Miami, FL (February 23, 2023) – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) renowned 40th edition of the Miami Film Festival announced that John Leguizamo will receive the Festival’s Impact Award. The award presentation will take place on Saturday, March 11, along with a screening of Leguizamo Does America, a series airing on MSNBC that follows Leguizamo across the country to celebrate Latino history, culture, and communities. The Miami Film Festival screening will be the world premiere of the Miami episode from the six-episode series produced by NBC News Studios. The festival runs from March 3-12, 2023.
In Leguizamo Does America, Leguizamo travels across the country to bring viewers inside America’s thriving Latino communities – all with his characteristic edge, energy and wit. From San Juan to East LA with some surprising stops in between, Leguizamo will celebrate the history, culture, food and other contributions of Lantinos shaping America, from young actors sharing their heartfelt stories at a Washington, D.C. Latino theater, to the immigrants who transformed the city of Chicago and the indigenous people of Puerto Rico who invented barbecue. The first part of the MSNBC Films and NBC News Studios series will premiere on MSNBC April 16 at 10pm ET.
A multi-faceted creator, Leguizamo has established a career that defies categorization. His work in film, theater and television covers a variety of genres, continually threatening to create a few of its own. Recently, he co-starred in Mark Mylod’s film The Menu. He will star in Amazon’s upcoming series The Power alongside Toni Collette. Leguizamo’s directorial debut, Critical Thinking, was selected to premiere at SXSW Film Festival. He has garnered numerous other accolades throughout his career, including an Emmy Award, a Drama Desk Award, as well as nominations for Tony Awards and Golden Globes. Leguizamo received a Special Tony Award at the 2018 Tony Awards for Latin History for Morons, his most recent one-man show. His more than 75 film credits include Carlito’s Way, To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, Summer of Sam, Encanto, and The Ice Age franchise.
Other MFF 2023 honorees include Nicolas Cage (Variety Legend & Groundbreaker), Diego Luna (Variety Virtuoso Award) and Nicholas Britell (Art of Light Composer Award, presented by Alacran Group). The complete program is available at www.miamifilmfestival.com.
Miami Dade College is part of the NBCUniversal News Group’s award-winning NBCU Academy program, which provides students from underrepresented communities a pipeline into newsrooms across media and technology. Since its inception in 2021, NBCU Academy partners have received funding, resources, training and development — in addition to access to the News Group’s world-class journalists.
About Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival
Celebrating cinema in two annual events, Miami Film Festival (40th annual edition March 3-12, 2023) and Miami Film Festival GEMS (November 2023), Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival is considered the preeminent film festival for showcasing Ibero-American cinema in the U.S., and a major launch pad for all international and documentary cinema. The annual Festival welcomes more than 45,000 audience members and more than 400 filmmakers, producers, talent and industry professionals. It is the only major festival housed within a college or university. In the last five years, the Festival has screened films from more than 60 countries, including 300 World, International, North American, U.S. and East Coast Premieres. Major sponsors of Miami Film Festival GEMS include Knight Foundation, Telemundo, American Airlines, Estrella Damm, Telemundo, NBC6 and Miami-Dade County. The Festival also offers unparalleled educational opportunities to film students and the community at large. For more information, visit miamifilmfestival.comor call 305-237-FILM (3456).
# # #
MDC’s Miami Film Festival Media Relations Contacts
NEW YORK / LOS ANGELES / TRADE:
Steven Wilson, Scenario PR | (310) 497-4951 | steven.wilson@scenariopr.com
Kylie Elliot, Scenario PR | kylie.elliot@scenariopr.com
MIAMI:
Rachel Pinzur, Pinzur Communications | (305) 725-2875 | Rachel@PinzurPR.com
Andrea Salazar, Pinzur Communications | (954) 756-0652 | andrea@PinzurPR.com