Charming and humorous Superior Donuts, which opens this Saturday at GableStage at the Biltmore, tells the story of Arthur, a former ’60s radical who operates a rundown doughnut shop in uptown Chicago; and Franco, his young African-American employee. Arthur finds himself reminiscing about his youth and the city he grew…

In a popular Seinfeld episode, Jerry’s dentist pal, Tim Whatley, decides to convert to Judaism purely for the jokes. Yisrael Campbell is a real-life Tim Whatley. And although his conversion was sincere, it isn’t short on jokes. Circumcise Me, a play opening at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, is…

This engrossing documentary by Liz Garbus examines Bobby Fischer’s tumultuous career as the world’s greatest chess grand master and the tortured genius that might have turned him into a paranoid reclusive. The film’s finest moments come during an analysis and chronicling of Fischer’s renowned, and at times precarious, televised Cold…

In his latest documentary, Project Nim, Academy Award-winning director James Marsh traces the extraordinary journey of a chimpanzee raised as a human. The project was the brainchild of Columbia University professor Herbert Terrance, who named the chimp Nim Chimpsky (a playful take on linguist and cognitive scientist Noam Chomsky) in…

Filmmaker Fernando Trueba brings old Havana to life with this stylishly animated film featuring an exceptional jazz-and-blues soundtrack. The story follows Chico, a talented jazz pianist who falls madly in love with Rita, a beautiful and sultry vocalist. The two begin an on-again-off-again whirlwind love affair that spans from Cuba…

Ahmad Abdalla’s Microphone tells the tale of Khaled (Abol Naga), an Egyptian expat who returns home after years abroad and discovers the underground art and music scene that has gallantly emerged in Alexandria. The film explores Khaled’s frustrated attempts to produce a concert featuring the talented rappers, rock bands, graffiti…

Pioneering director James Lipscomb’s documentary about the 1961 state football championship game between rivals Miami High and Miami Edison unapologetically delves into the stark brutal reality of high school football where young men were forced to carry the burden of winning and losing on their young, impressionable shoulders. Deemed too…

Peter Stormare turns in a subdued but outstanding performance as the taciturn born-again Walter, an Ontario Mennonite farming town’s police chief investigating the brutal murder of a young woman. Walter puts the investigation in jeopardy when his violent past clashes with his struggle to remain faithful to his religious calling,…

With three months left to graduate, Mikey, Manny and Angel Jr. are three private school buddies living the fast life of sex, drugs and hip hop in Miami. The story is narrated by Mikey, who is a top baseball prospect torn between living a clean life to better his chances…

The Miami International Film Festival, which runs through Sunday, features a bevy of fantastic films to soothe the independent film-loving beast inside us all. Thursday’s films include Young Goethe in Love, a Shakespeare in Love-style historical romp about Germany’s great poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and his tragic tale of…