By Rayme Samuels

	Francis Negron, Ela Troyano and Cynthia Lopez at the NALIP seminar, “U.S. Latinos on the Rise?” part of the Miami International Film Festival REEL Seminars series Photo: Carlos Llano

The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) has swept through this city with fervor, excitement and prestige. “Throughout the ten days of the festival the audience connection to the films and the filmmakers has been astounding,” says festival director Nicole Guillemet.

Hosted by Miami Dade College, the four year old event boasted an impressive list of sponsors including The Miami Herald, The City of Miami, and American Airlines. Films from over 42 countries including Argentina, Japan, and Sweden have been presented.  Awards have been announced, films have been screened, and future legendary filmmakers have been named.

One of the most impressive components of this two-week festival does not lie on a big screen. Miami Dade College, South Florida’s premier community college, has used the festival to give back and teach locals more about the process of filmmaking. The Reel Education Seminar series is an initiative co-sponsored by the University of Miami Communications Department. The theme of the program is “Dream, Script, Screen” and describes the natural progression of a well planned and successful film. The aim of the series is to present a week of informative panel and workshops in order to educate and entertain the community.

The REEL Education Seminar Series has provided a forum for filmmakers to share their thoughts, experiences and expertise with the local viewing community. Education and the promotion of social change throughout the global community serve as the guiding themes of the Miami International Film Festival.

Participants had the opportunity to hob knob with the best and brightest film executives, teachers, and experts during the event. “It is this Series' goal to provide the best industry, topics, and guidance to students and rising filmmakers that will increase their knowledge, abilities and well-spread understanding,” says Alex Messianu, REEL Education Seminar Series Coordinator.

	Mike Plante, Scott Rice, Steve Collins and Shane Smith, panelists of a seminar on making and distributing short films at the Miami International Film Festival Photo: David Heischrek

With topics like “Marketing & Distributing Foreign Language Films in the USA” and “Producing for Public Television”, it is easy to see how the seminars aim to propel critical thinking with regards to the global film industry.

Certain seminars were more popular than others. Crowd pleasers at this year’s seminar series included: “New Technology Business Models”, “Digital Rights Management,” and
”Intellectual Property Rights Protection in the Audiovisual Sector”. “I believe that the subjects’ vast appeal and the changing times in which we live led to the sellout crowd that consisted of local attorneys, law school students, undergraduate students, faculty members and filmmakers,” continues Messianu.

The REEL Education Seminar Series came about as the result of the smaller scale workshops and panels in MDC’s film festivals of past years. Under the direction of Guillemet, the mission of the festival gave greater focus to using film as a tool for education and change. Topics are chosen through a process of reflection and brainstorming ideas that would be of interest and serve as inspiration to students and film makers alike. Explains Messianu, “Eventually we came up with a list of about 20 seminars that covered a wide array of the film world ranging from cinematography, editing, marketing and distribution.”

It is no coincidence that the Miami International Film Festival is headquearted on Miami Dade College’s campus. The community college has rich history of involvement in the arts. It’s dedication to the community is astounding with events like the MIFF, the Miami Cuban Cinema Series and the Miami Book Fair International to name only a few. Statistically, the educational institution is the largest producer of associate of arts and associate of science degrees.

If you were one of few who missed this years festivities, stayed tuned to details of next years event, which promises to be bigger, fresher, and even more stimulating than 2007’s Miami International Film Festival.