Miami Film Festival Gems to Honor Dylan O’Brien with Vanguard Award
Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Miami Film Festival GEMS (MFF) announced that Dylan O’Brien will receive the Vanguard Award, which is presented to artists whose work reflects depth, originality, and a bold, distinctive vision for contemporary cinema. He’ll receive the award during a Q&A about his career immediately following a screening of his new film Twinless, in front of a festival audience. The event will be held on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 5p.m. at Cosford Cinema. GEMS will take place October 29 – November 5, 2025, and continue its tradition of celebrating this year’s top films and award contenders.
“We are honored to present Dylan O’Brien with our prestigious Vanguard Award for his powerful work in Twinless,” said Lauren Cohen, Miami Film Festival Director of Programming. “His raw and deeply affecting performance showcases his remarkable range and solidifies him as one of the most compelling actors of his generation.”
Dylan O’Brien’s body of work speaks to his proclivity for championing unique and personal storytelling. Earlier this year, O’Brien premiered Twinless at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and O’Brien, who is also an Executive Producer on the film, won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting. This marked his second Sundance in a row, having premiered the crime drama Ponyboi at the festival in 2024. O’Brien’s other recent film credits include his critically acclaimed performance as a young Dan Aykroyd in Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night for Sony, and his Gotham Award-nominated turn in the HBO Max streaming hit Caddo Lake. His upcoming films include the Lionsgate drama Anniversary, the Sam Raimi-directed horror-thriller Send Help from 20th Century, and the Apple drama Being Heumann, based on the memoir of disability rights activist Judy Heumann.
O’Brien will join previously announced honoree Ethan Hawke who will receive the Variety Virtuoso Award. The complete Miami Film Festival GEMS 2025 lineup and schedule will be announced on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at www.miamifilmfestival.com.