Latest news with #OCinema
.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Miami Herald
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Former soap star premieres film produced in Jamaica at Miami's Black Film Fest
When actress, producer and activist Victoria Rowell talks about telling stories on her own terms and one of her latest film projects , the response she often gets is usually one of bewilderment. 'A lot of people are so surprised when I introduce them to Jamaica,' says Rowell, once one of daytime's most beloved actresses for her nearly two-decade role as the iconic Drucilla Barber Winters on the CBS soap opera, 'The Young and the Restless.' 'They are astonished at the resources I'm talking about; the camera houses, the editing, the costume design, the two casting directors I know there. All of the assets are there, the boots are all on the ground.' Indeed, Jamaica may elicit mountains and waterfalls, but these days the Caribbean nation is also trying to showcase its cinematic potential and budding film industry. One of those films, 'Love Offside,' will premiere during the 29th annual American Film Festival on Friday at O Cinema in Miami Beach to a sold out crowd. The festival, founded by Jeff and Nicole Friday and sponsored by HBO, has become a crucial launchpad for those seeking to tell stories on their own terms. Shot entirely in Jamaica, 'Love Offside,' tells the romantic story of a physical therapist developing feelings for her patient, a rugby star. Rowell served as a producer on the film and also stars as the mother of the female lead, Camille Hart, played by Judi Johnson, with whom Rowell has collaborated several times over the years. The other lead character is Mike Merrill. The production company behind the film is The Limners and Bards Limited or The LAB, which has been raising funds to support Jamaica's local film industry. LAB managing director is Kimala Bennett has been pushing to meet the needs of those seeking locally grown stories. She and Rowell have known each other for several years. 'One of the big conversations that Kimala and I always would have is I say 'Kimala the name of the game is creating your own content so you are in control of the licensing opportunities globally,'' Rowell said. 'This is the economic chasm that needs to be closed in terms of' intellectual property ownership and that takes time. Rowell has been visiting Jamaica since 1979 and considers the Caribbean nation to be a second home. She's been working with the production company in Jamaica for almost a decade. And equally important, she said, 'I just appreciate the organic nature of doing production in Jamaica.' From soap opera actress to independent filmmaker The author of the New York Times bestselling 2007 memoir 'The Women Who Raised Me' about her upbringing in foster care, Rowell gained fame in a nearly 20-year run as the feisty Drucilla, an illiterate runway teen turn who later became a glamorous model and married Neil Winters on 'The Young and the Restless.' Her character was a regular from 1990 to 2007 and was finally written off the show in 2017 after Drucilla disappeared over a cliff but her body was never found. After her daytime run, she starred in several other movies but became known for her fight for racial equality in the daytime soap industry. These days it's independent films and boutique productions that inspire her. Prior to this week's premier, Rowell starred in the stage adaptation of 'Jason's Lyric: Live in Detroit. 'I'm 66-years-old and at this point in my career, I'm looking at the next 20 years. I want to do projects that make me happy, that make me laugh that gives me a sense of fulfillment,' she said, 'working with like-minded people that want the knowledge I have if I'm asked, and being able to pass the baton, because in passing the baton and sharing knowledge that is reciprocity, it's a big thank you. So maybe it is a smaller production, and that's okay.' Rowell who creates content of her own under her own company, Days Ferry Productions, said she loves 'boutique production, as long as the script is good, the people are good.' 'I'll continue to do other projects as well, but I love independent projects,' she said. 'There's more artistic freedom, less people telling the producers what to do.' Rowell's second film screening at the ABFF is 'The Secret Between Us,' which was directed and written by Tamera Hill. Rowell stars alongside Michael Jai White and Karen Abercrombie. Rowell plays the character of Maxine, a hired private nurse who finds herself thrown into the middle of a family drama after someone knocks on the door. 'There's levity in the movie, and she has her opinions and some advice throughout the movie,' said Rowell adding that she enjoyed the script. The goal with both films is the same, Rowell said, to get a licensing or several licensing deals. 'The American Black Film Festival, which is founded by husband and wife team, Jeff and Nicole Friday, they are about, yes, screening content but connecting executives, connecting filmmakers,' she said. 'It is the largest black film festival in the nation and it offers opportunities to get your IP shown and licensed or sold.'
