The 2022 Miami Film Festival will open with Spain’s Oscar shortlist contender, the critically acclaimed comedy The Good Boss (El Buen Patrón) starring Javier Bardem, and close with Panama’s first-ever Oscar-shortlist contestant, Plaza Cathedral (Plaza Catedral). The 39th edition of the Festival is set to continue with an in-person format running from March 4-13, 2022.
For his longstanding support of Spanish cinema, Miami Film Festival Executive Director Jaie Laplante was awarded Spain’s cultural honor, the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Isabel La Católica, in 2018. “We are thrilled to bookend this year’s Festival with two Oscar shortlist contenders from the Ibero-American world,” stated Laplante. “Many of Spain’s greatest filmmakers, including Pedro Almodóvar, Carlos Saura, Victor Erice, Fernando Trueba, Bigas Luna and Alex de la Iglesia, have opened previous editions of the Festival, and to that list we now add Fernando León de Aranoa with his most wonderful film to date. We are also delighted to welcome Abner Benaim back to the Festival to celebrate his most recent historic achievement in Panamanian cinema, with one of the year’s most beautiful and moving films.”
Nominated for a record 20 Goya Awards in its home country, The Good Boss is written and directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, a five-time Goya winner whose films Mondays in the Sun, Amador and A Perfect Day have all been official selections of previous editions of Miami Film Festival. León de Aranoa also serves as a producer on the film along with The Mediapro Studio. Cohen Media Group has domestic rights to The Good Boss.
The Good Boss spotlights Blanco (Javier Bardem), the seemingly benevolent owner of a family business that produces industrial scales in a provincial Spanish town. The company awaits an imminent visit from a committee that will judge whether they merit a local Business Excellence award. Working against the clock, Blanco pulls out all the stops to ensure everything is perfect, setting off an explosive series of events with shocking repercussions.
Plaza Cathedral is director Abner Benaim’s sophomore narrative feature and stars Ilse Salas (The Good Girls, Güeros, Cantinflas) and Manolo Cardona (Narcos). Benaim’s credits include the documentaries Invasión, Best Director winner at Miami Film Festival 2015 and Ruben Blades Is Not My Name, 24 Beats Audience Award winner at SXSW 2018. Plaza Cathedral is a moving story about a grieving luxury realtor who forges an unlikely bond with a tough street kid (Fernando Xavier De Casta). The compassionate drama shines a light on Panamanian social justice. In addition to closing the 2022 Miami Film Festival, Plaza Cathedral will compete for the Festival’s $10,000 HBO Ibero-American Feature Film Award.