Heidi: James, welcome to the Fluent in Floridian Podcast. We're so excited to have you as a guest on this show.

‍James: Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it.

‍Heidi: Yeah, so you're with the Miami Film Festival and so I want to start at the very beginning to see what got you to this amazing role. And so where does your passion for film begin?

‍James: It's a great question. I think I've always had a passion for film. My family were subscribers of Sydney Film Festival before I was born, and they used to spend every June watching as many films as they could. I grew up in the '80s and '90s when VHS took over and we could all watch things at home, and as a child watch them over and over and over again until he wore out a tape. I just think passion for film's always been there. I feel very blessed that I can work in it these days because it's a wonderful medium.

‍Heidi:  Yeah, so now I'm curious too, when you were a kid, what were your favorite films to watch?

‍James: It's a great question. I'm sure most kids will answer some of the Disney classics. I certainly remember loving the Lion King one that came out. And I'm sure all sorts of other random things from that era that I really can't remember now, but I'm sure I was obsessed with some crazy '80s and '90s kids TV. There was a lot of strange things around.

‍Heidi: Like Beavis and Butt-Head maybe?

‍James: Yes, that definitely came a little later, but definitely very, very odd.

‍Heidi: Yeah, so you've had an incredible career across various major film festivals, so what made you decide to pursue a career in film festival management? Which I didn't know was actually a thing until I learned about you, so tell me more about that.

‍James: It's a very strange job, and I agree not very many people end up doing it. But it is a wonderful organization, a wonderful place to be. I started going to film festivals when I was in college. When I graduated with a arts management degree, which is part practice and of art and then part management, you literally had to go to finance classes and learn how to do a balance sheet and all that kind of stuff as well. I ended up taking a job at Sydney Film Festival at the very most junior position of everybody. I was absolute bottom of the staff list, but loved what I experienced. Loved being part of a team and loved the rush of having thousands of people come to films, and then run out and see a different one, and run across town and talk about which ones they preferred. Who was the celebrity in town that day, and what filmmaker said what?

It was just a hugely exciting place to be at. And so I got hooked and that's pretty much all I've ever done since I don't know how to do anything else. Running a film festival is the only job I know how to do [inaudible 00:02:57] because this is what I do now.

‍Heidi: How many film festivals have you actually managed in your long career?

‍James: Great question, but I would say above 30 actual big film festivals. Sometimes we do more than one a year and you just keep doing them. You'd lose track, but so many across two different countries. It's been wonderful.

‍Heidi: I would think that some of our listeners and viewers may have heard about film festivals, but they've never experienced a film festival. Can you describe what is a film festival and why should people consider attending one in their community?

‍James: Great, so a film festival is a showcase of new cinema, typically independent films, from around the world. It's an opportunity to really understand what's happening in a film scene in a particular year. The way we find films is that we A, go to festivals across the world and watch films and bring them back to Miami, or B, people send us their films, submit, and we watch them and decide which ones to put in a program. We put it out there and then collectively say, "Here is 100 films [inaudible 00:04:13] another 100 shorts that we feel mean something right now that are saying something really interesting," or perhaps are just very entertaining, or sometimes even just very silly. But here are 100 features at a hundred shorts that we feel you need to see in order to understand what's happening in cinema.

What people who are diehards do is they come and see 20, 30 films within 10 days. They really get to see the world through the films. They really get to see films that are coming out later in the year that they get to see before everybody else. They get to see actors and directors talk about what they've made. They get to come to parties and chat to other film lovers. It's an experience about seeing as much as you can in a short period of time and really enjoying, understanding what's happening in film that year. That's what a film festival is.

‍Heidi: That sounds so immersive. Our firm has actually supported the film festivals here in Tallahassee. I've had that experience, and I think everything you just said, it's immersive, it's remarkable. You get to see things that you would never think to see whether it's the short or a longer form film, and then you also get to see different perspectives on different subject matters. I just love that. I know for those that are listening, they may hear your accent. You're a native of Australia.

‍James: That's right. Exactly.

‍Heidi: Tell us how you made your way to Florida.

