18th Annual MiFo LGBT Film Festival Miami

The MiFo LGBT Film Festival Miami (MiFo Miami) has grown exponentially over the past 18 years. When it began, it was a three-day event and 25 films were screened during the festival. This year, over 80 films will be screened across a period of ten days. It's an exciting time to be a movie buff in South Florida! The film festival's mission, in part, is to "inspire, entertain and educate the public," and through the years they have done just that.

There are many films that will be making their world premieres here at MiFo Miami, as well as a few that will be screened for the very first time in the state of Florida. World premieres at MiFo Miami include "The Tchaikovsky Files," a retelling of the musical genius's tortured life if brought forward into modern-day Russia; "Irawaddy Mon Amour," a film about two Burmese men who fall in love and plan a wedding with the help of their friends and fellow townspeople; "Uncle Gloria: One Helluva Ride," a documentary about the owner of an autowrecking company who undergoes a late-in-life sex-change operation; and "The M.O.B. Wives of Richmond," telling the story of ally "divas" (female drag queens) who make a difference in the LGBT community in Virginia's capital.

Movies that will be premiering in Florida for the first time include "The Firefly," a film about two straight women (Lucia and Mariana) who bond over the death of the same person (Lucia's brother, Mariana's fianc�), only to fall in love with one another; and "Blush," about an Israeli girl from a troubled background who meets a positive influence and falling in love with her.

There are many fun events that are going on during the film festival. The opening night film is "A Holy Mess," a Swedish film directed by Helena Bergstrom. It will be premiering for the first time outside Sweden on Friday, April 22 at the Colony Theater South Beach (1040 Lincoln Rd.) at 8 p.m. The film is about two lovers, Simon and Oscar, who are planning a family with their friend and surrogate mother Cissi. They've kept the father's identity secret for nearly a year, but now they will be revealing the truth on Christmas Eve. Who's the father: Simon or Oscar? Hilarity ensues while everyone's families are together for the holiday. There will be an opening night party at 10 p.m. at a location to be announced; visit mifofilm.com/events for more information.

The Centerpiece Party is also a very popular draw and it will be held this year on the first floor of The Wolfsonian (1001 Washington Ave.), starting at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27. The Centerpiece film that will be screened that night at 7 p.m. at Regal Cinemas South Beach (1100 Lincoln Rd.) is the aforementioned film "Uncle Gloria: One Helluva Ride."

The High Heel Party returns for another year, happening on Friday, April 29 at 10:30 p.m. at the Miami Beach Woman's Club (2401 Pine Tree Dr.), immediately following the screening of the film "Fatima: Queen of the Night" at the Miami Beach Cinematheque (1130 Washington Ave.). The closing night party, featuring lots of recognizable faces from the festival, is sure to be a smash, as it is every year. It will be held this year at the Albion Hotel (1650 James Ave.) on Saturday, April 30 starting at 9:30 p.m. The closing night film, which you can see starting at 7:30 at the Colony Theater, is Love is All You Need?, a film that addresses the dystopian reality of heterosexuals being a minority having to fight for their rights. Finally, there will be an annual awards brunch, a final time for the films and filmmakers to be honored in style. It will be held at the Biltmore (1210 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables) on Sunday, May 1, from noon to 1:30 p.m.

To buy tickets to any of the films or parties, please note that many of these films sell out well in advance of the screening dates. Tickets are on sale now and can be bought online (mifofilm.com), by telephone by calling (877) 766-8156, or at the Colony Theatre box office. Tickets for regular screenings are priced at $13 per person and $14 at the box office. There are discounts for MiFo members and set prices for opening, centerpiece, and closing films and parties; visit mifofilm.com for members' and general admission special film and party pricing.

Hotspots Media Group is proud to be a sponsor of the MiFo LGBT Film Festival Miami. For more in-depth coverage of the Festival, be sure to read our film reviews which will be in Hotspots Magazine starting next week. For more information about MiFo, including a full list of films, visit mifofilm.com. Follow them on social media as well, on Facebook at facebook.com/mifofilmfest and on Twitter and Instagram @MiFoFilm