The 43rd Miami Film Festival, held in April, brought in over 45,000 attendees and 300 industry professionals. The festival featured its largest “Made-in-MIA” program, where films that feature South Florida in a substantial part of their content compete for awards.<\/p>\n
Those films highlighting the region’s identity made a splash at the festival, and local filmmakers hope they can lead that momentum into more support for their craft.<\/p>\n
It’s with that in mind that Miami Film Lab will be holding a roundtable on the state of filmmaking in South Florida and how people can get involved locally later this month. <\/p>\n
The nonprofit, focused on helping South Florida filmmakers build sustainable careers and tell local stories, was founded by Jennifer Orta Castellanos in 2021. It supports filmmakers through screenings, mentorship programs and networking opportunities, while advocating for fair pay and more stability in the local industry.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Beyond Hollywood: How Trump’s tax proposals could affect Florida\u2019s film industry<\/a><\/p>\n \u201c\u200aFilm is a very expensive and a very collaborative art form, it takes a lot of people to make a really good movie,\u201d she said. \u201cSo how do we take care of the entire ecosystem and really make it something that everyone can get involved [in]?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLights, Camera, Community\u201d aims to show filmmakers, local businesses, film goers and philanthropists the resources they can use to get involved. Local organizations such as Oolite Arts, the White Elephant Group that runs the South Florida Film Forum, O Cinema, Film Florida and other groups will be in attendance \u2014 and Castellanos encourages anyone with a passion for local film to attend. <\/p>\n Slashed arts and cultural grants<\/p>\n For the 2024-2025 state budget, Governor Ron DeSantis slashed<\/a> more than $32 million in arts and cultural grants, affecting more than 600 nonprofits and eliminating funding for many organizations. More recently, the governor signed legislation restricting DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives in local governments, raising new concerns among artists and arts groups about the future of public funding.<\/p>\n When it comes to the impact of less government funding in the arts, Castellanos understands the concerns of her fellow filmmakers, but she doesn\u2019t believe that they should focus solely on that.<\/p>\n If there is a stronger focus and push on fostering local support, she believes that a lack of government funding won\u2019t be an issue.<\/p>\n \u201cIn general, we need to stop going to government to try to fix our problems and be our resources \u2026 it’s just asking for politics to control what we do and how we do it,\u201d she said. \u201cNot only that, but if government changes, those fundings can go away, and you’re setting yourself [up] to be very precarious if you’re depending on politics and government and elected officials.\u201d<\/p>\n