January is often a slow burn for film lovers, with Hollywood’s big studios typically holding back their most ambitious releases and the awards season chatter drowning out much else. But don’t let the calendar fool you—this January, Miami’s independent theaters and film festivals are keeping the city’s screens buzzing with a diverse slate of must-see movies, even as the global awards race heats up and speculation swirls about the frontrunners vying for cinematic glory.
According to the New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, National Board of Review, and other major organizations, awards season is already in full swing as of January 6, 2026. Prizes have been debated and distributed, and the early momentum appears to favor Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. This revolutionary father-daughter misadventure has captured top honors from the National Board of Review, the Gotham Awards, and both the New York and Los Angeles critics circles. Yet, there’s a twist: Anderson’s film is currently tied with its studio sibling Sinners, with each boasting 105 wins, as reported by Variety. The two films have been trading Best Picture and Best Director accolades across regional critics’ groups, making this a bona fide two-horse race as the season barrels forward.
But the real test is just around the corner. As the guilds prepare to resume voting later this January, the landscape could shift dramatically. “We fully expect the landscape to shift as the season continues, and the rankings will likely look quite different in the weeks ahead,” noted Variety. For now, though, the uncertainty is part of the excitement, and cinephiles everywhere are tracking the leaderboard with bated breath, wondering which of these early wins will ultimately prove decisive.
While the world’s eyes are glued to the latest Oscar odds, Miami’s film scene is refusing to play second fiddle. Across the city, independent theaters and passionate programmers are serving up a buffet of cinematic gems, from international Oscar contenders to cult classics and festival favorites.
One of the biggest events this month is the Miami screening of Kokuho, Japan’s official submission for the 2026 Oscars’ Best International Film award. This screening, taking place at the Koubek Center on January 14 at 7 p.m., is a hot ticket for Miami Film Festival members. Directed by Lee Sang-il, Kokuho has become a phenomenon in Japan, smashing records to become the nation’s all-time highest-grossing domestic live-action film. Blending the intrigue of a yakuza crime thriller with the artistry of kabuki theatre, the film delves into a world where men portray both male and female roles, and the most celebrated actors inherit their titles through generations. The plot thickens as the son of a slain yakuza boss is taken in by a legendary kabuki family, setting the stage for a fierce rivalry with the family’s own heir as both vie to become a kokuho—a living national treasure.
The film’s authenticity is no accident. According to the Miami New Times, lead actor Ryo Yoshizawa underwent a year and a half of training under a kabuki master, and director Lee enlisted actual kabuki actors both as consultants and performers. These efforts have paid off, with critics and audiences alike praising the film’s meticulous attention to detail and emotional depth.
If international prestige isn’t your thing, Miami is also hosting the Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour, showcasing some of the best shorts from the 2025 edition of Sundance. On January 16 at O Cinema South Beach, audiences can catch a vibrant mix of live-action, animated, and nonfiction shorts hailing from places as far-flung as Mexico, Cambodia, and Czechia. The lineup includes stories ranging from a high school debate club sparring over minimum wage in “Debaters,” to a grandmother meddling in her queer grandson’s love life in “Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites,” and the poignant “We Were the Scenery,” which follows Vietnam War refugees cast as extras in Apocalypse Now. Tickets are priced between $10 and $12.50, making this an accessible gateway into the world of indie short films.
For those with a taste for the avant-garde, the AV Club’s “Surrealism Through The Decades” screening at Miami’s Main Library on January 17 promises a journey through cinematic history. Anchored by Luis Buñuel’s 1965 masterpiece Simon of the Desert, the program also features experimental silent films by René Clair and Man Ray, Maya Deren’s influential At Land, and a delightfully macabre stop-motion short by Czech animator Jan Švankmajer. Admission is free, offering a rare chance to experience the magic of 16mm film in a communal setting.
Meanwhile, the Key Biscayne Film Festival returns for its third year, running from January 29 through February 1. Hosted at the Paradise Cinema and Paradise Park, the festival’s lineup leans heavily on documentaries, many with a local focus such as River of Grass and Naked Ambition. National issues are also in the spotlight, with films like Blue Zeus and News Without A Newsroom rounding out the program. The festival is not just about watching films—it’s about engaging with them. Every screening is followed by a post-film Q&A, and the festival kicks off and wraps up with opening and closing parties. Tickets range from $20 to $50, depending on the event, and can be purchased through the festival’s website.
For those who crave the thrill of body horror, David Cronenberg’s The Fly will screen at Coral Gables Art Cinema on January 31 at 10 p.m. as part of the theater’s After Hours lineup. This 1986 classic, starring Jeff Goldblum as the ill-fated scientist Seth Brundle, is as gruesome as it is moving. Cronenberg’s reimagining of the 1958 B-movie uses groundbreaking special effects to chart Brundle’s horrifying transformation after a teleportation experiment goes awry, blending his DNA with that of a common fly. Critics have long interpreted the film as a powerful metaphor for disease and mortality, and even today, it remains a landmark in the director’s storied career. “I have never been as physically repulsed by a film as I was by The Fly, yet I was simultaneously moved nearly to tears,” wrote one reviewer for the Miami New Times.
So, while the world debates whether One Battle After Another or Sinners will ultimately take home the Best Picture crown, Miami’s film lovers are spoiled for choice. Whether it’s the global prestige of Kokuho, the experimental flair of Buñuel and Deren, or the visceral punch of Cronenberg, there’s something for everyone this January—proof that great cinema doesn’t take a winter break.
In a city defined by its diversity and cultural vibrancy, Miami’s movie scene this January is a testament to the power of film to unite, provoke, and inspire—even when the rest of the country is hibernating.
