How to Open iMovie Project from January 2017 using iMovie 10.1.x

It could be that the library is corrupt or that your iMovie app is not working properly. Is the iMovie app able to create projects in a different library? If so, then the older library likely is corrupt.

What happened when you went to the iMovie Backups folder?

In case it is the iMovie app that is malfunctioning, try deleting preferences. Open iMovie while holding down the Option and Command keys and select to delete preferences in the box that appears. iMovie will open in a new library. Reopen your old library to get back to your projects.

If it is the library that is the culprit, one thing that you can try is to create a wholly new library with no projects in it. Then open its Show Package Contents folder. Leave the folder on your screen and go back to your old library and open its Show Package Contents. Do an Edit/Select All, Edit/Copy of its contents. Then Edit/Paste the contents into the Show Package Contents folder of the new library. Close iMovie and then reopen. Now see if iMovie will open the new library and read the projects in it.

-- Rich

If the older projects were created in an earlier iMovie 10 version, then

they would be located in the iMovie 10 library in which they were created. Go

to your Movies folder in the Finder (Go/Home/Movies) and double click on that

library. iMovie will open in that library and automatically update the library.

Then you can access the projects.

If the older projects were created in iMovie 9 (or 8 or 7), open iMovie 10

and do a File/Update Projects and Events. The iMovie 9 projects will then be

updated to iMovie 10 projects where they can be played and edited and shared

out from iMovie 10.

-- Rich

The projects are in an older iMovie 10 library, so there would be no projects and events to update in the newer iMovie 10 version. Updating projects and events only applies to projects and events that are in iMovie 7, 8 or 9.

The Show Package Contents shows that the projects are in the old iMovie 10 library but, as you have said, just not displaying in the iMovie app when you double click on the library icon. I see that you have two other libraries on your Mac, so confirm that you are double clicking on the correct library. When you go to the My Media view, does any media show?

Try looking in the iMovie backups folder for an earlier backup of the library that you have opened. To get to the iMovie Backups folder, follow this file path from the Finder menu:

Go/Home/Library/Containers/com.apple.iMovieApp/Data/Library/Caches/iMovieBackups

When you get there you will see a list of previous backups of your iMovie library.  Click on some earlier dated backups.  iMovie will open in the library that you click on.   Navigate to your projects browser (where your projects are displayed as icons) and see if your projects are intact.

-- Rich

You are very welcome. :) Glad you were able to get iMovie working again.

-- Rich