If tech leads to anxiety more often than serenity, the VR Live Mandala Experience may alter your state of mind. But you’ll need to dash to Allapattah Tuesday to partake.
Hands in the controls, VR headset strapped on, you’re ready to climb the Himalayas and enter the Temple of the Tilting Buddha.
Marchak said she was one of about 70 businesses that had to rush out of the decades-old building at 168 Southeast 1st Street in downtown Miami.
An unsafe structures notice was posted on the front door a few days later and a police officer was in the lobby Friday as tenants took out some of their belongings and furniture.
“They made it seem like we were going through what Surfside went through and it will collapse on us,” said tenant Diliana Alexander.
If tech leads to anxiety more often than serenity, the VR Live Mandala Experience may alter your state of mind. But you’ll need to dash to Allapattah Tuesday to partake.
Hands in the controls, VR headset strapped on, you’re ready to climb the Himalayas and enter the Temple of the Tilting Buddha.
Marchak said she was one of about 70 businesses that had to rush out of the decades-old building at 168 Southeast 1st Street in downtown Miami.
An unsafe structures notice was posted on the front door a few days later and a police officer was in the lobby Friday as tenants took out some of their belongings and furniture.
“They made it seem like we were going through what Surfside went through and it will collapse on us,” said tenant Diliana Alexander.
One business owner renting space on the building’s fourth floor was skeptical of the city’s reaction. Diliana Alexander, executive director of nonprofit FilmGate, called the shutdown “draconian.”
She was at the music and film festival South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, on March 16 when her staff called to tell her that a squad of Miami firefighters and police officers hurriedly rushed around their floor telling people they needed to leave.
If tech leads to anxiety more often than serenity, the VR Live Mandala Experience may alter your state of mind. But you’ll need to dash to Allapattah Tuesday to partake. The calming tones of Buddhist temple bells soothe stress even before you enter the ‘temple.’ Inside, players are invited to place their worldly trappings -- yes, including cell phones -- into a box and stand before a Buddhist altar. Hands in the controls, VR headset strapped on, you’re ready to climb the Himalayas and enter the Temple of the Tilting Buddha.
Hosted by FilmGate space in Downtown Miami at their Downtown Media Center, Mandala: A Brief Moment in Time is an immersive theater experience for 3-6 people that uses group discussions to tell different stories from Buddhism around the themes of suffering, happiness, hungry ghosts, & living the good life. There’s a moral dilemma at the end of the experience that requires the participants to come to some level of consensus. Consequently, there are a number of different endings based on what the group decides.
While most people know the story of the Buddha as a spoiled prince who gained enlightenment after fasting and sitting under a Bodhi tree, “Mandala: A Brief Moment in Time” offers a different side to the mythos of Buddhist philosophy, combining traditional Asian imagery and storytelling with innovative technology.
The 2022 Festival is taking place in person and virtually in Miami and Miami Beach, and is designed to highlight and showcase how emerging tech empowers new ways of artistic and media expression. Over the course of four days, between Nov. 28 and Dec 5, creators, producers, tech companies and curious audiences will have access to over 30 interactive experiences, 15 labs and talks, interactive exhibits, four dome experiences, a financing market, b2b meetings, music, and live events, accessible to all ages.
“The technology component of Art Basel has made it more vibrant and more interesting, and it also kind of spilled it on the street,” said Diliana Alexander, a film producer and executive director of FilmGate, a nonprofit that hosts its own technologically advanced storytelling festival during Art Week. “It’s more democratic, and it’s attracting a younger audience.”
The line between fine art and technology is increasingly blurry. And Miami art institutions – Oolite Arts being the most recent example – are doubling down on arming creatives with the tech tools they need to create 21st century art.
Another prominent example of this phenomenon was the 9th FilmGate Interactive Media Festival. Taking place across four venues in Downtown and South Beach, the expo explored the intersection of film and technology.
