Three filmmakers with ties to Miami and its Cuban-American community will be spotlighted through the new fund\u2019s first grant cycle<\/p>\n
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MIAMI (July 27, 2026) \u2013 Miami Dade College\u2019s Miami Film Festival, in partnership with ArtesMiami, today announced the inaugural winners of the Miami Film Fund, a new initiative awarding a combined $15,000 to filmmakers with ties to Miami. The three grants of $5,000 each mark the first cycle of a fund created to celebrate and elevate cinematic storytelling connected to the Miami community.<\/p>\n
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The winning projects, currently in production or post-production, span documentary and narrative filmmaking reflecting stories of immigrant resilience, cultural identity and the shifting landscape of Miami itself. Winners will have their completed films showcased as official selections at an upcoming edition of the Miami Film Festival.<\/p>\n
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This initiative represents an expansion of the ongoing partnership between ArtesMiami and Miami Film Festival. ArtesMiami sponsored the 2026 Made in MIA Short Film Award and additionally supports the year-round Cuban Cinema Series programming.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe are thrilled to celebrate the first winners of the Miami Film Fund and the films they are creating,\u201d said James Woolley, Miami Film Festival\u2019s executive director. \u201cThis fund reflects our ongoing commitment to championing filmmakers at every stage of their careers and ensuring Miami remains a world-class hub for filmmaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cThese three projects represent exactly the kind of bold, authentic storytelling we hoped to support when we created the Miami Film Fund,\u201d said Aida Levitan, Ph.D., president and founder of ArtesMiami. \u201cThis is just the beginning. We want the entire community to embrace the fund and help us grow it so we can support even more filmmakers.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The 2026 Miami Film Fund winners are:<\/p>\n
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Cuban-American Filmmaker or Subject ($5,000)<\/p>\n
Chiara Clemente \u2013 IZZY, a feature-length documentary that follows Isabel and Ruben Toledo, who arrived in the United States as children on the 1960s Freedom Flights from Cuba. The film traces how their meeting in high school sparked a lifelong artistic collaboration that propelled them into the heart of New York\u2019s downtown scene in the 1980s, celebrating artistic freedom and immigrant resilience.<\/p>\n
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Miami-Filmed Production ($5,000)<\/p>\n
Emma Cuba \u2013 Water Water Everywhere, a feature film about a city sinking below sea level even as it keeps growing. As Abuela struggles to recognize the world around her, she asks her granddaughter, Mara, for one final trip together into the Everglades, where the Florida landscape reveals its mythical, meditative, and absurd realities.<\/p>\n
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Miami Filmmaker ($5,000)<\/p>\n
Sana Haq \u2013 Locked Out, a feature documentary following Joe, who returns to Overtown after 20 years in prison to find his community threatened by gentrification. As he documents the effects of Miami\u2019s real estate politics, he realizes that protecting his neighborhood means first fighting to restore his own right to vote.<\/p>\n
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Miami Film Fund builds on the festival\u2019s broader commitment to championing storytelling connected to Miami and South Florida. It joins The Louies, which awards $100,000 annually in production funding to six Miami-based filmmakers through the Festival\u2019s partnership with the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation.<\/p>\n
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To learn more, visit www.miamifilmfestival.com\/miami-film-fund.<\/p>\n
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About Miami Dade College\u2019s Miami Film Festival<\/p>\n
Celebrating cinema in two annual events, Miami Film Festival (44th annual edition April 1-11, 2027) and Miami Film Festival GEMS (October 29-November 5, 2026), Miami Dade College\u2019s Miami Film Festival is considered the preeminent film festival for showcasing Ibero-American cinema in the U.S., and a major launch pad for all international and documentary cinema. The annual Festival welcomes more than 45,000 audience members and more than 400 filmmakers, producers, talent and industry professionals. It is the only major festival housed within a college or university. In the last five years, the Festival has screened films from more than 60 countries, including 300 World, International, North American, U.S. and East Coast Premieres. The Festival also offers unparalleled educational opportunities to film students and the community at large. For more information, visit miamifilmfestival.com<\/a> or call 305-237-FILM (3456).<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n About ArtesMiami<\/p>\n Founded in 2015, ArtesMiami is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting Miami artists and cultural organizations through strategic partnerships, grants, and community engagement. The organization provides grants, counsel and marketing support to artists, filmmakers, cultural institutions, and creative initiatives that reflect the diverse voices and heritage of the Miami community, with a special focus on Hispanic culture. Through collaborations with leading arts organizations, philanthropic partners, and civic leaders, ArtesMiami works to elevate Miami as a vibrant, international center for culture and creativity. ArtesMiami was a sponsor for the 2026 Made in MIA Short Film Award and supports Miami Film Festival\u2019s Cuban Cinema Series. For more information, visit www.artesmiami.org\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n #\u00a0 #\u00a0 #<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Media Contacts:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Miami Film Festival:<\/p>\n Cristina Fonseca, Pinzur Communications | (561) 644-1726 | debbie@pinzurpr.com<\/p>\n Rachel Pinzur, Pinzur Communications | (305) 725-2875 | Rachel@PinzurPR.com<\/p>\n