Miami Herald
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
American Black Film Festival is in Miami. Here are some films to check out
As the pandemic forced a global shutdown halting businesses, communities and touching every aspect of how society functioned in 2020, a pivotal election was brewing across the U.S. — one that would have a major effect on southern states. And as that chaos brewed, Black Voters Matter decided to meet the moment. Their efforts to energize and register voters is chronicled in a new documentary, 'Love, Joy & Power: Tools For Liberation.' That story is one of several films screening at the American Black Film Festival when it rolls into town this week highlighting Black storytellers and providing resources for those in the filmmaking industry. Black Voters Matter co-founder Cliff Albright said the film is a story about overcoming, pointing out the significance of the film's debut close to Juneteenth. 'It's not just the story of 2020 or the story of Black Voters Matters, it's really a story of how we have historically overcome, including going back to just Juneteenth,' he told the Herald. 'It shows the work that we're doing, but it also shows what movement is really like.' The film's timing is not lost on Albright, who said the story is essential at a time when Black stories and how they are shared is either being banned or altered in schools and libraries. 'Liberation' is just one of the films ABFF attendees can see when it kicks of Wednesday. We've put together a few more for you all to check out: 'Love, Joy & Power: Tools For Liberation' In this documentary, readers are taken on a journey through the efforts of Black Voters Matter to turn Georgia 'purple' in the 2020 election through grassroots voting efforts across the South, including Florida. The film, directed by Daresha Kyi, will screen at 1:10 p.m. Thursday at O Cinema. 'The ReWrite.' What is an authentic Black voice? That's what screenwriter Elliot (Stephen Barrington) obsesses over after he is told by white executives how Black people should sound and act. He wrestles with this as he tries to find the balance between being authentic and making money. 'I just want to sell without selling out,' he says. The film, directed by Terry Dawson, debuts at ABFF at 2:15 p.m. Thursday at Miami Beach Convention Center in Screening Room #2. 'Wait Until Tomorrow' The intersection of race, wealth and opportunity take center stage in this documentary that follows the lives of various Black families in the United States. The stories drive home the realities behind data examining the search for economic mobility. Directed by Osato Dixon will show at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at O Cinema. 'Carnival: They Can't Steal Our Joy' The colors. The beads. The feathers. The sounds. These are some of the things that make up Caribbean Carnival. But Ian Mark Kimanje's film, 'Carnival: They Can't Steal Our Joy,' pulls back the layers of the festival's significance culturally and historically in Toronto and beyond. Making its U.S. premier, the film will screen at O Cinema at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Miami Herald
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Rosen Gonzalez files to run for Miami Beach mayor, seeking to unseat Meiner
Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, a Miami Beach commissioner with a decade of firebrand political activism in the city, is running for mayor. On Wednesday afternoon, Rosen Gonzalez filed paperwork at City Hall to enter the November mayoral race, hoping to unseat Mayor Steven Meiner, who has not yet filed but is expected to seek reelection after his first two-year term. Rosen Gonzalez, 51, is term-limited as a commissioner later this year after eight years on the dais across two non-continuous terms. 'I've always been the people's commissioner, and now it's time for me to be the people's mayor,' Rosen Gonzalez told the Miami Herald in an interview Wednesday morning. 'I've always put the community first, and I feel like I'm prepared to do an excellent job.' One other candidate, political newcomer Victor J. Rosario, has filed to run for mayor. Five candidates — Daniel Ciraldo, Brian Ehrlich, Monroe Mann, Luidgi Mary and Monica Matteo-Salinas — have filed to run for Rosen Gonzalez's current seat, which Rosen Gonzalez will occupy until November. Commissioner Laura Dominguez will seek reelection, though she is not yet facing any opponents. Candidates have until September to qualify for each of the races. In challenging Meiner, Rosen Gonzalez, a tenured faculty member in the English and Communications department at Miami Dade College, will pitch herself as a resident-focused candidate with a track record of fighting for constituents. 