Miami, July 19, 202 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Tower Theater Miami and Miami Film Festival (MFF) will present short films by Miami native and two-time MFF alumnus Jose Navas at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 24. Navas’ collection of three short films showcases the vision of one of Miami’s top young filmmakers. There will be a Q & A following the screening, hosted by Jaie Laplante, MFF executive director and co-director of programming.
In the “The Rafter,” Reinaldo Cruz becomes the first person in history to flee Cuba on a raft in search of freedom on July 31, 1964. In “Beat Lingo,” Marcus suffers from mutism, living a reserved, quiet life. After years of homeschooling, he faces his biggest challenge yet – real school. But Marcus holds a special gift that he’s been hiding from the world.
“With His Eyes Closed” follows Andres and his younger brother Miguel, who are living under the control of their physically abusive father in Miami. After Andres decides to skip school, his seemingly adventurous escape brings an unexpected consequence. However, the experience propels him to fight back against his father in a fearless attempt to protect his younger brother.
Navas is a writer/director born in Nicaragua and raised in Miami. He studied film at the Miami International University of Arts and Design before founding the production company FlickHouse Studios. Navas’ feature documentary debut was “Miami Our City” (2016). He co-wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning short film “El Balsero.” His work has been supported by the Knight Foundation, Sundance Institute, PBS, and NALIP. His most recent films, “Beat Lingo” (2021) and “With His Eyes Closed” (2021) premiered at the Miami Film Festival and the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival.
WHAT: Miami Film Festival and Tower Theater Miami Present Short Films of Jose Navas
WHEN: Saturday, July 24, 7 p.m. (Red Carpet at 6:30 p.m.)
WHERE: Tower Theater Miami
1508 SW 8th St.
For red carpet access, contact nrabino@mdc.edu
For more info, visit https://towertheatermiami.com/coming-soon/short-films-jose-navas
Tower Theater Miami Media Contact: press@miamifilmfestival.com