Expanding Northward
“It seems to have caught on with people in that area that there is an alternative for foreign, art, and independent film.” --George Kaspriske of Sunrise Cinema.
Last year the Miami Film Festival went through a few changes. For one, its founding director Nat Chediak parted ways with the festival’s
new “owner,” Florida International University. For another, the 2002 festival marked the beginning of a new push to increase the size of the festival – from 26 national and international
films shown mostly in Miami’s Gusman Center to more than 50 movies from all over the world and 80 screenings at the Gusman and the Regal Cinemas South Beach, as well free screenings on the
beach off Ocean Drive.
But things didn’t go right for 2002 Film Festival. In spite of the promising goal of expanding the size of the festival, paid attendance
fell by 58 percent. Many things were blamed for this: an inexperienced film festival director (the well-intentioned David Poland quit after the 2002 festival), a slashed budget, overly
ambitious goals, little time to prepare and a lingering post-September 11 malaise. Amongst some of the Miami Film Festival faithful, there was a sort of told-you-so attitude. Nat Chediak
had been happy with 26 screenings, as were the film festival’s fans. Why couldn’t FIU be happy?
Well, Miami Film Festival 2003 has continued to evolve. This year there will be more than 60 films, shorts and documentaries screened under
the supervision of Nicolle Guillemet, the co-director of last year’s acclaimed Sundance Film Festival. Once again the Regal on the Beach has been tapped as a primary venue, and this year’s
free screenings on the beach will take place at Nikki Beach. Various other extra events, including galas and a “block party,” are also planned.
But there is something a little different. This year the film festival will also screen a few movies in the Northeast Dade area at the
newly reopened Intracoastal Cinemas Theater.
Granted the screenings are fairly modest. There are only a handful of features and shorts being shown such as Common Ground, Jet
Lag and The Last Letter.
Yet it is fitting that this theater was chosen as a sort of satellite movie house for the Film Festival. Situated within Intracoastal Mall
at 3701 N.E. 163rd Street, Intracoastal Cinemas was popular amongst serious moviegoers living in Sunny Isles Beach, North Miami Beach, and Aventura for years. Then came 2000
and the movie-house business turned sour. Large movie theater chains rushed to close their older “multiplex” theaters, choosing instead to devote their resources on the new, state of the
art “megaplexes.” General Cinemas shut down Intracoastal Cinemas and the adult movie crowds were reduced to having to scrounge for “serious” cinematic fare at the Aventura 24.
That is until Sunrise Cinemas stepped in. This South Florida-based chain specializing in purchasing the multiplexes the big movie chains
abandoned and running them as cinemas that screen independent, artistic and foreign films. The revamped theater found a market very quickly. “Business has been very steady since we began
operating the Intracoastal Mall location,” said George Kaspriske, Sunrise Cinema’s website manager, via e-mail. “It seems to have caught on with people in that area that there is an
alternative for foreign, art, and independent film.”
Last year this editorial had hoped that the Miami Film Festival would not abandon its quest to expand into the Beach. We knew, given
proper planning, that the Film Festival and South Beach were sure to benefit each other.
The same holds true for the Aventura/Sunny Isles Beach area. There is an audience for limited-release, groundbreaking films. Just ask the
new owners of Sunrise Cinema.
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