Every year, more than 45,000 movie aficionados and 400 filmmakers, producers and industry professionals come together for one of the most anticipated film festivals in the U.S. We are talking about Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival, considered a preeminent platform for American and International films – and the only festival of its kind housed within a college or university.
From March 3-12, cinephiles will appreciate the work of world-renowned cinema professionals in a hybrid format: at movie theaters around Miami (Silverspot Cinema in Downtown Miami, Coral Gables Art Cinema and the Bill Cosford Cinema) or from home. The festival’s virtual films are accessible on web browsers, mobile devices, Apple TV, Roku and Android TV via the Eventive App.
Marking its 40th year, Miami Film Festival will feature “a dozen World Premieres, three North American Premieres, seven U.S. Premieres, and 14 East Coast Premieres,” notes a press release. “The 2023 Miami Film Festival will celebrate more than 140 feature narratives, documentaries and short films of all genres, from over 30 countries worldwide.”
Tom Musca, a Miami resident for the last 13 years (and a University of Miami screenwriting teacher) is one of the filmmakers being showcased. Alongside his former student and co-director Tony Mendez – a Miami native – Musca will premiere “Dying To Direct” on March 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Silverspot Downtown Miami. The 30-minute drama and black comedy tackles sensitive topics such as illness and death while exploring love and legacy as well.
“The message is simple – dying is an integral part of life,” said Musca. “Yet it’s difficult to predict how a person would react to end of life issues no matter how well you know them. I married this experience to an underlying idea about a film director accustomed to controlling people, giving contradictory directions to his best friend regarding romancing his fiancé after his passing. Co-director Tony Mendez and I wanted to make a bold film that faced that struggle straight on but via a complicated, unorthodox protagonist making seemingly impossible demands,” he said. “Tony said, ‘whether you’re a nice guy or an asshole, take a moment to let people know what they mean to you and how you feel about them before you exit the planet.’”
What inspired Musca to produce and direct such a heartfelt story? “I’m at a stage in my life where I have personally seen many friends and family through their own cancer odysseys. Everyone – as well as the circle that surrounds them – approaches death with different degrees of denial, acceptance, anger, peace, and counterintuitively, even humor. It’s not all gloom and doom,” says Musca. “With this film we hope to trigger a timely discussion on cancer, death and the whole end of life experience which is way overdue.”
The entire creative process for the film, from the moment it was a script to its production and direction, took place in Miami. Musca considers the Magic City to be a prime filming location, saying there’s, “Talent, fantastic natural scenery, hospitable weather, and more colorful locations than L.A. can offer. It’s all readily available and at an affordable budget that creates a lot of jealousy with my former colleagues on the West Coast.”
Moreover, Musca adds that many Latinx, Haitian and South American-themed stories have been under-exposed, prompting more opportunities for storytellers and filmmakers in South Florida.
Musca and Mendez shot the movie in five days, but because of COVID-19, faced unexpected challenges. “Our first audition was outdoors due to social distancing, and we were greeted with a classic Miami mid-day downpour. After a soggy start, Tony and I had to work online and we never rehearsed in person with the actors, both a blessing and a curse because it afforded us more time but less human interaction. Also, Tony and I never co-directed before, so there’s a learning curve to that process,” says Musca. “We had very few disagreements. A good teacher can always learn from his students.”
At 71, Musca has produced and directed numerous films and documentaries throughout his career, including “Stand and Deliver,” a Warner Bros. film he co-wrote and produced that earned Oscar and Golden Globes nominations along with six Independent Spirit Awards for Best Picture and Best Screenplay in 1989. As for television, he is credited for his work on Disney Channel’s “Gotta Kick It Up!” and NBC series “You Again?” Additional film credits include “Little Nikita,” “Pray For Rain,” “Bad Hurt,” “Make Love Great Again, “I Hate Sundays” and more.
When asked why the Miami Film Festival is so meaningful, he says, “I’ve had films that millions of people worldwide have seen, but ultimately what’s important to me is what the people I know think about my work. This is my fourth film at the Miami Film Festival spanning four decades so it feels like home. Although Dying To Direct does not have a pronounced Latin flavor, two of the three leads are Latinx, the nurse is Haitian and we have a Persian playing a priest. Somehow, that feels exactly like Miami. We’re proud the film takes place in Miami and the fact it will be premiered at the 2023 MFF feels like a badge of honor, a win-win,” says Musca.
“Dying To Direct” will compete with 23 other films for the $10,000 Knight Made in MIA Short Film Award, sponsored by Knight Foundation. The Festival will award the prize to the “best short film – of any genre – that features a substantial portion of its content (story, setting and actual filming location) in South Florida, from West Palm Beach to the Florida Keys, and that most universally demonstrates a common ground of pride, emotion, and faith for the South Florida community,” notes a press release.
The Miami Film Festival will open with “Somewhere in Queens,” directed by actor and comedian Ray Romano, who’s expected to attend opening night, and it will close with “The Lost King,” directed by Stephen Frears, followed by a closing night party at Jungle Plaza Miami Design District on Saturday night March 11.
Click here to get tickets for “Dying To Direct”
For more information, visit miamifilmfestival.com.
Photo courtesy of Tom Musca
Tom Musca and Tony Mendez, directors of “Dying to Direct.”