MIAMI BEACH (Aug. 8, 2018)  In a major boost for Miami’s film community, Oolite Arts today announced a new initiative aimed at strengthening Miami’s growing indie film community.

ArtCenter’s Cinematic Arts Residency will provide two filmmakers with up to $50,000 each to produce a micro-budget feature. Akin to the farm to table movement, this unique initiative enables filmmakers to conceptualize, create and screen their features in the theater – all in Miami.

Through the initiative, ArtCenter hopes to elevate the city’s acclaimed community of short film creators, who frequently screen their work at major festivals like Sundance and SXSW, into the realm of feature films.

“Oscar-winner ‘Moonlight’ demonstrated what we all have known: that Miami has one of the most vibrant indie film communities in the country,” said Dennis Scholl, CEO of ArtCenter. “Our new Cinematic Arts Residency will help these filmmakers by giving them the funds, staff and studio space to make the leap into micro-budget features.”

The program will be led by Miami filmmaker Jason Fitzroy Jeffers, director and co-founder of Third Horizon Film Festival. Jeffers also is the writer/producer of the award-winning short film “Papa Machete,” which had its U.S. premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, garnered international press and received more than 1 million views on NationalGeographic.com.

Applications for the residency, based at the nonprofit’s Miami Beach location, will be accepted starting today through Sept. 18, 2018 at artcentersf.org/cinematicarts

In addition, Kareem Tabsch of O Cinema and Andrew Hevia, producer of the Oscar-winning film “Moonlight,” who both helped conceptualized this initiative, will work with the residents chosen by a jury of national film experts.

The inaugural two Cinematic Arts Residents will be announced in November 2018.

“Miami is an extraordinary incubator for creative storytellers,” Hevia said. “ArtCenter’s goal is to build opportunities for local voices and further develop Miami’s burgeoning film community.”

While ArtCenter’s visual arts residents have long worked in video and film, the new program is ArtCenter’s first dedicated filmmaking residency, and the beginning of the center’s programming to cultivate the local film community.

Applicants must meet several criteria: They must be a full-time Miami-Dade resident, set and film their micro-budget feature in Miami, and have completed a narrative cinematic project in a key role. Applicants also must be at least 18 years of age, and a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident. They also need to demonstrate the ability to plan and execute a feature-length film on a micro budget.

In addition to funding and studio space, the residents will receive support for a Miami theatrical premiere and a one-week run at O Cinema. To help distribute the film, the initiative will provide access to ArtCenter’s international network of curators, artists and institutional film partners, as well as select film festivals and local art cinemas.

“Whenever Miami filmmakers’ work gets shown nationally, it resonates deeply with audiences. There’s a real hunger for our stories well outside the city limits, and we hope this residency will help our local filmmakers dig deeper and find fresh, expansive new ways to present their stories to the world,” Jeffers said.

ABOUT ARTCENTER/SOUTH FLORIDA
Established in 1984, Oolite Arts is a nonprofit that advances the knowledge and practice of contemporary visual arts and culture to an audience of approximately 80,000 people per year. Oolite Arts creates opportunities for experimentation and encourages the critical exchange of ideas through residencies, exhibitions, public programs, education and outreach. The residency programs include a Studio Residency Program, a Cinematic Arts Residency, an International Exchange Program, a PRINTshop Residency Program and an Art in Public Life Residency. Exhibitions and programs at Oolite Arts are made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the Miami Beach Mayor and City Commissioners; the State of Florida, Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; the Florida Arts Council; the National Endowment for the Arts; and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more information, visit www.artcentersf.org