''Today, film festivals appeal to both the creative and marketing worlds,'' De Bokay says. ``Most of them are about promotion, selling and buying movies. Our festival has definitely done that as well, with things such as the Encuentros program [which brings emerging filmmakers together with studio executives and financiers].''

But the unique connection with the college is something De Bokay is intent on exploiting to further local film production and film appreciation. ''A lot of people have forgotten what a huge film history South Florida has,'' De Bokay says. ``And the talents of tomorrow are in school today, and we have special access to those talents. One of the roles a festival should play for its community is to be a hub for people to meet and grow. We're really just a machine to service that.''

Among workshops this year are The Making of Miami Noir: Techniques and Strategies for a Successful Student Film, in which University of Miami students Sam Rega and Joshua Miller talk about their experiences making a documentary about the aftershocks of the suicide of Miami Commissioner Arthur Teele; a master class on cinematography led by veteran director of photography Julio Macat (Home Alone, Wedding Crashers); and a new $2,500 cash award, sponsored by The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, for short films -- which often are directed by students.

The festival's gradual growth toward business and educational arenas doesn't necessarily please everyone. Tom Bernard, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, says that Miami's festival has always been ''a cut above'' other regional festivals and places it alongside Seattle's and Chicago's as the three best in the country. ``The trains run better there. It is certainly a big festival and a big thing for the Miami community.''

BUZZ ENGINE

But Bernard says that in the process of growing, the festival has lost some of the unique qualities of the early days. The event served as the U.S. entrypoint for such future Oscar winners as Pedro Almodovar and Fernando Trueba before Spanish-language films were widely distributed here. But today, they're everywhere -- the opening night film is being distributed nationally by Fox Searchlight.

Quadrupling the number of films from 25 to more than 100 also makes it hard for any single movie to stand out and develop buzz, so there's no boost in ticket sales attributable to the festival when the film opens theatrically.

``In terms of having a voice that impacts the national film industry, its heyday was the days with [festival co-founder] Nat Chediak and [the late] Herald critic Bill Cosford. The festival has never been able to recapture the luster of those early days, and its impact on the box office is now miniscule. Whether or not it is shown at the festival, there is no difference in how a movie does down there when it opens theatrically.''

Although you could argue that the festival's longtime former slogan, ''For the love of film.'' has quietly transformed over the years to ''For the love of Miami,'' De Bokay believes that by concentrating on getting the word out to locals -- and getting people to come to the festival -- he is laying the groundwork for a richer film scene.

''Moviegoing in South Florida is not as strong as it should be,'' he says. ``Audiences here are open, friendly and can take anything, either a feature film or a documentary. I just think they may have forgotten a little how fun the experience of going to the movies can be. Miami is the youngest, most accelerated, multi-cultural metropolis in the country, and I want film to be a part of that.''

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