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Cities of Miami and Miami Beach officials, Miami-Dade Film
& Entertainment Advisory Board members, a representative
from the Greater Miami Convention & Visitor’s Bureau,
Miami-Dade’s Film and Entertainment Director, Jeff Peel, and
representatives from County Departments joined Miami-Dade
Mayor Carlos Alvarez on Thursday, November 20, 2008, to
officially unveil the new and improved FilMiami.org website
for the Miami-Dade Office of Film and Entertainment.
FilMiami.org is the most thorough source of information for
filming and conducting entertainment related business in
Miami-Dade County. The new FilMiami.org website,
which was designed by the County’s Government Information
Center, in conjunction with the Miami-Dade County Enterprise
Technology Services Department is more user-friendly and
contains new features such as a link to Reel-Scout(TM) which
houses an extensive database of Miami-Dade locations and
offers interactive mapping through Google and live weather
data through The Weather Channel. Other additions
to the website include Frequently Asked Questions, Miami Sound
Stages, Photo Galleries, a Featured Location, improvements to
the events calendar and the newsletter FilMiami News.
The modernizing of County government and service delivery
is key to Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez. “The Office
of Film & Entertainment’s new website exemplifies the
use of technology to improve the delivery of service by
providing clients from around the world easy access to
pertinent information including the ability to apply for a
film permit,” stated Mayor Carlos Alvarez.
FilMiami.org is also home to One Stop Permitting, a
computer network that links the Miami Dade County, City of
Miami and City of Miami Beach film permitting offices via the
internet to a central database that holds permits, insurance
and other pertinent information regarding filming within
Miami-Dade County. One Stop Film Permit allows producers
of movies, television shows, commercials, music videos and
still photo shoots worldwide to access a simplified film
permit application process to facilitate a more film-friendly
production environment.
“The new and improved FilMiami.org website will enhance
the growth of this industry in Miami-Dade by providing fast,
easy access to information about filming in the County, to our
clients in the U.S. and all around the world. It is all
about providing the best client service available. This
website is one of our primary marketing tools for promoting
production and entertainment related business in the
County,” stated Jeff Peel, Director, Miami-Dade Office of
Film & Entertainment.
The Film and Entertainment Industry showcases Miami-Dade to
the world in films, television programs, music videos,
commercials and advertising campaigns, which feature our
exotic locales as scenic backdrops and it contributes millions
of dollars to the local economy. This year Miami-Dade
County has served as the backdrop for numerous Hollywood
productions including USA Networks’ popular TV Show Burn
Notice starring Jeffrey Donovan and Bruce Campbell and
feature films Marley and Me starring Jennifer Aniston
and Owen Wilson, Confessions of a Shopaholic starring
Isla Fisher, I Love You Phillip Morris starring Jim
Carrey, Chilled in Miami starring Renee Zellweger, Farlanders
starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Sex Drive starring Seth
Green. In addition, Miami-Dade has attracted many large
international projects including its first Bollywood feature
film Dostana which recently premiered in Miami, feature
films from France and Italy and the Miss Hong Kong Pageant
TV Show, one of China’s most highly viewed TV shows.
The development of the new FilMiami.org website was made
possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Tourist
Development Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of
Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade
County Mayor, Board of County Commissioners, the Miami-Dade
County Government Information Center and the Miami-Dade County
Enterprise Technology Services Department.
"Dostana,” the Bollywood feature film shot in Miami
last summer, has been released worldwide to the best opening
weekend for any Indian movie ever. The film, starring Abhishek
Bachchan, John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra and directed by
Tarun Mansukhani made over $9 million in its first four days
of release. The Dharma Productions film also screened in Miami
to more than 1000 people at the Tower Theater the weekend of
November 14,15 and 16, to the delight of many of its local
crew members, vendors who worked on the film, and Bollywood
aficionados.
Graham Winick, President of the industry trade group Film
Florida, reported that he was “pleased that Miami’s
weekend screenings of “Dostana” was a tremendous
success” and that “the audience responded with glee…”
Indian travel agents are now offering “Dostana” travel
packages to Miami, supporting the belief that the film will
lead to increased tourism to South Florida from the
sub-continent. “The news about tourism is significant”
said FilMiami’s Jeff Peel, who also added that he “hopes
that the success of “Dostana” will also bring other
Bollywood films to be produced in Miami.”
 The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), a Miami Dade College (MDC) Cultural experience, recently announced its first Florida-based film competition. Festival organizers will accept submissions for the Florida Focus Short Film Competition from Nov. 1 until Dec. 31, 2008. Winners will be announced during the 26th Annual Miami International Film Festival being held March 6-15, 2009. The competition is open to amateurs as well as professionals and includes two specific categories – Miami Minis Shorts and Student Social Shorts.
“Florida Focus is an important part of our Festival so we can continue to provide a platform for Florida-based filmmakers to highlight their work,” said Valeria Sorrentino, head of filmmaker services for the Miami International Film Festival. “The Florida Focus Program helps to showcase the film industry in Florida and we wanted to take it to the next level by showcasing new and emerging filmmakers in their own competitions.”
Florida Focus is a multi-layered program within the Festival which showcases, promotes, and encourages the development of films and filmmakers within the State in general and South Florida specifically. It is sponsored in part by The Florida Governor’s Office of Film and Entertainment. Other programs being offered by Florida Focus include: a feature film presentations shot in Florida; The Miami Coalition for the Homeless PSA Competition; and the REEL Education Seminar Series.
“Florida has a long history as a major player in this value-added industry,” said Graham Winick, President of Film Florida and Film Commissioner for the City of Miami Beach. The Festival’s Florida Focus platform is an important vehicle to show the world what the State can do, in terms of locations, weather, infrastructure, film and digital arts schools and top notch cast and crew. We are very excited about these two competitions.”
Competition Categories:
Florida Focus – Student Social Short Film Competition (maximum 15 minutes)
Open to any student in Florida at the high school and college/university levels. The submission must include a socially relevant theme or message. Films submitted may be part of a class project or an independent piece.
Florida Focus – Miami Mini Short Film Competition (maximum 20 minutes)
Open to any filmmaker in Florida. However, submissions from Miami-Dade filmmakers are encouraged. The film can be of any genre and/or theme but must have a South Florida focus. Submissions in this category are open to filmmakers who have completed fewer than four films.
Submissions will be accepted between Nov. 1 and Dec. 19. The submission fee for the Student Social Short Competition is: $5, high school students and $10 for college or university students. The Miami Mini’s submission fee is $15. Each submission packet must include three copies of the films on DVD.
For more information about the Miami International Film Festival or submission details about the Florida Focus Short Film Competition, visit
www.miamifilmfestival.com
, or call 305-237-FILM (3456).
One of the new features that the newly improved
FilMiami.org website offers is the ability for you to access
hundreds of locations photos through Reel-Scout(TM)
which houses an extensive database of Miami-Dade locations and
offers interactive mapping through Google and live weather
data through the Weather Channel. We invite you to check
out our newly improved locations section http://www.filmiami.org/locations.asp
In Memoriam…
One of our own, Mike McGowan, Sr., a veteran cameraman of over 40 years, passed away November 17th. Mike worked on many historical television shows, including Flipper and Miami Vice. He also worked on these television and film projects: Caddyshack, Body Heat, Last of the Mohicans, Pretty Baby, Blood and Wine, Heartbreakers, Three Blind Mice, Drop Zone, Fairgame, Bad Boys, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Snow Dogs.
Our thoughts are with his wife Karen and his son, Local 600 member, Mike, Jr. in this difficult time.
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