James Hewison

James Hewison completed a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Visual Arts and English Literature from Monash University. He began his career in the film industry as an administrative assistant for the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). He lived in Paris between 1989 and 1992 where he taught English and worked as a journalist for various publications. On returning to Melbourne he worked in programming and marketing roles for the Lumiere, George and Palace Cinemas. In 1998 he was appointed Marketing Manager Victoria (Television, Radio, Online) for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). In 2000 he became the Executive Director of the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). In 2006 he became the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Film Institute (AFI) a position he held until January 2008. He has played creative roles on a number of feature films from Australia and New Zealand. Until recently James Hewison was the head of theatrical and acquisitions, at leading indie film distributor Madman Entertainment. He is currently consulting on a range of projects from script development to alternative distribution models and production.