16th Annual Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival

The Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival is turning sweet sixteen, and to commemorate this special occasion, a record number of films will be screened for the enjoyment of all film lovers in South Florida. Over five dozen films from all over the world will be presented at various locations across Miami-Dade County over a period of ten days, from Friday, May 2 to Sunday, May 11.

The venues that will host the festival's films and attendees are the Colony Theater (1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach); the Miami Beach Cinematheque (1130 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach); O Cinema Miami Shores (9806 Northeast 2nd Avenue, Miami Shores); the Miami Beach Botanical Garden (2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach) and the Miami Beach Convention Center (1901 Convention Center Drive).

For a full list of films, visit mglff.com/films/program/datetime. Here's a summary of events going on over the ten-day festival. If you're interested in buying tickets for any of these events, go to mglff.com/pages/events.

The Colony Theater is hosting the opening night film, "The Way He Looks," in its North American premiere. Showtime is at 8 p.m. on May 2. The Way He Looks is a Brazilian coming-of-age film about a blind teenager who has to figure out how to deal with the romantic feelings he has for his new friend. This film is brought to you by community partner Safe Schools South Florida. Following the film, there will be an opening night party at the Albion Hotel (1650 James Avenue).

On Saturday, May 3 at 7 p.m. there will be a screening of the Women's Spotlight Film, BFFs, at the Colony Theater. In BFFs, two friends win a getaway weekend at a couple's retreat, and decide to go anyway. While there, they realize they may be more than just "BFFs." This film is sponsored by community partner Save Foundation. Afterwards there will be a BFFs Women's Party happening at Score (1437 Washington Avenue) from 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The Documentary Spotlight Film To Be Takei will be screened for the very first time in Florida at the O Cinema Miami Shores on Sunday, May 4 at 5:45 p.m. This documentary is a look into the life of George Takei, the actor from the original Star Trek television series, who now lives a busy life as an LGBT rights activist and pop culture icon. This film is sponsored by community partner LGBTQA Initiatives at Florida International University.

On Tuesday, May 6 at 6:30 p.m., the Spotlight Film The David Dance will play at the O Cinema Miami Shores; this is the first time the film has been screened on the East Coast. This movie tells the story of a talk radio host who is the exact opposite of his on-air persona. He searches for love and happiness despite being awkward in his personal life. Unity Coalition | Coalici�n Unida is the community partner sponsoring the viewing of this film.

The Centerpiece Film My Straight Son will be the main event of the evening on Wednesday, May 7. The O Cinema Miami Shores will screen this film at 8:30 p.m. This Venezuelan film tells the story of a fashion photographer whose carefree life is turned on its head when his partner becomes comatose and his estranged son returns to his life at the same time. Following the film, the Centerpiece Party will be held at the C1 Bank (2632 N. Miami Avenue, Miami) starting at 10 p.m.

Score in Miami Beach will play host to two World Premiere Parties on Thursday, May 8 at 10 p.m. Waiting in the Wings: The Musical and Club King will be showing earlier in the evening at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The mismatched results of an online contest result in a stripper and a dancer having to fit into opposite roles in Waiting in the Wings: The Musical. Club King is a behind-the-scenes look at the life of club promote extraordinaire Mario Diaz. These films are sponsored by the World Out Games 2017 Miami Beach and Miami Beach Gay Pride, respectively.

On Friday, May 9, there will be two movies playing at 9:45 p.m. at two different venues. Such Good People will be screening at the Colony Theater, and South Beach on Heels will be playing at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. Michael Urie and Randy Harrison star in Such Good People, a film about a couple who find a secret room filled with money while house-sitting for friends who die while abroad. The Miami Gay Men's Chorus sponsors this film. South Beach on Heels has been previously profiled in Hotspots; this documentary by Dmitry Zhitov profiles the fabulous drag divas of Miami Beach. South Beach on Heels is sponsored by the community partner Florida Department of Health of Miami-Dade County.

The weekend wraps up the event festivities; the venue of the closing night party is to be announced, check back to mglff.com for the latest information. The festival's award brunch will be held on Sunday, May 11 at noon at the Biltmore Hotel (1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables).

Hotspots Media Group and Edge Media Network are proud to be two of the dozen media sponsors of the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Presenting sponsors include Miami-Dade County Government, HBO and HBO Latin America. Official sponsors include The Biltmore Hotel, GLBT Community Projects Fund, Orbitz, Grey Goose Vodka, Miami Beach Botanical Gardens and premiere sponsor Merrill Lynch.

For more information about the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, visit mglff.com