About this Event
The Deering Estate Presents: Under the Canopy: The Curator's Reel
Join us at the Deering Estate Visitor Center Theater for a short film series curated by William Vela, Executive Director and Founder of the Miami Short Film Festival, held every fourth Sunday of the month. Each program features film screenings followed by a conversation with the curator, offering his insights and engaging directly with the audience.
This program is a recurring event, held monthly on the fourth Sunday of each month, in the Deering Estate Visitor Center Theater from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Check‑in will begin 15 minutes before the event start time. Tickets are $10 per person and can ONLY be purchased online through Eventbrite.
Program Schedule & Event Details (per session)
Film Screening: 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM
Curator Talk and Q&A Session: 3:20 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: Deering Estate Visitor Center Theater
16701 SW 72nd Avenue, Palmetto Bay FL 33157
Tickets at $10 available through Eventbrite.
Tickets can be purchased ONLINE.
Deering Estate Foundation members receive a 10% discount. To redeem your discount, contact the Deering Estate Foundation office by email to receive your exclusive promo code to be entered when purchasing.
Upcoming Dates
Sunday, November 22nd, 2026 - Short Films & Architecture
Architecture is more than the design of buildings; it is the design of human experience. In cinema, architecture becomes a silent storyteller. The spaces we enter on screen—homes, streets, corridors, landscapes—shape the emotional and psychological world of the characters.
Tonight’s films remind us that space is never neutral. A room can hold memory, a city can reveal identity, and a landscape can become a character in itself. As you watch, notice how each filmmaker uses architecture not as background, but as meaning—how the built world guides the story, frames the emotions, and reveals what words cannot. Sculpture becomes storytelling.
Sunday, December 20th, 2026 - Short Films & Painting
Painting is the art of seeing, and cinema inherits its visual soul. Every frame is a composition: color, light, shadow, balance, contrast. The screen becomes a canvas where emotion is painted through visual choices.
The films you’ll see here use imagery as language. Some embrace bold colors, others rely on subtle palettes or striking contrasts. Some frame the world with precision; others let the image breathe with spontaneity. As you watch, imagine each frame as a painting—crafted to evoke feeling, to guide your eye, and to reveal the inner life of the story.
Sunday, January 24th, 2027 - Short Films & Music
Music is the heartbeat of cinema. It shapes rhythm, builds tension, and carries emotion in ways that words cannot. Even the quietest score can transform a scene, guiding us through the emotional landscape of the film.
In this program, music becomes more than accompaniment—it becomes narrative. These films use sound to reveal character, to deepen conflict, to elevate joy, or to hold grief. Listen closely. Sometimes the music speaks before the images do, and sometimes it tells the truth the characters cannot say.
Sunday, February 28th, 2027 - Short Films & Literature
Literature gives cinema its backbone: story, character, dialogue, theme. It is the art that teaches us how to build meaning through narrative. In film, literature becomes visual—ideas become images, emotions become actions, and words become worlds.
The films in this section show how literary imagination transforms into cinematic experience. Some rely on strong narrative arcs; others explore poetic or symbolic storytelling. Together, they reveal how cinema translates text into life—how written ideas become lived moments on screen.
About the Film Curator
William Vela is an actor, producer, film critic, and Founder/Executive Director of the Miami Short Film Festival. With more than 25 years of experience in the entertainment industry, he has produced over 250 television commercials, worked with major media organizations including Telemundo, and participated in film criticism master classes in Europe. Through his work as a festival director, educator, and industry speaker, he has championed independent cinema and helped connect filmmakers with audiences around the world.
About the Deering Estate
Deering Estate, located at 16701 SW 72 Ave. in Miami, is a 21st Century house museum, cultural and ecological field station, and a national landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places, owned by the State of Florida and managed by Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department. Deering Estate is designated as one of seven Miami Dade County “Heritage Parks” which have a vital role in our community’s history, environment and in providing recreational and cultural experiences.
Cultural Arts Programming at the Deering Estate is made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, and The Deering Estate Foundation, Inc. Programming in the Deering Estate theater is also possible thanks to The Jorge M. Perez Family Foundation at The Miami Foundation.
About the Deering Estate Foundation
For those who treasure the Deering Estate, who advocate for its preservation and wish to invest in its future, The Deering Estate Foundation provides opportunities for individuals and corporations alike to partake in membership, signature events, and one-of-a-kind experiences, all in service of providing vital funding and support to the Deering Estate. Through these efforts, the foundation fulfills its mission to uphold the legacy of Charles Deering's cherished 1920s-era property, to provide funding for the cultural, educational and recreational experiences it offers, as well as its significant scientific and archaeological endeavors to conserve its diverse flora, fauna and the eight native ecosystems that thrive on its 450 acres, and to ensure its longevity as a prized American heritage site. Established in 1989, The Deering Estate Foundation, Inc. is a community-based charitable 501(c) 3 Florida Corporation and the philanthropic partner of the Deering Estate.
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To request materials in accessible format, sign language interpreters, and/or any accommodation to participate in any County-sponsored program or meeting, please contact Miami-Dade Parks ADA Coordinator at 305-755-7848 or email, [email protected], five days in advance to initiate your request. TTY users may also call 711 (Florida Relay Service).
Event venue & nearby stays
Deering Estate Visitor Center Theater, 16701 SW 72 Avenue, Miami, United States
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