‍James: It's a great question. I love Australia. It's a wonderful place and I was working in film festivals there for a very long time, but it is also population-wise a very small country. We're at only 25 million, so very, very small. I felt like I'd worked at the big festivals in the country and needed to find somewhere new to go to keep experiencing a great career. I ended up in San Francisco for five years at a festival. I was running it during the pandemic, which was a pretty wild time to be running a festival because arts attendance was not the same as it was during prior pandemic years and post-pandemic years. I was looking for some nice weather and some great people and some great cultures, and Miami provides all of that. I'm thrilled to be here. That's how I ended up in Florida and I couldn't be happier, especially on a day like today, which is beautiful outside.

‍Heidi: Yeah, so what was your first impression of Miami when you got there?

‍James: It's filled with culture, and I mean that in multiple ways. There are so many people from all around the world here who are living a wonderful life and expressing where they've come from, and I absolutely love that. But there's also a commitment in recent 20 years or so for Miami being a beacon of arts and culture. They really care about having a lot of opportunities to perform, to showcase different art. There's a lot of festivals now. You can really see the commitment from county and local governments to making Miami into a real culture location. That was my impression. It's like, okay, people here to have fun and they like to go to shows. That is a winning combination.

‍Heidi: Yeah, so how do you source films specifically for your film festival in Miami? You mentioned that you go around the world, so tell us about that process. You also have a film festival coming up in April, so it's right around the corner as of this recording. Tell me how you source for the Miami Film Festival.

‍James: Definitely. The most fun part of it is definitely going to other film festivals. In the recent weeks since the beginning of this year, we went to Sundance, which is in Park City, Utah. Very, very cold, but a great festival. And then we were in South by Southwest about a week ago in Austin, Texas. We go to these festivals and watch as much as we can. Talk to the filmmakers, talk to the distributors, and beg them to screen their films in our festival. But we also do spend a lot of time making sure that people know how to reach us, send us their films, and we can consider them. We find a lot of wonderful films through our submission process. We definitely try to make sure that the films we play are films that people here in Miami will appreciate so that they come from across our region, and that there is a good variety of genres, and that they have a lot of interesting things to say. Collectively, you put together a program that reflects the wants of the city and reflects what's happening in cinema. That's how we do it. And then we put it all on sale and that's the period we're in now, where about a week ago we put all the tickets up and people are out there buying lots of tickets. We're booking flights for celebrities and directors and sales agents and distributors to come and make sure that they enjoy the festival and make sure that they come and speak to our audiences. It's an opportunity for everybody to jump at our website, which is miamifilmfestival.com, look through the films, and select a couple to come and see.

‍Heidi: I want to hear more about the celebrities. Who's going to be there? Who are some of the coolest celebrities that you've had the opportunity to meet that have participated in the film festivals that you've coordinated?

‍James: Yeah, why don't we talk about some from recent years? That we had Pamela Anderson come for our mini festival GEMS in November and she was obviously very popular. People went crazy in the cinema when she came out, and she gave a great Q&A about her resurgency that she's going through right now with a great new acting career. We also had Sebastian Stan that week. He was nominated for an Oscar this last season. We managed to get him when he was on the cusp of that nomination. We felt like he had a real shot, and we were hoping for his sake that he got it and he did. But we always have some amazing celebrities every year. We've got Melanie Lynskey this year. She is very famous for movies like But I'm a Cheerleader, Heavenly Creatures, Yellowjackets on Showtime. She's very loved for that. And Two and a Half Men of course she was in for many seasons. She's one of the celebrities that we're excited about this year.As I said before, I'm from the '80s, '90s era, so we have Julia Stiles.

‍Heidi: Oh, I know Julia Stiles. Yeah.

‍James: 10 Things I Hate About You. She gives the iconic speech at the end. She's going to come. She directed a movie that was partially shot in Broward, and she's coming to do a screening of that. A lot of the cast and crew who worked on it will be there as well.

‍Heidi: Tell me more about the filming in Florida. I mean, I know at one time back in the day Florida was destination for films. We've worked with other the film commission here in the state of Florida back in the day. What's the state of filmmaking in Florida right now? I say this with the Florida State University School of Film right in our backyard, so tell me more about the state of that right now.