'I've been standing up for the community forever,' Rosen Gonzalez said, pointing to battles she has waged over the future of Allison Park, plans to lease city-owned parking lots near Lincoln Road and an effort to preserve the South Shore Community Center. The mayor's seat in Miami Beach is nonpartisan, and Rosen Gonzalez said she hopes to leave partisan politics out of her campaign. But voters often look at political leanings to try to distinguish between local candidates. Meiner, who is registered as non-party affiliated, ran on a tough-on-crime platform and has similarly focused on addressing residents' concerns as he and other Miami Beach officials aim to change the city's reputation as a hard-partying destination for young people. He has won favor with residents by helping to shut down spring break in South Beach. He has also sparked controversy with actions viewed by critics as limiting free speech, such as a crackdown on protests and a recent attempt to terminate the lease of O Cinema for screening a documentary about the West Bank. Rosen Gonzalez, a registered Democrat, has been largely aligned with Meiner, including in defending draconian measures to curb spring break, arrests of the homeless for sleeping outdoors and support for the state of Israel. But Rosen Gonzalez has also sought to highlight their differences. Last month, she opposed Meiner's proposal to evict O Cinema as she cited the importance of free speech. On Wednesday, she said she has a vision to prop up the tourist industry that has made the city flourish, something she said is necessary to ensure the city's financial success and meet its enormous resiliency needs. In addition to law enforcement measures, Rosen Gonzalez said the city should leverage marketing campaigns — as it has during spring break — to move the city forward. At the same time, as state lawmakers look to strip protections for Miami Beach's historic districts, Rosen Gonzalez said the city needs to convey to developers that 'preservation is solid economic policy' and 'has created the value for their properties.' While she opposes 'tall buildings in the center of Miami Beach,' Rosen Gonzalez said she will support certain projects that she feels offer substantial benefits to the city. At last week's commission meeting, Rosen Gonzalez supported a new proposal to rezone the Deauville Hotel site, touting the developers' willingness to provide benefits like public beach access and funding for housing and a park. She had opposed an earlier proposal for the site in 2022. 'I do think that my advocacy work all these years and pushing back on these developers has resulted in better negotiations and development deals for the city of Miami Beach,' she said. Part of Rosen Gonzalez's task will be convincing voters she has the poise and demeanor needed to be mayor. Rosen Gonzalez has been a polarizing figure in Miami Beach politics, sparring with colleagues from the dais and at times making inflammatory remarks about her foes. 'I think when you stand for residents and you take difficult positions, you're always going to have adversity,' she said, adding that residents often tell her: 'I don't always agree with you, but I respect you.' Rosen Gonzalez's first four-year term on the City Commission, starting in 2015, was marred by controversy, including five ethics complaints. Despite being cleared in each case and chalking up the allegations to political gamesmanship, Rosen Gonzalez said she had learned from the experience. After an unsuccessful run for U.S. Congress in 2018, she ran for another Miami Beach commission term the following year and dubbed herself 'Kristen 2.0.' But Meiner, a former attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, foiled Rosen Gonzalez's initial bid for a second term. After winning in a recount by just two votes to advance to a runoff, Meiner defeated Rosen Gonzalez in a political upset that some observers saw as a rejection of Rosen Gonzalez's approach. Rosen Gonzalez ultimately returned to the City Commission in 2021, again using the 'Kristen 2.0' moniker to assure voters that she would focus on policy and not political theatrics. She won despite falsely claiming to be Hispanic in an interview on the campaign trail, remarks for which she apologized. In her second term, Rosen Gonzalez positioned herself as a foil to former Mayor Dan Gelber, rallying voters to reject referendums on the Deauville and Lincoln Road projects that Gelber backed. Her over-the-top style remained; she apologized in October 2022 for a social media post comparing Gelber to Russian President Vladimir Putin. On several occasions in 2023, Gelber temporarily recessed commission meetings as Rosen Gonzalez traded barbs with fellow officials. More recently, Rosen Gonzalez has clashed at meetings and on social media with fellow Commissioner David Suarez. The pair appeared to be allies in the early days of Suarez's term, which began in November 2023, as Rosen Gonzalez dubbed a new crop of elected officials the 'kumbaya commission.' But those days are over. In an email to residents last week, Suarez denounced Rosen Gonzalez for holding up an adult toy at a recent commission meeting, where she advocated for the city to green-light a beauty and skincare store on Lincoln Road at which 'feminine wellness products,' including some sex toys, would be sold. Rosen Gonzalez said in her own email to residents that Suarez was spreading misinformation by referring to the store as a 'sex shop.' In community Facebook groups, where Suarez and anonymous accounts have targeted Rosen Gonzalez with a barrage of criticism, Rosen Gonzalez has defended herself in repeated posts calling for 'love and unity.' 'To the anonymous people behind bots who spread hate and division, I love you,' she wrote on Facebook. 'Come to my office. Come and I will welcome you with love.'
