Miami Film Festival GEMS opens its 13th edition on Thursday 29 October 2026 and closes on Thursday 5 November. The GEMS page carries the window and the edition count. The calendar dates 47 sessions inside it.
A 2014 showcase, renamed in 2015
The festival introduced GEMS in 2014 as a fall showcase at MDC's Tower Theater Miami, then under the name MIFFecito. The GEMS page describes that first edition as a seven-day event with 10 red-carpet premieres and in-person appearances. The festival rebranded it as GEMS Film Festival in 2015.
The 2026 edition runs eight days and carries 47 dated sessions.
The footprint line sits on the FAQ page
The festival's FAQ page, under the heading Festival Venues, reads: "We are thrilled to announce an expanded physical footprint this season, bringing the passion of film to as many neighbourhoods across the Magic City!" The sentence appears on that page and carries no venue count.
The venues page publishes seven rooms. Six of them carry a session inside the window. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens at 3251 South Miami Avenue carries one dated record, on Wednesday 28 October at 7 pm, one night before the opening.
Six rooms, 47 listings
Silverspot Cinema, 300 Southeast 3rd Street, carries 13 dated sessions. Koubek Center, 2705 Southwest 3rd Street, carries 12. Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Avenue, carries 10. The Bill Cosford Cinema, 5030 Brunson Drive, carries 9. MDC Wolfson, 300 Northeast 2nd Avenue, carries 2. O Cinema, 1130 Washington Avenue, carries 1.
O Cinema sets the beach end of the map. Bedford Park screens there on Thursday 5 November at 6 pm, and that booking is the run's only Miami Beach session.
Four rooms at 7 pm on 4 November
Wednesday 4 November carries four sessions and all four start at 7 pm. Clarissa runs at Coral Gables Art Cinema, The Liberation at Koubek Center, Being Heumann at Silverspot and the Variety Virtuoso Award conversation at MDC Wolfson.
The Wolfson conversation is one of two the festival dates in that room. The first is the Variety Creative Vanguard Award, a conversation with John Turturro, on Monday 2 November at 7 pm. The Virtuoso evening on 4 November features Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo and Guitarricadelafuente. The ticketing page prices both at $40, and $35 for members.
The booking window runs eight nights
The opening session is The Debut at Koubek Center at 6 pm on Thursday 29 October. The closing night is Club Kid at Koubek at 7 pm on Thursday 5 November, and First Light runs at Coral Gables Art Cinema at 7:30 pm the same evening.
An arrival for the Thursday opening and a checkout on Friday 6 November hold eight nights. The calendar dates at least one session on each of those eight days.
The sales route as published
Advanced tickets sell on the festival's own website. The FAQ states that requirement and names the member route through the member's own profile.
Box offices open at all venues one hour before the first screening of the day. Day-of tickets sell online and at the box office up to 15 minutes after a programme starts, while seats remain. A patron can buy for any venue at any box office.
The Pick Six pass and the Take Twelve pass issue a unique code by email on purchase. Both redeem on General and Centerpiece screenings, and both exclude Opening Night, Closing Night, retrospectives and celebrity conversations. The festival publishes no price for either pass.
The terms attached to a seat
All orders are final. The FAQ states no refunds and no exchanges, and routes a member request to the Society office at least 24 hours before a scheduled start, reviewed case by case. Tickets can be handed to another person. Industry tickets and private-event invitations cannot be transferred.
Each ticket carries a $2 to $10 processing fee. The FAQ prints the floor as "$2+ processing fee, no exception".
Silverspot Cinema handles a full house as Sold Out and honours original purchases through the programme. The other rooms open a rush line about 15 minutes before a start, and empty seats sell onsite at full price.