Miami Film Festival Announces Awards For Its 42nd edition

Maryse Legagneur’s drama The Last Meal (Le Dernier Repas) has earned the top prize at the Miami Film Festival, winning the $15,000 Marimbas Award in international competition. The award, chosen by a jury, goes to a narrative feature film that “best exemplifies richness and resonance for cinema’s future.”

“After 20 years of silence, a dying Reynold asks his estranged daughter, Vanessa, to share his final meals,” notes a description of The Last Meal. “As she prepares the traditional Haitian dishes of his youth, the familiar flavors unlock painful, buried memories of his life and suffering under the Duvalier dictatorship.

“Set against this backdrop of shared history, The Last Meal is a poignant tale of reconciliation, exploring the power of food, cultural memory, and confronting the past to heal fractured family bonds within the Haitian experience. A beautifully crafted film about legacy, healing, and the stories we carry in our bodies and kitchens.”

The Miami Film Festival, running April 3-13, announced juried and audience awards Monday after wrapping the 42^nd edition of the cinematic showcase on Sunday.

The Made in MIA Feature Film Award went to the documentary The Python Hunt, directed by Xander Robin. Think of it as something like a real-life version of The Purge, where in this case, the state of Florida authorizes a 10-night “contest” to remove invasive pythons from the Everglades, an event that attracts an eclectic array of hunters.

The Made in MIA prize, sponsored by Panavision and chosen by a jury, goes to a film of any genre “that prominently features South Florida in their story, setting, and filming location, and best utilizes South Florida’s story and theme for universal resonance.” The winner receives a Panavision camera equipment rental package valued at $60,000. Scroll for the full list of Miami Film Festival awards.

Omaha, directed by Cole Webley, won the $10,000 Jordan Ressler First Feature Award. The prize, created by the South Florida family of the late Jordan Ressler, goes to “a jury-selected film made by a filmmaker making a feature narrative film debut.”

Webley’s drama, which premiered at Sundance, revolves around young siblings Ella (Molly Belle Wright) and Charlie (Wyatt Solis) who are abruptly taken on a cross-country road trip by their father (John Magaro).

The $2,000 Documentary Achievement Award was presented to Checkpoint Zoo, directed by Joshua Zeman, a film about the animals at a Ukrainian zoo located next to the Russian border, who became stranded after Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The Audience Award in the documentary category went to Selena y Los Dinos, Isabel Castro’s portrait of the late singer Selena Quintanilla and her family members who formed the band Selena y Los Dinos.

First runner up in that category was Chirino directed by Jorge Soliño; second runner-up was The Librarians directed by Kim Synder.

The Audience Feature Film Award was earned by Espina, directed by Daniel Poler, a dramedy starring Jonathan Benaim as himself in the role of a young disabled man who “embarks on a wild and heartfelt trip to Panama with unlikely companions to confront the doctor who caused his disability.”

First runner-up in that category was Adiós Cuba directed by Rolando Díaz; second runner-up went to Magic Hour directed by Jacqueline Christy.

Miami Film Festival, a program of Miami Dade College, is considered “the preeminent film festival for showcasing Ibero-American cinema in the U.S., and a major launch pad for all international and documentary cinema.” The annual festival welcomes more than 45,000 audience members and more than 400 filmmakers, producers, talent and industry professionals. It is the only major festival housed within a college or university.

The companion Miami Film Festival GEMS will be held in November of this year.

This is the full list of winners for the 42^nd Miami Film Festival:

Short Film Awards