IMovie Project Won't Open, Instead Freezes iMovie

I'm working on an iMovie project that's kind of sizeable- more than 20GB. Initially, I was storing it on an external hard drive while I worked, and things were going slowly, but I was making progress. Occasionally iMovie would freeze up while I was working (leading me to save after every single step), but I was slowly hewing the beast into shape.
Suddenly, though, I can't get the thing to open. Any attempt to do so leads to the progress bar slowly progressing (during which time I can do little to nothing else on my Mac) until it finally hits a wall and the program crashes. I decanted the file to my hard drive, but got the same result.
This project is something that I really don't want to lose! Does anyone have suggestions as to how I can get it open?

Hi
+internal drive- Free space 8.43 GB (232.57 total), same formatting (only no dual partition)+
Probably part of this problem.
I would secure a minimum of 25Gb free space to make Mac OS, iMovie and QuickTime
to run as expected.
THEN before running iMovie again do.
• Open internal hard disk (Macintosh HD - most often)
• Locate a folder named "User"
• In this find Your acount - has a small house as an icon
• In this there is a folder "Library"
• In this there is a folder "Preferences"
• In this there are file/s named
com.apple.iMovie.plist AND LIKE THIS
Move them out to desktop and NOW re-start iMovie.
Does Your project opens now after these two actions.
• Secure free space
• Delete iMovie pref file/s
Yours Bengt W

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IMovie Project Won't Open, Instead Freezes iMovie

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