Monday, March 9------Occupying the post with less than three months to prepare, the Miami International Film Festival’s new director has ambitious plans for the future. Tiziana Finzi is a seasoned film professional with more than 20 years of experience in film festival programming and coordination. She began her new charge only in December, and needed to move quickly to secure films and special events in what has been a record time.

Finzi has been able to draw on her extensive network of international contacts to make this happen, after having served as head of programming for the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland for the past nine years and deputy director since 2005. During her tenure at Locarno, Finzi led the artistic renaissance of this festival’s components “Cinéastes du Présent” (Contemporary filmmakers),“Compétition Vidéo” (Video Competition) and “In Progress,” a visual arts collaborative section with some of the preeminent museums and galleries worldwide.

Prior to her decade in Locarno, Finzi served as a programmer for the Venice Film Festival from 1995 to 1999 and served as head of programming for the Pesaro and Taormina film festivals in 1999. Additionally, she has served as a consultant and curator for several international film festivals and institutions such as Italia Cinema and the Trieste Film Festival, among others.

Her challenges are great for Miami, a city that has been hard hit by the economic crisis. However, with her broad base of knowledge and network of international contacts, she is poised to make a real difference. “I am looking forward to building on the great successes of the first-quarter century of The Miami International Film Festival so that we can chart a course for the next 25 years that will expand the art of film to new audiences and, more importantly, the role of film as an educational tool,” Finzi said in a prepared statement.

For a city whose first language is Spanish and an event that showcases so many Latin American films, Finzi’s fluency in six languages, including Spanish, will serve her well. “I am looking forward to connecting with greater Miami’s dynamic community”, Finzi added. Despite economic challenges, expect to see new initiatives and a cutting edge to what she brings to America’s most diverse cultural capital.

Sandy Mandelberger, Miami FF Spotlight Editor