Borscht Is Big-Screen Gold

If the Borscht Film Festival were a character in a Hollywood film, it would be John Matrix from Commando. The film scene in Miami has been kidnapped by the twin dictatorship of New York and L.A., and Borscht (insert closeups of café con leche residue in mustache) has only a few hours to break into a camera supply store, change into its black Speedo, sleep with Rae Dawn Chong, and rescue Alyssa Milano (AKA the film scene in Miami — still too young, but on second thought, maybe not…).
Further awesoming this metaphor is the fact that, just as John Matrix provided the sperm to create Jenny Matrix, Borscht has been injecting the life jism into the local indie scene almost single-handedly; only now it has support from the Miami World Cinema Center, AKA Bill Duke. Operating with an actual budget for the first time, Borscht paired writers, directors, and producers to make four original short films that are by, about, and for the city of Miami, and they’ll release these babies into the wild this Saturday at the Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center. Doors — and cocktails — open at 7 p.m.; the celluloid hits the screen at 8. And because Borscht is true to its name, there are about a million other ancillary events, surprises, and mind-fucks planned for the festival, so visit borscht.info or call 305-433-5848. And if you’re really gangster, you’ll arrive by some combination of seaplane, inflatable boat, and motorcycle.

Sat., Nov. 28, 7 p.m., 2009