Taking place December 2 through 5, FilmGate returns to Downtown Miami and Miami Beach to showcase immersive visual experiences that push the boundaries of storytelling. Over the four days, creators, producers, tech companies and curious audiences will have access to over 30 interactive experiences, 15 labs and talks, interactive exhibits, 4 dome experiences, a financing market, b2b meetings, music, live events and a sunset cruise closing ceremony, accessible to all ages. Locations include The Frost Science Museum, The SouthEast Financial Center, O Cinema South Beach and more.
MIAMI DDA: Miami Art Week 2022
The FilmGate Interactive Festival, a one-of-a-kind international festival, taking place in person and virtually in Miami and Miami Beach, is designed to highlight and showcase how emerging tech empowers new ways of artistic and media expression. Over the course of four days, Friday through Monday, Dec. 2-5, 2022, creators, producers, tech companies and curious audiences will have access to over 30 interactive experiences, 15 labs and talks, interactive exhibits, 4 dome experiences, a financing market, b2b meetings, music, and live events, accessible to all ages.
When filmmaker and self-described sci-fi geek Diliana Alexander discovered that VR could increase audiences’ empathy levels, she and her co-founder were inspired to create a festival that explored where this technology would take the creative world. Thus, FilmGate Interactive was born.
reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR).
FilmGate Miami is debuting 25 virtual reality and interactive art installations this year, including one VR experience that takes you deep sea diving.
FilmGate’s cofounder, Diliana Alexander says these “extended reality” installations provide new opportunities for guests to be a part of the art; not just view it but immerse themselves in it.
“These are projects that would have probably not existed two years ago or even last year because technology is changing, and artists are pushing boundaries,” said Alexander. “The audience, because they’re present and interacting or being engaged in some of kind way, they’re a lot more invested in what they’re experiencing.”
FilmGate Miami: Featured in Miami New Times
On Tuesday, FilmGate Miami returns with another workshop, Why the Drama, allowing for screenplays to be workshopped with actors and industry folk in attendance. The night will include a reading of Sex, Love & Salsa! a pilot series written by Adrian Manzano, with the log line, "Dancers and musicians learn about life and love on the dance floor"; and Nelson Isava's The Girl Next Door: "Two immigrant sisters must find their way out of a deadly entanglement by looking inward and toward each other."
Art Basel Miami 2022: Survival-guide cheat sheet for best art & music events, parking
This ninth-annual bash is all about digital art and embracing the metaverse (aka Mark Zuckerberg’s current obsession), basically an interactive world the public accesses using virtual-reality headsets. The festival is a four-day blitz of virtual-reality screenings, live music, dance performances, filmmaking how-tos and interactive workshops.
FilmGate Miami Presents: FilmGate Short Film Festival 2022 - Best of 2022! Happening Next (2022)
FilmGatos!
How time flew! It's time to celebrate Florida Film and their creators with all the previous winners of our past monthly editions. This is Best of 2022!
All previous winners will be completing for an array of awards, including the covenant Pink Crystal Kraken Award.
About us: FilmGate Miami is a non-profit organization that's goal is to ensure the empowerment and growth of local creators and talent.
“I AM SUS” Wins at FilmGate Miami Jitneybooks (2022)
FilmGate Miami, now in its 10th year, is the epicenter for all things film in South Florida. With a new space occupying an entire floor of a classic Downtown Miami building, FilmGate has earned the title of Miami’s best film organization. Whether hosting boot camps on Acting and Screenwriting or Master classes on Producing, if you want to connect with the Miami film industry, this is the space for you.
“FilmGate: inspiring Miami filmmakers to create” Knight Foundation (2015)
FilmGate Interactive, a Knight Arts grantee, returns with another week-long event “at the crossroads of film, technology and interactive storytelling.” The festival, which runs from February 1-8, is the brainchild of Executive Director Diliana Alexander. Alexander, whom I interviewed last year, spoke with me again about the creative value the festival will generate for local filmmakers and the community.
Meet Diliana Alexander of FilmGate Miami Voyage MIA (2017)
In 2012, I co-founded FilmGate Miami – a not for profit organization with the mission to support independent film production in Florida. As a filmmaker, I needed FilmGate to exist and since it did not, we created it. Our first program was I’M NOT GONNA MOVE TO L.A. – the longest running monthly short film series in Florida; it celebrates local creativity. It takes place on the first Wednesday of each month to sold out audiences at O Cinema Wynwood. Later came the workshops, the production resources and finally the media center.
