Meet Andrew Schwartz & Dan Gonzalez | Co-Founders and Film Festival Organizers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrew Schwartz & Dan Gonzalez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew & Dan, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Other festivals are fine at what they do, but we never quite found what we were looking for at any of them–so, in DIY spirit, we decided to make our own.

We look for work on the fringes, raw undiscovered gems that might just need a venue where they can shine. Our spirit is more grindhouse, less arthouse. Underground stuff, from the film schools to the streets to the suburbs–no discrimination on the source; as long as it’s from Florida and screams to be seen, we are happy to screen it.

That’s not to say everything makes the cut: we sift through hundreds of entries each year to curate only the best local content for your viewing pleasure.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
“We just want to entertain the nice people.”

No, really. We’re a showcase for local talent. We just want to show all of you what you’re missing and give you a good show in the process.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Go to the Hard Rock Cafe at Bayside in Downtown Miami. It’s where we hold our festival. It’s shaped like a flying saucer from a prog rock album cover and there’s a big ferris wheel out front; you can’t miss it.

You can also always hang out in Wynwood to see all the street art.

A lot of our favorite places have disappeared since the pandemic hit, otherwise we’d be listing them.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We’d like to shout out three incredibly talented Miami originals whom we just happened to work with on the pilot for “Sunny City/Shady People” (a Miami-based action/comedy now available on Amazon Video):

Freddy Stebbins: Miami’s favorite impressionist, Freddy is beloved for his stand up comedy and one man shows where he sends up local characters and beloved astrologer Walter Mercado. “Con mucho, mucho amor!”

Ingrid “The Suarez”: one of the baddest women we’ve ever met, there is nothing The Suarez can’t do if she sets her mind to it. Ingrid is fearless and shameless, as her voluminous library of videos will attest.

Otto Von Schirach: Hialeah’s pride and joy, by way of the Bermuda Triangle. We love Otto’s devotion to spreading Miami Bass to the rest of the universe. Check out the video for “Demeng” if you haven’t seen it yet!

Website: https://filmfreeway.com/MiamiUndergroundFilmFestival

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miamiundergroundfilmfestival/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MiamiUndergroundFilmFestival/

Image Credits
Miami Underground Film Festival. Chuck Livid. Angelo Grajo.