On January 10, 2026, Miami once again affirmed its role as a global cultural hub as the fifth international Follow Your Heart Film Festival took place at the Hilton Miami Aventura. Bringing together independent cinema, high fashion, and contemporary art, the festival created a refined platform for creative dialogue at the very start of the new year.

Follow Your Heart Film Festival is a space where artistic expression transcends genre limits, and an international audience comes together to create new ideas, collaborations, and cultural meanings. In 2026, the event was held in an atmosphere of refined modern luxury at Palm Royal and became one of Miami’s key cultural events at the beginning of the year. Approximately 300 guests attended the competitive film program and fashion presentations.

The festival was founded by Oxana Nechaeva, a director and producer of international cultural and film projects, whose vision established Follow Your Heart as a space for interdisciplinary collaboration and creative freedom.

Photo Courtesy: Irina Babich

The fashion program was curated by Valentina Varnavskaia, an international fashion producer who shaped the festival’s runway concept. Event management on behalf of Hilton Miami Aventura was led by Tatiana Pustovit, while the festival’s Program Director and Chairman of the Jury was Albert Rudnitsky.

The awards ceremony and festival evening were hosted by Ekaterina Odintsova, whose poised presence and confident moderation set the tone for the entire program.

The 2026 edition received over 300 submissions from 30 countries, with ten international short films selected for the official competition program. Expanding its creative scope, the festival introduced the Vertical Cinema category,  a forward-looking nomination dedicated to vertical filmmaking.

Photo Courtesy: Irina Babich

Special recognition was awarded to producer Den Tolmor. An out-of-competition screening featured Clown Story by Albert Rudnitsky, who also worked as script supervisor on the Academy Award-winning film Anora.

Award Follow Your Heart Film Festival Winners

• Grand Prix – Best Film: Timelessness

• Best Actress: Darya Yekamasova

• Best Actor: Artur Ignatenko (Some Like It)

• Best Director & Best Producer: For I Am Dead

• Best Cinematography: Local Warming, directed by Manuel Barbi

• Best Production Design: The Feed

The runway Follow Your Heart Film Festival program featured collections by DrevelmaN and La Magnetique. Artem Drevelman presented dramatic womenswear, while Kateryna Frumina explored femininity through pajama-inspired silhouettes.

The flawless result of the shows was made possible thanks to Beauty Sponsor the professional Dana Lekus Beauty Team, led by makeup artist and hair stylist Dana Lekus, as well as the team members: Valentina Agrimbau (Makeup Artist), Andre Wolf (Makeup Artist), Emir Tibilov (Hair Stylist), Sonia Contreras (Hair Stylist), Yuliia Babych (Aboimova) (Hair Stylist), and Lyudmila Gromova (Hair Stylist).

Music for the evening was curated by DJ Tanya Coleman.

With its fifth edition, Follow Your Heart Film Festival reaffirmed its identity as a cultural platform where cinema, fashion, and contemporary art intersect.

Follow Your Heart Miami 2026 Jury:

Albert Rudnitsky, Dmitrii Galdin, Oleg Blinov, Elchin Ahmadov, Oleh Stepovyi, Sasha Korolko, Aleksandr Karpov, Alona Ksenofontova, Yevgen Petrenko, Kateryna Tytarenko, Solomiia Romaniuk, Kateryna Frumina, Ivan Vasiliev (Joseph Auren), Valentin Gnezdilov, Maryna Lazorenko, Artem Drevelman, Nataliia Iksanova, Olga Kamenskaya, Jemma Russo, Adriana Kostetska, Arnel San Pedro, Dana Lekus, Andressa Afonso, Alina Kuznevych, Valeriia Khasanova, Denys Miniailo, Lyudmila Gromova, Iryna Babych, Yuliia Babych, Mikhailo Salai, Stas Kozub, Dmytro Lukianchuk, Elizaveta Eremenko, Elizaveta Kozlova, Jani Grigoryan, Anastasia Milovskaia, Ruslan Evseev.

The Follow Your Heart team extends sincere gratitude to all directors, artists, partners, jury members, and guests who became part of this unforgettable evening. Your creativity, courage, and belief in the power of cinema, fashion, and art transform the festival into something greater than an event, a living cultural movement. Together, we create stories that transcend borders, inspire hearts, and leave a lasting mark on the world.

Event Details

📅 Date: January 10, 2026

📍 Venue: Hilton Miami Aventura

📲 Instagram: @followheart_fest

📧 Media & Partnerships: Loveheartny@gmail.com

📺Press Contact: Loveheartny@gmail.com

🌐 Website: https://www.followourheart.com/

📍 Aventura, Florida