‍James: Definitely. It has been a while since the state lost the state incentives, which is what enticed filmmakers to shoot in Florida over other states or other countries. Now, some of the counties have brought in their own incentives in Miami-Dade County and Broward County have their own incentives that encourage filmmakers to shoot here. An incentive really just means that they will give you some money back if you spend a certain threshold within the area. The idea is to generate business and to ensure that this area is selected over other locations. We all hate it when you're watching a movie that's set in Miami but you know it's LA. And so they're like, "You come here, do the real thing. We'll give you a little bit of your money back if you spend above a certain threshold. We can hire local crews, local caterers, get local people trained." We think incentives are really important. We're really thrilled that the county and other counties near us have those incentives. But another thing that is really true of Florida filmmaking in general is that regardless of an incentive, people here get things done. They will find a way to make their movie and they'll find a way to make it as good as they can. And so people are really making incredible stuff in the state. We've got lots of films from Florida, and we are really thrilled that they find a way. They raise the money, they get out there, they shoot it. They spend their time editing it beautifully, and then they submit it to festivals like ours. It just takes a certain spirit, and the state has got it.

‍Heidi: Yeah. Have there been any recent big blockbuster well-named films that have been filmed in the state of Florida recently?

‍James: Yeah, absolutely. I certainly remember a couple of days where they shot the recent Bad Boys again here and they shut down all sorts of parts of Miami.

But what's common is that they'll shoot a portion here in the States and then they will go and finish it elsewhere. It's very, very common for people to do a highlighted week here. Recently they did the same with Dexter, the TV series, the new prequel. They came in for a week or two of shooting, and then they did the rest of it in LA. It's very, very common for that to happen where people do a highlighted portion of their filming here in Florida.

‍Heidi: Yeah. Do you know the economic impact of this kind of work in the state of Florida? Because, I mean, to have them come in and bring in the celebrities and like you said, hire the local talent and the support, that sounds remarkable. What's the economic impact of that?

‍James: While I personally don't have a number, and I'm sure Film Florida would have a number, I can tell you that the impact is really, really high. We feel that the money spent by film productions is really well-dispersed throughout the community. I gave some examples before, like a caterer. The crew who work on the set all get a certain wage. The drivers, the equipment rental, all sorts of other things you don't think about. Props, location fees, the money gets dispersed then throughout the community. And then it also can spur tourism. People when they see Miami but other parts of Florida on screen it really helps them make decisions about where to travel to. We think the economic impact is really high, and we encourage people to invest in film as much as they can. That doesn't just mean the state, which of course we encourage, but it also means people going to films that are made here. It also means private philanthropists donating money. You donate to a Kickstarter. Everybody that can contribute to filmmaking being made in this city helps our economy.

‍Heidi: Yeah, I watched the Oscars this year and I thought it was remarkable that one of the top director who won four, I think he had a record, he encouraged people to go back to the cinema.

‍James: Yes, that's exactly right.

‍Heidi: Tell me more about that because I thought that was interesting because I'm guilty of staying home and streaming on Netflix. But depending on the movie, I'm like, "I need to see that in the theater. I need to see it on the big screen." Tell me your perspective about that.

‍James: Yeah, his name was Sean Baker and he won for Anora.

I agree with that speech in full. The cinema, it provides a few things. One of those things is experience. If you're watching a comedy, it's so much funnier when you're watching it with other people laughing around you. When you're watching a drama, it means so much more when you hear other people reacting. A communal experience for a film really gives a different experience, and I really believe that is the best way to see something. I also think it's great that you shouldn't be bringing out your phone. Let's all have a 90 minutes of concentration. I really think people take in a film so much more in a cinema, and I really encourage people to get out there and see films. There's another thing that cinema experience does is it provides the income for the film that filmmakers really need. Because streaming, although you can sell streaming rights, at the end of the day, you don't make anywhere near as much revenue from streaming in general as you do from a theatrical release. That's what we call an in cinema release. It means that independent film is really struggling compared to what it was 10, 20 years ago when people were going to the movies. You could make a really great movie for 10, 20 million, and you could get your money back because you'd have a great theatrical run. Nowadays, those days are over. Not enough films are making their revenue at the cinemas. I feel like we're going to get a lot of the kinds less of the films that we want to see. We're going to get more big budget superhero films and less independent films that say something.

My encouragement for people is keep the industry alive. Support your local independent cinema. Go buy some popcorn. Go see a movie once in a while. We don't want to lose these spaces and we don't want to lose the conversations that these films spark, so I'm a big advocate. Plus, who doesn't want to go see a movie? Everyone should get back into the theater. It's definitely a joy.

