The Miami film festival GEMS returns for its 13th edition, taking over the city’s cultural calendar from Oct. 29 to Nov. 5. Positioned as a mid-season awards-season showcase, the program blends high-profile premieres with international discoveries, promising a dense week of cinema that will ripple through the awards circuit.
Opening night will be anchored by The Debut a musical comedy from A24 written and directed by actor-screenwriter Jesse Eisenberg. Julianne Moore leads as Mona Friedman, a timid housewife who discovers a fierce method-acting streak when she lands a modest role in a community-theater production. The ensemble also features Halle Bailey, Eisenberg himself and Broadway legend Bernadette Peters, while Eisenberg provides the film’s music and lyrics. The narrative pits Mona against a domineering director, played by Paul Giamatti, delivering a satire of artistic ambition.
Closing Film and Festival Highlights
The finale on Nov. 5 spotlights Club Kid Jordan Firstman’s directorial debut that premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. Firstman stars as Peter, a hard-living New York club promoter whose world is turned upside down by the unexpected arrival of a ten-year-old son. The cast rounds out with Cara Delevingne, Diego Calva and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, promising a blend of comedy, heartbreak, and club-culture spectacle.
In addition to the bookends, GEMS presents a robust slate of “centerpiece” titles. Highlights include Being Heumann (Sian Heder’s dramatization of disability activist Judy Heumann’s 1977 protest), Behemoth! (Tony Gilroy’s love-letter to music starring Pedro Pascal), Bunker (Florian Zeller’s thriller with Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz), Elsinore (Simon Stone’s portrait of actor Ian Charleson), Paper Tiger (James Gray’s 1986-set crime drama with Miles Teller, Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson) and Wild Horse Nine (the sequel to Martin McDonagh’s Banshees of Inisherin featuring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell).
International Oscar-Bound Selections
GEMS also places a spotlight on films vying for Academy Award nominations. The program includes Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden Lukas Dhont’s Coward and Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur. These titles join a broader international contingent that underscores the festival’s commitment to global storytelling.
Two works receive special festival honors. Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s Mouse—a Berlin International Film Festival debut—wins the Art of Light Award. Meanwhile, the documentary The Only Living Pickpocket in New York written and directed by Noah Segan, will be screened alongside a conversation honoring Emmy-winner John Turturro, who receives the Variety Creative Vanguard Award.
Special Events, Venues and Tributes
The GEMS schedule spreads across Miami’s cultural hubs: Coral Gables Art Cinema, the University of Miami’s Cosford Cinema, the Koubek Center in Little Havana, and Silverspot Cinema Downtown. A pre-festival celebration on Oct. 28 features a 20th-anniversary screening of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens.
“Precious Gem Award” recipient Kyle MacLachlan will be honored in partnership with Books & Books, spotlighting his debut memoir Fictional Self. The festival also commemorates the 25th anniversary of the cult musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch with a retrospective followed by an Impact Award presentation and a Q&A with creator John Cameron Mitchell.
Program Director Lauren Cohen emphasized the scope: “With 50 titles, this is the largest GEMS lineup yet, bringing together storytellers from Danny Boyle to Pedro Almodóvar.” Executive Director James Woolley added, “We are thrilled to honor Kyle MacLachlan, John Cameron Mitchell and Los Javis for their lasting contributions.”
While the historic Tower Theater remains closed for renovation ahead of its 2027 reopening, the festival’s diverse venues ensure that audiences can experience the curated mix of premieres, retrospectives, and award ceremonies throughout the week.
