This week, Miami Film Festival’s GEMS fest kicks off for eight days of pre-release screenings for Oscar contenders, plus director talks and celebrity sightings. Miami’s film lovers have snapped up a lot of these tickets already, but there are still a lot of great screenings to choose from - you just need to book them now.

It’s also your last week to catch gothic musical thriller Jekyll & Hyde at Actors’ Playhouse, which has been getting rave reviews for its steamy romance and bring-down-the-house performances of musical theater classics like This is the Moment.

Coming up next week, Bakehouse Art Complex is closing out their 40th anniversary as an artist haven and incubator with a huge birthday bash. The theme is “Homecoming x Graduation x Tailgate Party,” and if last year’s event is any indication, it’s going to be an epic night.

And, of course, it’s Halloween! You can celebrate with HistoryMiami’s annual historic graveyard walk, Actors’ Playhouse’s Jekyll & Hyde, or Filmgate’s Horror Fest - with or without a thin polyester costume.

Let’s get planning…

Jump to: Music, Theater, Cinema, Art Events, Book Talks, Dance, or Planning Ahead

The main Miami Film Festival is in April, but each fall, MFF presents GEMS, a “mini-fest” of films expected to make waves in the upcoming awards season. One of the 50 movies from over 20 countries getting screenings is Coward, Belgium’s official submission to the 2027 Oscars and the latest film from director Lukas Dhont, whose Close won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2022. The story follows Pierre, a young WWI soldier newly arrived at the front, who finds belonging and unexpected love. Get tickets.

Sunday, November 2nd, 3:45pm, Coral Gables Art Cinema, $17

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Nearby Eats: Luca Osteria, Imoto (New!), Belluz Pizza | Drinks: The Café at Books & Books, Bar Zorro

Miami Film Festival GEMS presents a special evening with legendary actor and filmmaker John Turturro, in town to promote his latest film, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, which is earning him long overdue, career-first Oscar buzz for his lead performance. Turturro will discuss his decades-long career, including cinema classics like Do the Right Thing, The Big Lebowski, and O Brother Where Art Thou?, with Variety's Co-Editor in Chief Ramin Setoodeh. Get tickets.

Monday, November 2nd, 7pm, MDC Wolfson Auditorium, $40

Neighborhood: Downtown

Nearby Eats: Tâm Tâm, Fratesi’s Pizza, NIU Kitchen | Drinks: Lost Boy Dry Goods, Over Under

More Upcoming Cinema:

Actors’ Playhouse kicks off its 39th season with Jekyll & Hyde, the rocking gothic musical thriller inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s timeless tale of ambition and obsession. Featuring musical theater showstoppers like This is the Moment and Someone Like You, the plot follows Dr. Jekyll, whose attempts to eradicate the evil in man instead unleash a super-id alter ego that rampages through London. Get tickets.

Through November 1st, 8pm evenings, 3pm Sunday matinees, Actor’s Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, $65-$100

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Nearby Eats: Buccan, Francesco, Belluz Pizza | Drinks: Bulla, Maíz y Agave

To open the Arsht Center’s Theater Up Close series, Zoetic Stage presents Yasmina Reza’s Tony and Olivier Award-winning dark comedy, God of Carnage, described as “a comedy of manners…without the manners.” The play presents two sets of parents who gather to discuss their respective sons’ playground fight “as sensible adults.” Chaos ensues. Get tickets.

November 5th-22nd, 7:30 evenings, 2:30 matinees, Carnival Studio Theater at the Arsht, $67-$73

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Cafe Fenicia, Miami Slice, Yamashiro | Drinks: Casadonna, 400 Vinyl Room

Miami New Drama has had a run of success incubating new plays that move on to Broadway or Off-Broadway, including 2021’s A Wonderful World, and last year’s Birthright and Here There Are Blueberries. So when you see a new work at MiND, you might be getting an early look at the country’s next hit show. This season, Artistic Director Michel Hausmann and team have a lot of irons in the fire, with four world premieres coming up. The first is Gandhi and the Jew, a new play by Harley Elias on the seminal friendship between Gandhi and Lithuanian-born South African Jewish architect Hermann Kallenbach. Get tickets.

November 5th-29th, Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre, $45-$95

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: CHO Asian Bistro, Tropezón, Lucali | Drinks: Brother’s Keeper, Abbey Brewing Co.

Taking its cue from the Little River/Little Haiti Art Days, Allapattah has decided to flex its impressive art muscles with the brand new Allapattah Night, when the neighborhood’s museums and galleries will open their doors for exhibitions and special programming. That means free admission to the Rubell Museum and a rare open studios event for the artists-in-residence at El Espacio 23, the Perez family’s jaw-dropping exhibition space, plus open doors at 10 of the area’s top notch galleries. Get more info.

