OUTshine Film Festival: Spring Edition

The largest and most dynamic festival showcasing the Miami LGBTQ community’s cinematic arts, featuring 11 days of screenings, premieres and plenty of parties, returns this spring. In total, OUTShine will show 65 films, with the full list of synopses and schedules available on the festival website. Here’s a look at some highlights and notable events for OUTShine Film Festival 2026 in Miami.

What is the OUTShine Film Festival?

The spring edition of OUTShine is an 11-day showcase of live screenings at venues throughout Miami, Miami Beach and Ft. Lauderdale. Silverspot Cinema in Downtown Miami will screen several films, as well as the Koubek Center Theater and iconic Tower Theater in Little Havana. In South Beach, you’ll find films at O Cinema South Beach. In Ft. Lauderdale, films will be screened at the Paradigm Cinemas: Gateway Ft. Lauderdale and Savor Cinema.

Viewers who prefer to watch on their own TVs can take part in OUTShine at Home festival from April 28 to May 4, when many of the films will be available for streaming.

Opening Night at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens

The OUTShine Film Festival officially kicks off on April 23 at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden in South Beach with a special screening of The Dinner (La Cena). The Spanish film takes place in Franco-era Spain, where a young Maitre’d is forced to host a banquet for fascist officers, using chefs taken from death row. It’s a lesson in queer identity during times of harsh repression and deadly consequences, with lots of food thrown in.

Afterwards, guests can enjoy the festival’s official opening party in the gardens.

Cocktails and Cinema

Throughout the festival, OUTShine will host several Cocktails and Cinema events, where viewers can attend post-screening cocktail hours with fellow attendees. The first Cocktails and Cinema events took place before the festival officially began, with a screening of The Children of Silverstreet on March 31 at O Cinema South Beach. The film follows 4 children whose mother suddenly disappears. They then hire a flamboyant nanny named Miss Nelly to take care of them so they’re not split up by child services.

The second event is April 2 at 7 p.m. at Paradigm Cinemas, with a special screening of Brown. It’s the true story of the first Latin American boxing champion, who goes from fighter to cabaret performer and back to the ring.

Cocktails and Cinema continues during the festival’s official run on April 27 with Rock Out, a documentary from Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black examining the queer roots of heavy metal, punk and rock and roll. It takes place at Savor Cinema at 7 p.m.

Also on April 27, South Florida Shorts: Miami Edition features 4 short films from Miami-based filmmakers. It screens at Tower Theater at 7 p.m. The Ft Lauderdale edition of South Florida Shorts takes place on April 28 at Paradigm Cinemas at 7 p.m., featuring 3 short films from Broward-based directors.

The sequel to The Children of Silverstreet has its international premiere on April 28 as part of Cocktails and Cinema at 7 p.m. at the Tower Theater. The Children of Silverstreet Take a Stand follows the same 4 children, who now live with Miss Nelly and her partner. When the children’s grandparents show up and try to take them back to their estate for Christmas, the family hatches a plot to stay together.

One of the festival's most visually impressive films is the subject of Cocktails and Cinema on April 29, when Madfabulous hits the Tower Theater at 7 p.m. It’s the true story of Victorian aristocrat Henry Paget, who spent his time and money on art and spectacle, defying the era’s expectations. The intricate costumes and elaborate sets make this a must-see on the big screen.

The final Cocktails and Cinema event is on April 29 at 7 p.m., with the Trans Spotlight film Blue Boy Trial at Paradigm Cinemas. Based on actual events, the movie surrounds an anti-prostitution law passed in 1960s Japan, and the male sex workers whose trial ignited a national debate.

Centerpiece Film & Party

As part of the festival, OUTShine selects one film of particular importance to the LGBTQ+ community for a special showcase. This spring’s selection is Maspalomas, the story of 76-year-old Vincente, who lives out his golden years as an openly gay man in Gran Canaria. A stroke forces him into a nursing home and back into the closet, and the film serves as a poignant look at a generation of LBGT people who were only able to live their truths later in life.

Closing Night Film & Party

The OUTShine Film Festival concludes on Sunday, May 3 with the official closing party at Savor Cinemas. The evening’s featured film is We’ll Find Happiness (One Sera Heureuz), which follows the story of an Arabic couple in Quebec who faces tragedy when one of them is threatened with deportation back to Iran. Through seduction and government double-dealings, the couple does what it must to stay together. The screening begins at 6 p.m.

By: Matthew Meltzer | April 7, 2026