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Independent Film

3 stories South Florida coverage

Empty Miami art deco cinema at dusk with festival lanyard on a velvet seat, headline $85 BADGE, APPLY BY OCT. 15, GEMS OCT. 29

Film & Media

Miami Film Festival GEMS 2026 Recap: Industry Takeaways

Miami Film Festival GEMS 2026 ran Oct. 29 to Nov. 5. Industry badge closed Oct. 15; recap takeaways and the next MFF 44 submissions path.

By Brian D'Antoni a month ago

Documentary editing desk with film reels and a monitor in front of a Miami skyline at dusk, titled The Louies: $100,000 for Miami Documentaries, with a Sundaze Gazette watermark.

Film & Media

The Louies 2026: Miami Documentary Grants, Apply by Nov. 6

Miami Film Festival's documentary fund, The Louies, will award $100,000 to six Miami-based filmmakers. Applications run Sept. 28 to Nov. 6. Here are the tiers, the eligibility rules, the key dates and what the published materials leave out.

Filmmakers shoot a low-budget independent film on a street in South Florida.

Film & Media

Low-Budget Film Surge Gains Florida Momentum

Micro-budget hits Obsession and Backrooms set box office records in summer 2026, and South Florida filmmakers are looking at brand-funded financing alongside county film programs.