The focus will be on Joong-Hyun Kim, Alejandro Landes, Pippo Mezzapesa, and Susan Youssef whose films will be presented in North America for the first time.

A Seoul native, Kim’s feature film Choked is about two young adults with a mentally unstable mother who must deal with the consequences of her bad choices. Brazilian-born Landes will premiere Porfirio, his acclaimed film about a man confined to a wheelchair who dreams of a better life.

Italian director, writer and producer Mezzapesa will present his coming-of-age film Annalisa, set in the 1990s southern Italy. Youssef is a Brooklyn-born filmmaker of Lebanese and Syrian decent who will present Habibi, a story of forbidden love set in Gaza in over 15 years.

“Original, unique rhythms and personalities are uncommon among very young directors,” Miami International Film Festival executive director Jaie Laplante said. “These four directors all have found a way to speak the language of cinema with a voice that doesn’t sound like any other of their generation.” 

This year’s festival will showcase more than 100 films from 35 countries and will run from Mar 2-11. More information about the festival and the films can be found at the official website.