‍Heidi: Yeah, so going back to the Miami Film Festival, you all I guess have several venues. Tell everyone what that experience would be like if they came to your film festival to see these independent films. What's the experience?

‍James: Absolutely. Once you've selected your titles and you turn up at the venue, we typically have a filmmaker getting their photo on a red carpet or something else like that that you can see. You can buy yourself some popcorn or food, come on in. We basically start the film, and then typically afterwards you get to see a director or an actor or somebody from the film talk about the making of it afterwards. There's often the ability to ask some questions if you're brave enough, but it's a real moment to get a photo from your seat of the Q&A happening and post it online and tell people you saw that movie first. Sometimes the Q&A really opens the film up. You get so much more understanding about what happened and how it was made and what it really means. We also have parties that people can come to. They're not on every night, but they're on many nights. It's a great opportunity to meet people, talk about other films, talk about what you've seen, and really just get to know your community of fellow movie lovers. That's what a typical screening is like. It's just a really great night out and you get the added bonus of not just seeing a film, but you get the added bonuses of meeting people and seeing the filmmakers talk about the film.

‍Heidi: Oh my God, that sounds like so much fun. I'm from Miami and I've never been to a Miami Film Festival, but you are completely convincing me I need to make a weekend trip-

‍James: Absolutely. Come on down.

‍Heidi: ... to go see a film festival. Oh, there's a light.

Let me ask you, in closing, how have you seen this festival evolve under your leadership since you've been there? Almost going on three years?

‍James: Almost two. That's right. Two years.

‍Heidi: Two years? Yeah, so what have you done to enhance and change coming out of a... You came out of COVID having to do one in San Francisco, so what is the evolution in Miami now under your leadership?

‍James: Yeah, we're really focused on filling cinemas. That's really our whole thing. We're focused on experiences, so we also like to ensure that people get to do unusual things around film and cinemas. Examples of that are we're showing pride and Prejudice in Vizcaya's Gardens, which is a beautiful-

‍Heidi: Oh, Vizcaya.

‍James: Right!? And so we're giving the experience of the film, but you get to see it in a beautiful setting. Experiences like this is really at the heart of what we're trying to give the city so that it's not something you can replicate on your couch. You are really getting a different experience at the Miami Film Festival, and that's really what we're trying to show the city what we're doing. And so that's the direction we're going in. We feel that we represent our city as well. And so we're just trying to make sure everybody knows about all the wonderful films we've got from all around the world.

‍Heidi: Yeah, so for those who are not in Miami, I know we had a film festival here in Tallahassee, and I believe we still do. It's the independent. Not as big as yours, but still has that ability to see those independent films. What other communities in Florida also host film festivals that we want to encourage our listeners and viewers to go attend?

‍James: Absolutely.I think all cities of the state have a wonderful festival of their own. I want to really encourage people to do a quick Google of their city and see when their film festival of that city is on. Many cities have what we call niche festivals that represent particular communities and have their own wonderful film scenes going on. It's a great state for film festivals, and I hope people, wherever they're based, go and see some amazing films because they're going to have a great night out.

‍Heidi: Yeah.And then lastly, for any aspiring filmmaker who comes across this podcast and says, "Oh my God, how do I get involved in this," what is your advice for them?

‍James: Definitely. I think a little bit of training in our film school is always wonderful because it just teaches you how to use the equipment and how to work together as a team, and just the language that people use and the structure of your day. You get taught all of that. But the one thing that I always recommend for people is see a lot of films. Learn the visual language of cinema. Support things that are made in your area because those are the people that you'll be working with, so make sure you go see their work. And just think about how to tell a story. That's the real success to filmmaking is at the end of the day, it's just storytelling. If you can learn the structure of how to tell a great story and how to get something across, then I think you can end up having a wonderful career.

‍Heidi: That's great. Well, James, thank you so much for being on the Fluent in Floridian Podcast. I am ready to go to the movies this weekend right now just based on-

‍James: Please do. That's great.

‍Heidi: Thank you again. It was a joy talking to you.

‍James: Thank you so much. Have a wonderful day.

‍Heidi: Thank you.

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