Wednesday, October 28th, Various Galleries, 6-9pm, Free

Neighborhood: Allapattah

Nearby Eats: Hometown BBQ, Morgan's, Jon & Vinny's (at the Rubell) | Drinks: Las Rosas, Morgan's

PAMM celebrates the opening of Picasso–Klee–Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen with a free community art talk exploring the themes of the exhibit’s collection of 20th century modernist masters. Consider it 20th Century Art History in a nutshell. If you can’t make the talk, the exhibit, which also includes groundbreaking works by Cézanne and Braque, will be up until November 28th. Get more info.

Thursday, October 29th, 7:30-9pm, PAMM, Free but space is limited so get there early

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Verde at PAMM, Vice Versa, Yamashiro | Drinks: Verde, Vice Versa

Bakehouse Art Complex closes out its yearlong 40th anniversary celebration and the centennial of its iconic 1926 Art Deco-era bakery building with a massive birthday bash. The night will include a parade, the City of Miami Mounted Police, a tailgate party, open studios for the artists in residence, a new exhibit opening, plus open bar and live music by DJ Le Spam and the Spam Allstars. Get tickets.

Friday, November 6th, 6:30-10pm, Bakehouse Art Complex, $100

Neighborhood: Wynwood

Nearby Eats: Lira House, Pastis, Pasta | Drinks: this party should have you covered, but if you want to keep things going, head to Dante’s Hifi or Higher Ground

More Art Events:

Orchestra Miami celebrates 20 years of bringing classical music to the people with a concert under the stars at Pinecrest Gardens’ Banyan Bowl. Fittingly, the program is stacked with audience favorites: Mozart’s exuberant Marriage of Figaro Overture, Beethoven’s groundbreaking Triple Concerto, then back to Mozart’s dramatic Symphony No. 40. Get tickets.

Sunday, November 8th, 6pm, Pinecrest Gardens, $40-$50

Neighborhood: Pinecrest

Nearby Eats: Recoveco, Ghee Indian Kitchen, Daniel’s | Drinks: Fox’s Lounge, Ivy Rooftop

More Upcoming Music:

The Hub at Temple Beth Am and Books & Books welcome organizational psychologist and author Adam Grant to celebrate the release of his new book, Vibe. In it, Grant offers a research-backed roadmap to deeper connections and tighter communities. Get tickets.

Monday, October 26th, 7pm, The Hub at Temple Beth Am, $40 (incl. one signed book copy)

Neighborhood: Pinecrest

Nearby Eats: Recoveco, Ghee Indian Kitchen, Beauty & The Butcher | Drinks: Fox’s Lounge, Ivy Rooftop

More Literary Events:

Dance Now! Miami opens their 27th season with Fall for Dance Now!, an evening of dance under the fall skies at the Miami Beach Bandshell. The program includes highlights from Clara, the company’s “saucy” take on The Nutcracker, new works not yet announced, and a special presentation by the Dance Now! Youth Ensemble.

Sunday, November 8th, 7pm, Miami Beach Bandshell, $30 standing, $35 seated

Neighborhood: North Beach

Nearby Eats: Ezio’s, Kuromon Sushi, Sumak | Drinks: Norman’s Tavern, Conventillo

More Upcoming Dance:

Under the baton of celebrated conductor Stephanie Childress, New World Symphony reunites with the Master Chorale of South Florida and a slate of renowned vocalists for Mozart’s haunting Requiem, the final composition of his tragically short life (and the piece evil Salieri used to kill him in the totally true movie). Also on the program, Vaughan Williams’ Toward the Unknown Region, a soaring choral adaptation of Walt Whitman’s poem. Get tickets.

Saturday, November 14th, 8pm, New World Center, $40-$225

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: Casa Tua, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Pauline | Drinks: Little Torch at The Shelborne, Water Lion at the Sagamore

Founded by former MCB principals Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra in 2016, Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami has been shaking up classical dance in South Florida ever since with their contemporary ballet repertoire. My only complaint about this exciting young troupe is that we have so few opportunities to see them. So you don’t want to miss their fall performance if you can help it. Get tickets.

Saturday, November 14th, 8pm, The Moss Center, $25-$45

Neighborhood: Cutler Bay

Nearby Eats: Not much! Grab dinner at Platea or Golden Rule Seafood on your way down there and have some rooftop cocktails at Ivy Rooftop or martinis at Fox’s on your way back.

Thanks for reading, Culture Lushes! See you back here next week!

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