Autumn is here (even if it doesn't feel like it yet), and the City of Miami Beach wants to get South Floridians outside again. Just about every Wednesday night from October 3 through May 29, a different movie will be screened on the 7,000-square-foot wall outside the New World Center for the SoundScape Cinema Series. Showings will begin at 8 p.m., and admission is free, though moviegoers are encouraged to bring their own blankets, lawn chairs, drinks, snacks, and even pets.
Each year, Miami Beach invites a different curator to program the season of films. This year, Igor Shteyrenberg, director of the Miami Jewish Film Festival and the Popcorn Frights Film Festival, is taking a turn. "I tried to create a program that gets people excited by the magic of film," he tells New Times.
Shteyrenberg aimed to balance family-friendly films with horror, and Hollywood blockbusters with independent films. He says that as the season continues, he hopes viewers will notice certain films were chosen to coincide with local cultural events, such as the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Borscht Film Festival, and O, Miami Poetry Festival.
Among this season's highlights are the opening movie, a newly restored presentation of The NeverEnding Story; a Halloween screening of Night of the Living Dead; and a 30th-anniversary screening of the Tom Hanks movie Big November 28. Some recent box office smashes you will be able to see on the really big screen include Wes Anderson's animated flick Isle of Dogs October 10, the horror movie A Quiet Place October 24, and Marvel's Black Panther December 26.
Check out the complete schedule for the 2018-19 SoundScape Cinema Series:
October
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 - The NeverEnding Story (1984) [35th anniversary]
Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - Isle of Dogs (2018)
Wednesday, October 17, 2018 - The Red Shoes (1948) [70th anniversary]
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 - A Quiet Place (2018)
Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - Night of the Living Dead (1968) [50th anniversary]
November
Wednesday, November 7, 2018 - Pina (2011)
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 - The Little Mermaid (1989)
Wednesday, November 21, 2018 - Paddington 2 (2018)
Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - Big (1988) [30th anniversary]
December
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 - An American in Paris (1951)
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 - Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Wednesday, December 26, 2018 - Black Panther (2018)
January
Wednesday, January 2, 2019 - Pather Panchali (1955)
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 - The Band's Visit (2007)
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 - Harmonia (2016)
February
Wednesday, February 6, 2019 - Hairspray (1988)
Wednesday, February 13, 2019 - As Good as it Gets (1997)
Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - Babette's Feast (1987)
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 - Fitzcarraldo (1982)
March
Wednesday, March 6, 2019 - Wonder Woman (2017)
Wednesday, March 13, 2019 - Ready Player One (2018)
Wednesday, March 20, 2019 - The Red Turtle (2016)
Wednesday, March 27, 2019 - Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
April
Wednesday, April 3, 2019 - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Wednesday, April 10, 2019 - Bright Star (2009)
Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - Won't You Be My Neighbor (2018)
Wednesday, April 24, 2019 - Days of Heaven (1978)
May
Wednesday, May 1, 2019 - Ida (2013)
Wednesday, May 8, 2019 - Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Wednesday, May 15, 2019 - Sorcerer (1977)
Wednesday, May 22, 2019 - The Last Resort (2018)
Wednesday, May 29, 2019 - Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
SoundScape Cinema Series. 8 p.m. Wednesdays October 3 through May 29 at SoundScape Park, 400 17th St., Miami Beach; nws.edu. Admission is free.