Lights, camera, action: Miami Film Festival begins

Miami Dade College's Miami Film Festival is back for its 41st year, featuring more than 180 films from over 30 countries starting Friday.

Why it matters: This year's festival, which runs through April 14, is the largest to date, and the lineup features more films made for and by Miamians.

• There are about 40 locally made features and short films in the festival's lineup, according to the Miami Herald .

The big picture: Screenings and events are slated for venues across the city, including the Adrienne Arsht Center's Knight Concert Hall, O Cinema South Beach, the Pérez Art Museum Miami and Coral Gables Art Cinema, among others.

• The program includes screenings and additional events, such as talks with actors including Tom Hiddleston, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Alison Brie.

Worthy of your time: So we ( yet again !) created a little cheat sheet— this time with the help of a festival spokesperson:

Opening night film: " Thelma ," a film that centers on a 93-year-old woman "at a crossroads in her life — in between senior citizen and senior living." After losing $10,000 to a phone scammer, she tries to get the money back.

" Mountains ," a Made in MIA Feature Award winner from Miami-based filmmaker Monica Sorelle. The film focuses on middle-aged Haitian demolition worker Xavier, his Little Haiti home and the realities of gentrification.

" Fallen Fruit ," by native Miami filmmaker Chris Molina, tells the story of learning to love the city.

" Los Frikis ," a coming-of-age film inspired by true events set in '90s Cuba. Members of a punk band inject themselves with HIV to live at a government-run treatment home.

• This is the film's world premiere and part of the festival's Spotlight on Cuba series.
• It's also the recipient of the festival's Marimbas Award .

Included in the festival's experimental presentations, viewers will engage in an immersive screening of " 32 Sounds " at the Pérez Art Museum Miami.

" A Communist Brainwashed My Daughter ," directed by Hialeah native Daniel Lago, is a satire about Cuban machismo, middle-school drama and environmental messaging.

Closing film: " Ezra ." Divorced parents disagree on enrolling their autistic 11-year-old son Ezra in a specialized school. The father runs off with Ezra on a cross-country trip.

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