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The 29th Miami Jewish Film Festival (MJFF) proudly presents the World Premiere of From Cuba to America, a powerful, Miami-made documentary that captures the spirit of exile, resilience, and reinvention that helped shape modern Miami. The film will premiere Saturday, January 24 at 7:30pm at Miami Theater Center, followed by encore screenings on Monday, January 26 at 7:30pm at Temple Menorah and Wednesday, January 28 at 7:30pm at the Michael-Ann Russell JCC.
Expected guests attending the world premiere include director Jerry Levine, film subjects Oscar Feldenkreis and Fanny Hanono (children of George Feldenkreis), and global music icon Emilio Estefan, who also contributed original music to the film.
A sweeping chronicle of courage, conviction, and comeback, From Cuba to America tells the extraordinary life story of George Feldenkreis—from his childhood in Havana to his rise as a pioneering fashion industrialist and founder of Perry Ellis International. Scored with original music by 19-time Grammy Award winner Emilio Estefan, the film is both an intimate portrait of a singular life and a panoramic reflection of the immigrant spirit that built Miami.
Directed by acclaimed Miami filmmaker Jerry Levine (My Survivor, MJFF 2019), the documentary traces Feldenkreis’s journey as the Cuban-born son of Jewish parents who fled persecution in Eastern Europe and rebuilt their lives in Havana. Trained as a lawyer, Feldenkreis came of age amid the turmoil of the Cuban Revolution, before being forced into exile. Arriving in Miami with little more than determination, he rebuilt his life from the ground up, beginning with a modest import business in Hialeah that would ultimately grow into a global fashion empire. Throughout the film, Miami remains central: as refuge, proving ground, and home.
Featuring candid conversations with Oscar Feldenkreis, Fanny Hanono, Emilio Estefan, Tommy Hilfiger, Carl Icahn, Jacob Solomon, and Rabbi Sholom Lipskar z”l, From Cuba to America explores enduring themes of exile, identity, faith, and reinvention. The documentary vividly captures the uniquely Miami fusion of Cuban and Jewish influences that shaped Feldenkreis’s worldview and helped define the city’s entrepreneurial and cultural DNA.
Rich with rare archival footage and deeply emotional moments—including Feldenkreis’s return to his childhood home in Havana—the film offers a profoundly personal window into the Cuban-American dream and how one man’s journey helped shape the soul of a city.
Premiering at MJFF, From Cuba to America stands as a tribute not only to George Feldenkreis, but to Miami itself—a city built by immigrants, fueled by resilience, and forever defined by stories of courage and reinvention.
The full lineup and schedule for the 2026 Miami Jewish Film Festival, including “Made in Florida” screenings, will be available at: www.miamijewishfilmfestival.org
MORE INFORMATION:
Tickets for the festival’s in-theater and virtual events go on sale to the public on Wednesday, December 10 and sales continue throughout the festival. In addition to individual tickets ($11-$54), the festival offers All-Access Theater Badges ($350) providing entry to all in-theater events and All-Access Virtual Passes ($249) giving access to all films streaming in the festival’s digital screening room. Festival films will be available to stream starting Thursday, January 15 until Wednesday, January 28 in MJFF’s virtual program. More information is available at www.miamijewishfilmfestival.org
Follow the Miami Jewish Film Festival on Facebook (/miamijewishfilmfestival) or Twitter (@MiamiJFF) for updates and the latest information about the Festival and attending filmmakers. The Miami Jewish Film Festival is a program of the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE), a subsidiary of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.
