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.
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.
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.
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.
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“ Film is a very expensive and a very collaborative art form, it takes a lot of people to make a really good movie,” she said. “So how do we take care of the entire ecosystem and really make it something that everyone can get involved [in]?”
“Lights, Camera, Community” 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 — and Castellanos encourages anyone with a passion for local film to attend.
Slashed arts and cultural grants
For the 2024-2025 state budget, Governor Ron DeSantis slashed 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.
When it comes to the impact of less government funding in the arts, Castellanos understands the concerns of her fellow filmmakers, but she doesn’t believe that they should focus solely on that.
If there is a stronger focus and push on fostering local support, she believes that a lack of government funding won’t be an issue.
“In general, we need to stop going to government to try to fix our problems and be our resources … it's just asking for politics to control what we do and how we do it,” she said. “Not 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.”
The Florida Entertainment Sales Tax Exemption provides incentives for films made in the state, and many counties have their own qualifications for tax exemptions.
However, most counties have minimum requirements that are above and beyond what most local films here will spend, according to Castellanos. The minimum production budget usually starts at $400,000, while Castellanos says most local feature films are made for $250,000 or less.
“ Most investors don't want to support films that can't qualify for a tax incentive, 'cause why use your money when you can use government money?” she said. “ So there is this gap that makes it harder to finance and harder to do.”
When it comes to what audiences can do to help their local film scene, Castellanos wants people to remember the power a ticket holds. Every ticket purchased is essentially a vote telling filmmakers, investors and others that attendees want to see more of whatever they watched.
If you can’t afford a ticket, Castellanos says interacting online is just as important.
“ Every time you like and follow, that is more resources [for us]. Then, we can go to businesses, philanthropists, other people, and say, 'Look, people want to see this,'" she said. “And you can use that as your vote to tell people that this is important to you, and these are stories you wanna see.”
IF YOU GO
What: Lights, Camera, Community
When: Wednesday, May 27th
Where: Coral Gables Art Cinema
Cost: Free, RSVP here
