James Woolley: Laying plans for Miami Dade College Miami Film Festival

This year, the Miami Dade College Miami Film Festival (MFF) celebrated its 40 years with James Woolley, the festival’s newly named executive director.

Taking on the role in October, Mr. Woolley says he has been meeting with top sponsors, donors and arts organizations to deliver an unforgettable Miami Film Festival coming next year.

“I am excited about this opportunity to lead the acclaimed Miami Film Festival, an institution I highly admire,” Mr. Woolley said. “I look forward to building its international programming and connecting with audiences in Miami and from all over the world.”

Mr. Woolley has spent the past 15 years working on more than 20 large-scale film festivals, including the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane International Film Festivals. In 2017, he was named Sydney Film Festival’s head of marketing and customer relations, rebranding the organization and overseeing strategies to drive attendance.

He joined and heads MDC’s Miami Film Festival after serving as executive director for Frameline in San Francisco, which is one of the largest film festivals on the West Coast.

Earning a bachelor’s degree in creative arts from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, Mr. Woolley was chosen by Miami Dade College to take the MMF to new heights due to his passion, knowledge and experience necessary to produce a successful film festival, from developing programming to marketing and box office operations.

He is now overseeing all festival operations and activities while nurturing relationships with established and emerging filmmakers, distributors, sponsors, donors and the greater Miami film community.

The Miami Film Festival, along with the Gems Film Festival, celebrates cinema every year and is considered the preeminent film festival for showcasing Ibero-American cinema in the US and a major launch pad for all international and documentary cinema.

The festival welcomes more than 45,000 audience members and more than 400 filmmakers, producers, talent and industry professionals each year, and it is the only major festival housed within a college or university.

In the past five years, MFF has screened films from more than 60 countries, including 300 world, international, North American, US and East Coast premieres. Major sponsors of Miami Film and The GEMS festivals include the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Telemundo, American Airlines, Estrella Damm, and Miami-Dade County. The festival also offers unparalleled educational opportunities to film students and the community at large.

The festival also hosts dozens of world-class events every year, including the Mercado de Cine Frances y Europeo, which brings together over 40 buyers and sellers from Europe and Latin America; annual events in partnership with VARIETY, including The International Feature Film Award Roundtable; as well as numerous workshops, masterclasses, legendary parties, and industry happy hours.

The special 41st edition of the Miami Film Festival is planned to be held from April 5-14, 2024. The festival showcases the work of the world’s best emerging and established filmmakers to the diverse cosmopolitan community of Miami. Cash awards totaling more than $100,000 are also given in competition categories.

Mr. Woolley said he is taking on and leading Miami Dade College’s commitment to serve as a cultural beacon for the community and continue to build on the festival’s legacy and reputation and chart a new vision for the next 40 years.

Mr. Woolley spoke with Miami Today Reporter Abraham Galvan.

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