At our screening of THE INFILTRATORS this evening, there was an unfortunate misunderstanding and miscommunication among some of our personnel regarding the conduct of the film's post-screening q&a session. We apologize for the confusion and distress that was caused and assure all involved with the film that we fully support and stand behind THE INFILTRATORS as we have since we invited and programmed this important and powerful film. Our next screening of the film on Wednesday..., March 6 will proceed with the full involvement of Festival representatives in introductions and moderation of the post-screening q&a, as has always been the unwavering intention of Miami Film Festival.
To clarify the context of what occurred: less than an hour before the screening was about to begin, the Festival received a request from a third party, not associated with THE INFILTRATORS, to speak before the screening. The last-minute request was declined. Unfortunately, the Festival’s on-site personnel misunderstood the directive and thought that they were no longer meant to include themselves in the on-stage conversation, which was completely incorrect.
This was a human error and we have apologized in person to the filmmakers Daniel Dean, Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera, and over the phone to Daniel J. Chalfen. We also apologize for the confusion and distress this error may have caused. As human beings, we are flawed and can make unintentional mistakes such as this one, but it is the mark of our commitment that we seek reconciliation. The Festival has always supported the films we program and the filmmakers we invite, including THE INFILTATORS. We continue to do so with a second screening tonight at 9:15pm at the Silverspot Cinema that we had planned from the day that we released our schedule last month.