goers traveling to the island for opening or closing day : arrive early, park at the Village Green, and walk over. The concession stand on site will be selling snacks as well as beer and wine.
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Gabriela dos Santos is a reporter for Key Biscayne Independent. She is a Brazilian-American writer from South Florida who holds a B.A. in English Literature from Florida Atlantic University. Her writing ranges from sociocultural essays to poetry to independent journalism, and she has been featured in Voyage MIA and Shoutout Miami as one of South Florida’s inspiring voices.