“FilmGate continues to create opportunities for Miami film community with new studio space” Independent Ethos (2018)
FilmGate is a non-profit organization that supports independent film in Florida through screening, workshop, panels and festivals.As of right now, the startup is focusing on their monthly screening festival for local filmmakers, “I am Not Going to Move to L.A” or NOLA, which is about to debut at its new venue, the Silverspot Cinema, on Aug. 28. The event consists of eight short films of no longer than twenty minutes, all directed and produced by filmmakers living in Florida.
“FilmGate Miami welcomes 305 filmmakers and beyond” Miami Herald (2021)
FilmGate Miami co-founders Diliana Alexander and Jose Jacho talk about the resources available at FilmGate Miami Media Center, which nurtures local filmmaking by helping with cinematography classes, acting workshops and multimedia training.
“FilmGate” Yelp
Very active non-profit that produce events that actually BENEFIT YOU; I entered in their monthly NOLA film festival, took home two awards as a first-time filmmaker. I've attended their Acting Masterclasses, Filmmaking Bootcamp Series, Producer Series, Screenwriting Series, and on top of that, the free Naked Angels writer/actor workshop weekly....how are people not flocking to this at light-speed?!?
Swamp Docs Art Calendar-Broward (2020)
SWAMP DOCS – Meetup for Florida Activists, Journalists, and Documentarians.
Welcome to FilmGate Miami’s SWAMP DOCS - a conversation series exploring current issues affecting the South East Region of the US. This event provides informative support to documentarians and digital journalists. We at FilmGate Miami are stoked to have this officially open to the public.
The Best Free Events in Miami This Week
Screenwriters, playwrights, and actors come beautifully together in a unique performance space for an equally unique concept. It's called Naked Angels x FilmGate Miami. It was an idea that stemmed from New York City in the '80s with the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, and now it has a weekly version in the 305.
Inside the Downtown Media Center, Miami's New Indie Film Production Hub
Just last month, the FilmGate Interactive Media Festival had a ball at the University of Miami, where the fest hosted a series of film screenings, workshops, and virtual-reality and mixed-reality experiences. Now that the latest edition of the festival is in the rear-view mirror, what have the FilmGate Miami folks been up to? Turns out they’re opening a new space.
FilmGate Miami is debuting 25 virtual reality and interactive art installations this year, including one VR experience that takes you deep sea diving.
FilmGate’s cofounder, Diliana Alexander says these “extended reality” installations provide new opportunities for guests to be a part of the art; not just view it but immerse themselves in it.
South Florida Businesses Reap Benefits of Busy Miami Art Week
EXCITING ART + TECHNOLOGY FOR MIAMI ART WEEK
The tech world is turning the heat up a notch for this year’s Miami Art Week. There will be work presented by the MUD Foundation and FilmGate. Over the past several years, art and technology have converged into exciting new formats for artists to explore. This year, Miami is host to two digital art and virtual reality events with organizations that focus on keeping the technology in the hands of the artists, while making the work accessible to the public.
FilmGate Interactive Festival Back For Its 9th Season
“FilmGate came out of curiosity,” Diliana Alexander, executive director of FilmGate Interactive Media Festival told me in 2018.
A firm believer in audiences craving immersion and the ability to connect across many platforms, she created South Florida’s first fully interactive film and new technology conference. “I wanted to showcase how new technology is influencing what’s to come in entertainment, storytelling, film, and art.”
FilmGate Interactive Media Festival Makes Virtual Reality a Reality
The ninth annual FilmGate Interactive Media Festival is currently taking place around South Florida through December 5. According to their press release the festival, “is designed to highlight and showcase how emerging tech empowers new ways of artistic and media expression.” They go on to say, “audiences will have access to over 30 interactive experiences, 15 labs and talks, interactive exhibits, 4 dome experiences, a financing market, b2b meetings, music, and live events, accessible to all ages.”
