LGBTQ stories are at the forefront of the 41st Miami Film Festival, taking place from April 3-13.

Some of the following films include post-screening discussions with filmmakers and subjects (all theaters are in Miami unless noted otherwise):

• Cherri-Directed by Fabián Suárez, Cherri is gay, obese, and loves dancing. He lives with his husband Luis, an elderly man who can no longer fend for himself. Cherri thinks he has found love with handsome trade, but has he? Takes place April 5.
• Chlorophyll (Clorofilla)-Directed by Ivana Gloria, this fantasy/romance centers on green-haired Maia, who is tired of city life and decides to spend the summer picking oranges. Takes place April 8.
• Duino-Directed by Juan Pablo Di Pace and Andres Pepe Estrada and executive produced by the late Norman Lear, the film follows filmmaker Matias as he struggles to finish editing a movie that was inspired by his elusive first love – a Swedish boy named Alexander – whom he met at a boarding school in 1997. He decides to reopen Pandora’s box by coming face-to-face with Alexander, discovering life imitating art, and confronting the sneaky power of memory. Takes place April 8.
• Queens of Drama-Directed by Alexis Langlois is set in the near future and Steevyshady, an obsessive Mimi Madamour stan, tells us of their idol’s mad destiny from the very peak of her career in 2005, all the way down to the pits of hell, a downfall brought about by her love story with punk icon Billie Kohler. Takes place April 9.
• Rent Free-Directed by Fernando Andrés the film focuses on best friends since childhood, Ben and Jordan, two young men living in a rapidly changing Austin, where they navigate low-paying jobs, fraught relationships, and their own emotionally codependent friendship. When they suddenly lose their apartment, they come up with a last-ditch plan to spend the rest of the year “rent free.” Takes place April 10.

OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival

Save the dates of April 17 – May 4 for the return of the OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival spring edition! Internationally acclaimed as one of the largest LGBTQ+ cultural festivals in the world, this season’s OUTshine line-up hits Miami-Dade and Broward counties with thought-provoking, inspiring, entertaining, and educational star-studded features, documentaries, and shorts including premieres from 20 countries. The films playing in Broward include:

• “Accidental Friends” - Takes the focus as both an international premiere and this season’s Centerpiece Film screening at 7:30 p.m. on April 24 at Regal Dania Pointe. In this “Odd Couple”-style comedy, two roommates with contrasting lifestyles, must cohabitate despite their differences. Over time, they learn to understand and appreciate each other beyond prejudice. The film is directed by Max Nardari. An afterparty will follow at Bowlero (also at Dania Pointe).
• On April 26, “Hot Milk” - an emotional family drama set amidst picturesque Almería, Spain, will screen for the ladies and “Midas Man” (UK, 2024) starring Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Brian Epstein, the visionary who shaped music history by launching The Beatles' meteoric rise, will screen for the men beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Paradigm Cinemas: Gateway. Afterparties will take place at neighboring hotspots The Well and LIT.
• An April 27 Drag Brunch, themed after the cult film “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” will take place at The Well. Later that evening will be the closing night in-person film “Four Mothers” at Savor Cinema. Directed by Darren Thorton, this comedy centers on a shy, commitment-phobic gay novelist living with his elderly mother. When his friends take off for PRIDE weekend, he finds himself caring for four eccentric, combative, and wildly different women in this hysterical, and possibly too-close-to-home charmer. The awards night soiree will immediately follow. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit outshinefilm.com.