For having the word short in its name, the Miami Short Film Festival sure has become a longtime favorite. The 2024 event, slated for November 8-10 throughout the 305, marks the twenty-third edition of the homegrown affair.
It’s the brainchild of local director William Vela, who has grown the festival from the smallest of gatherings to a truly international affair. “It started with me renting 50 folding chairs, having a friend let me use his old gallery space, and showing my short film to friends,” Vela says. “Now, we’re reviewing 1,000 short films a year, we have 45 countries represented, and we’ve screened more than 2,000 films to date.”
Films included in the 2024 Miami Short Film Festival will be shown at O Cinema in Miami Beach, Silver Spot in downtown, and the Deering Estate in Palmetto Bay. The festival’s vision is encapsulated in three themes: “Crossing Borders, Binding Stories,” “Beyond Borders, Beyond Imagination,” and “Breaking the Limits, Building Bridges.”
