‘A Real Pain,’ ‘Room Next Door,’ ‘The Brutalist’ Among Miami Film Festival Gems Lineup

“The Room Next Door,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Maria” and “The Brutalist” and “A Real Pain” are among the films featuring at the 11th Miami Film Festival GEMS.

The Festival’s fall midseason event will take place from Oct. 30 – Nov. 3.

“This year’s GEMS is without a doubt our biggest one yet. Not only is it our largest program with over 30 prestige titles being featured, it’s our most diverse – animation, episodic content, documentaries, retrospectives, and narrative epics – it’s all here,” said Lauren Cohen, director of programming. “When you have titans of their craft such as Pedro Almodóvar, Alfonso Cuarón, Brady Corbet, Mike Leigh, Pablo Larraín, Steve McQueen, and Andrea Arnold all with new movies in the same program, you know you’re in for something special.”

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James Woolley, executive director of the festival said, “Our upcoming GEMS offers a glimpse of what’s to come at the Miami Film Festival in April. GEMS has reinforced its status as a must-attend festival for award-season contenders, and we are absolutely thrilled to welcome extraordinary talents like Alfonso Cuarón, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, along with actor Sebastian Stan and renowned costume designer Arianne Phillips.”

The Festival will open on Oct. 30 with Pedro Almodovar’s “The Room Next Door.” The Sony Pictures Classics film follows Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and Martha (Tilda Swinton) who were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. Ingrid went on to become an autofiction novelist while Martha became a war reporter, and they were separated by the circumstances of life. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.

France’s official submission to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature, “Emilia Pérez” will also screen. Directed by Jacques Audiard, follows the journey of four remarkable women in Mexico, each pursuing their own happiness. The fearsome cartel leader Emilia (Karla Sofía Gascón) enlists Rita (Zoe Saldaña), an unappreciated lawyer stuck in a dead-end job, to help fake her death so that Emilia can finally live authentically as her true self. Selena Gomez, -

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Adriana Paz, and Édgar Ramírez also star.

“Maria,” features Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, one of the most iconic performers of the 20th century. Directed by Pablo Larrain, the film follows the American-Greek soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. “Maria” reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life.

The final Centerpiece Screening is A24’s “The Brutalist.” Written and directed by Brady Corbet, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mona Fastvold, the film follows visionary architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) and his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) as they flee post-war Europe in 1947. As they rebuild their legacy and witness the birth of modern America, their lives are changed forever by a mysterious and wealthy client. Alongside Brody & Jones, the film stars Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy and Isaach De Bankolé. The film will screen in its original 70mm format at the festival.

Costume designer Arianne Phillips will be honored with the Precious Gem Award. This year, Phillips’ credits include “Joker: Folie a Deux” directed by Todd Phillips and James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown” starring Timothée Chalamet.

Closing out the Festival on Nov. 3 is Searchlight Pictures’ “A Real Pain” directed by, written by and starring Jesse Eisenberg. The film follows mismatched cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) on a tour through Poland to honor their grandmother. Their adventure becomes complicated as old tensions resurface while exploring their family history.

The festival will be hosting a marathon of Alfonso Cuarón’s new Apple TV+ Show “Disclaimer.” The screenings will include a conversation with Cuarón, during which he will be presented with the Precious Gem Award. “Disclaimer” follows the story of acclaimed journalist Catherine Ravenscroft (Cate Blanchett) who built her reputation revealing the misdeeds and transgressions of others.

Ticket sales and the complete GEMS 2024 lineup can be found at www.miamifilmfestival.com.

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