Festival awards help local filmmakers tell "pivotal" South Florida stories
The fund was created in 2024 through a partnership between the Miami Film Festival and the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation.
Six Miami-based filmmakers were awarded a total of $100,000 on Wednesday to support new films about South Florida.
Why it matters: The Louies amplify local artists by funding projects that highlight the "stories, cultural identities and iconic figures that define South Florida's past and present," per a news release.
The fund was created in 2024 through a partnership between the Miami Film Festival and the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation.
The awarded artists can also premiere their work at future Miami Film Festival events.
State of play: Kareem Tabsch, whose feature-length documentary, "Save Our Children," earned $50,000, received the largest award.
The film explores how singer and beauty queen Anita Bryant's 1977 crusade against gay rights overturned Miami's anti-discrimination ordinance — and informs today's anti-LGBTQ+ politics.
Zoom in: Matt Deblinger, Jessica Huppert Berman and Monica Sorelle were awarded $10,000 in the short documentary category.
Forrest Canaday and Carlos Gutierrez earned $10,000 each for their films.
What they're saying: "These filmmakers are preserving the histories, cultures and voices that embody South Florida," said James Woolley, executive director of the Miami Film Festival.