Axios
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Miami Beach strengthens Israeli ties but defers O Cinema vote
Miami Beach further strengthened its support for Israel in a series of votes Wednesday but didn't take up a proposal to influence programming at a local theater targeted for showing a documentary about the Gaza conflict. Why it matters: The City Commission's moves show how intent it is to demonstrate its loyalty to Israel after a scrapped proposal to evict O Cinema drew national attention. Driving the news: Commissioners directed the city to maximize investments in Israeli bonds and work on attracting Israeli and Jewish-owned businesses to Miami Beach. The commission deferred a resolution encouraging O Cinema to screen films that show a "fair and balanced" viewpoint of the war in Gaza. Friction point: During a tense meeting Wednesday, more than a dozen residents spoke up against the package of Israeli-related proposals. At one point, Mayor Steven Meiner directed police to escort an audience member out of the commission chambers. Later, he interrupted a speaker during the allotted two-minute comment period and refused to give the resident additional time. What they're saying: Miami Beach resident Alex Mayka said the city has "real problems" to deal with, like flooding and housing scarcity, and shouldn't spend time focusing on supporting an "apartheid nation." "These resolutions don't help people who actually live here." He criticized the city targeting O Cinema, the South Beach theater with a lease on city-owned property. "This city government has absolutely no place in telling artists what kind of stories they can or can't tell." The other side: Meiner, a strong ally of Israel, responded to almost every anti-Israel comment during time reserved for public speakers, labeling some remarks as "hate speech" and antisemitism. "I give the respect to the people who speak, but I'm gonna counter hate speech when it comes this way," Meiner said. Commissioner Joseph Magazine, who sponsored the resolution attracting Israeli businesses, said it was "sickening" that someone could oppose recruiting Jewish business owners. Magazine called Miami Beach a safe haven for the city's "Israeli and Jewish brothers and sisters." "Part of being a safe haven is speaking proudly about an initiative like this." Catch up quick: Meiner previously proposed evicting O Cinema and withdrawing its grant funding after it screened "No Other Land," the Oscar-winning documentary about the Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank prior to the war. Meiner called the film a "one-sided propaganda attack" on the Jewish people. O Cinema and the ACLU of Florida argued Meiner's effort amounted to government overreach and violated the theater's First Amendment rights. Meiner later withdrew his eviction proposal after opposition from the Commission and public. A second Meiner proposal, which wasn't heard Wednesday, criticizes "No Other Land" as an "incomplete portrayal" of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and encourages O Cinema to "prioritize films that present the suffering and moral position of the Jewish people and the state of Israel." The intrigue: It's unclear why Meiner never brought the item for a vote.
Axios
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
O Cinema dodged eviction, but resolution renews censorship fears
Miami Beach commissioners on Wednesday are expected to discuss a measure aimed at influencing programming at indie theater O Cinema. The big picture: The discussion comes a little more than one month after the theater survived eviction over its decision to screen "No Other Land." The Oscar-winning film documents the Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank for military training grounds, before the current conflict in Gaza. The resolution, proposed by Mayor Steven Meiner, calls for the theater to program films that "highlight a fair and balanced viewpoint" of the Israel-Hamas war and to ensure the "viewpoint of Jewish people and the state of Israel is fully and accurately presented." Why it matters: Critics argue the move undermines the theater's freedom of expression and causes a chilling effect on it and other art spaces. Between the lines: The commission has previously been accused of silencing pro-Palestinian voices, including barring protesters from obstructing streets or sidewalks in response to demonstrations in the city. Catch up quick: Last month, Meiner's attempt to evict the cinema — which operates in a city-owned facility — and pull about $40,000 in city grants sparked international outrage. Supporters of O Cinema packed a commission meeting, calling the proposals an attempt to control the theater and a violation of free speech. Commissioners who disagreed with Meiner shared his concerns about the dangers of antisemitism but said the government should not direct content decisions. What they're saying:"The community has made it overwhelmingly clear that they do not want government influence in the types of films O Cinema shows," said Kareem Tabsch, the cinema's co-founder, in a statement to Axios. The proposal "poses real concerns of government overreach into the independence of cultural organizations like O Cinema," he said. Daniel Tilley, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, said even after Meiner backed off the eviction threat, the "bell cannot be unrung." Though the current resolution seeks to "encourage, not dictate" programming decisions, "the chill to O Cinema and other cultural institutions who dare to display or express disfavored viewpoints remains." The other side: Meiner did not respond to Axios' request for comment Tuesday, but he previously called the film a "one-sided propaganda attack" on the Jewish people.
