Miami International Film Festival Adds Free Screening to 2011 Official Lineup: The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical at the New World Center

Miami, FL, February 18, 2011 — Organizers of the 2011 Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), produced and presented by Miami Dade College (MDC), today announced the addition of a film to the Festival’s official slate of premieres and special events: the HBO Documentary Films Presentation The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical.

"I could not be more excited to be the first film festival to present a screening on the projection wall of the New World Center, Miami Beach's new world-class technological and environmental marvel," said MIFF executive director Jaie Laplante. "The Sound of Mumbai is the perfect film to pique movie lovers' appetites with a preview taste of the joys, hopes and dreams that await them in the following 10 days of the Miami International Film Festival."

The Festival, in partnership with HBO and the City of Miami Beach, will present a free, outdoor Kick-off Screening of the all-ages documentary The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical on Wednesday, March 2 at 7:00 p.m. on the 7,000 square foot projection wall of New World Symphony’s newly built, Frank Gehry-designed campus in Miami Beach. The film will be projected three-stories-high onto the building’s façade from the City of Miami Beach's ExoStage area, which can accommodate up to 1,000 guests seated in the grassy meadow in front of the building. Australian director Sarah McCarthy (Murderers on the Dance Floor for the United Kingdom’s Channel 4 and Black Widow Granny for the BBC) is scheduled to fly from London to attend the screening along with the film’s producer, Joe Walters.

The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical is a hopeful look at a band of tenacious and melodious India street children, recruited to perform a one-time-only concert with members of the city’s elite Bombay Chamber Orchestra. The youngsters rehearse the timeless classics from The Sound of Music (including Do, Re, Mi and My Favorite Things) and prepare to perform before a sold-out crowd of 1,000 at Mumbai’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, a place which is usually closed to the city’s lower classes. With so many hopes and dreams riding on this single performance, the stakes are high for all involved—including 11-year-old soloist Ashish, who hopes to win the affections of an upper-class girl and inspire a patron to sponsor his education, and orchestra conductor Johannis Steinwender, who must corral the wily choir students into their best performances. In telling the story, director Sarah McCarthy remains mindful of the
gaps that lie between dreams and reality, rich and poor. The film never glosses over the difficulty of closing those gaps, but it joyfully expresses the children’s optimism, excitement, and their effort of trying. This film was an audience favorite at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.


The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical Directed by Sarah McCarthy United Kingdom, India | 2010 (English, Hindi with English subtitles) 65 minutes | Color Wednesday, March 2, 7:00 p.m. (Free and open to the public) (Miami Beach SoundScape and ExoStage at the New World Symphony campus, 500 – 17th Street, at the intersection of Washington Avenue & 17th Street) (Rain Date: Thursday, March 3, 7:00 p.m.)

Tickets are now on sale for the Festival’s 10-day showcase of Red Carpet premieres, competitions, industry and education seminars and other special events featuring more than 100 films from 40 countries during the 28th annual edition, which runs March 4-13, 2011. For tickets and more information, visit www.miamifilmfestival.com or call 305-405-MIFF (6433).


IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR JOURNALISTS AND EDITORS COVERING MIFF:
Press Accreditation: You must apply online at www.miamifilmfestival.com, under the ―Press‖ section. Applications are available now and are due by Friday, Feb. 18. You will be notified by e-mail by Monday, Feb. 21 whether or not your application has been approved.
Stills (films & directors): Are available at www.flickr.com/photos/miamifilmfestival/. Contact MIFF staff for password and access instructions.
Press Conferences & Interview Requests: Contact MIFF, MDC or HBO publicity contacts.


About Miami International Film Festival
The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), celebrating its 28th edition March 4-13, 2011, is the premier Ibero-American film festival in the U.S. The annual event, which is produced and presented by Miami Dade College, attracts more than 70,000 film enthusiasts and 400 filmmakers, stars and industry professionals. During the past five years, the festival has screened films from 60 countries and hosted 300 East Coast, U.S. and world premieres. Through Encuentros, the festival’s mentorship and film development program for filmmakers and projects from Spain, Portugal and Latin America, MIFF has become a primary gateway for the discovery of Ibero-American talent in the entertainment world. In addition, the festival’s REEL Education Seminar Series consistently attracts top executives from Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Classics, IFC Films, Fox Searchlight, DreamWorks Animation, HBO Films/HBO Latino and William Morris Endeavor, among many others. For more information, visit www.miamifilmfestival.com or call 305-237-MIFF (3456).


About Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College has a long and rich history of involvement in the cultural arts, providing South Florida
with a vast array of artistic and literary offerings including The Miami Book Fair International, the Cultura del Lobo performing arts series, The Cuban Cinema Series, nine visual arts galleries including The Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College and the School of Entertainment and Design Technology in addition to the Miami International Film Festival. MDC is the largest institution of higher education in the country and is nationally recognized for many of its academic and cultural programs. With an enrollment of more than 170,000 students, MDC is the nation’s top producer of associate in arts and associate in science degrees. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers offer more than 300 distinct degree programs, including baccalaureate degrees in education, nursing, public safety management and other in-demand fields.

Additional MIFF media contact: Danny Diaz, publicist, 305-389-8986, danny@miamifilmfestival.com.

Additional MDC Media Contacts: Tere Estorino, director of media relations, 305-237-3949, testorin@mdc.edu; Sue Arrowsmith, 305-237-3710, sue.arrowsmith@mdc.edu;Tarnell Carroll, 305-237-3359, tarnell.carroll@mdc.edu; or Alejandro Rios, 305-237-7482, arios1@mdc.edu.

Additional HBO media contact: Carmen Argamasilla, HBO Publicity 305-446-6695; 305-491-3051


Full press release in .pdf format.