It’s that time of year again when the boys (and girls) from the Borscht Film Festival, a Knight Arts grantee, come out to play (on the big screen) at the Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall. It’s also the time when the community comes together for a few rounds of machete fencing. (More on that later.) The fun runs from December 17-21.

Borscht Film Festival 2014 poster.

The ninth Borscht Film Festival provides local filmmakers with a global platform to share their work with the community. Local filmmakers Jillian Mayer, Pepe Billete, Ahol Sniffs Glue, Julian Yuri Rodriguez, Bleeding Palm, Monica Peña, Gil Green and more were commissioned to create shorts made in, for or about Miami. This year, there are 20 such films that will be screened during a dedicated event called Borscht 9.

One of the best things about Borscht is the sense of community created through quirky events spread throughout the festival. This brings us back to machete fencing. On Friday, December 19th at 1:30 p.m., come to the Little Haiti Cultural Center for the Papa Machete short film screening and Machete Fencing Master Class. If I weren’t going to be in San Francisco, I’d be there with my machete!

Later on that evening, head over to Museum Park for a screening of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, one of my all time favorite pet-centric films. After you’ve had enough of the side shows, the main event kicks off Saturday, December 20th at 7:30 p.m. at the Knight Concert Hall. This is where magic and madness come together for Borscht 9. The melange of Miami-focused short films includes Pan con Pinga, Adventures of Christopher Bosh in the Multiverse (Part 2) and Stripper Wars–three short films I will sadly miss, but you should definitely experience.

Tickets for the Borscht 9 event are $25 ($15 for students with ID). Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and unsold seats will be given away on a first-come first-served basis starting at 8:15 p.m. Screenings begin promptly at 8:30 p.m., but come early to experience the first-ever Borscht Body Builders competition at 8 p.m. sharp. For a full listing of festival films and events, visit www.borscht9.com.