Wed 3/18 – Sun 3/29
It’s the most wonderful 12 days of film and we’re so fortunate to have this world class festival right here in Cleveland. There’s a lot of buzz and excitement for the 39th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) and for good reason — more films, more neighborhood theatres, more energy and more magic. With 193 feature films and 234 short films, there’s something for everyone at this year’s festival.
Since 2003, the festival has tripled its growth (up 178%) from attendance of just over 32,000. Record attendance last year was more than 97,000 and it’s expected to grow this year. “The impact the festival has on Cleveland as a whole is massive,” says Artistic Director Bill Buentzler. “The downtown really changes during the festival. There’s so much energy and extra life in the city.”
Tower City Cinemas has served as the main theatre base for years to the festival, yet CIFF has expanded its footprint to 11 additional neighborhood theatres: Capital Theatre, Chagrin Cinemas, The Hannah Theatre, Cinemark Valleyview, Cleveland Museum of Art, The Nightlight Cinema, Cedar Lee Theatre, Shaker Square Cinemas, Beachland Ballroom, Akron Museum and Akron-Summit County Library.
CIFF runs like a well-oiled machine and has several hundred staff, volunteers and enthusiasts working tirelessly behind the curtain. One of the key players is Bill Guentzler. Essentially, Bill selects the programming for the festival. He travels most of the year to other film festivals and watches about 600 – 700 movies a year. (Quite literally, he may just have the coolest job in Cleveland.)
So when we asked Bill what he’s most excited about in the Local Heroes category, he answered, “I’m really happy that we have the world premiere of Forced Perspective, which is a documentary about Derek Hess…and that we’re able to screen it at the art museum. This is the first year that we’re having a screening at the Gartner Auditorium. It’s just perfect that it worked out and that we’re able to play it there.”
(For those of you who have been living under a rock: Derek Hess is a famous Cleveland artist best-known for his concert posters that he’s been drawing for over 20 years. His work hangs in the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame, the Louvre in Paris and other great places alike.)
“It’s great because up until a few years ago, even before it (Local Heroes) was a competition, we just had a sidebar of local heroes and it was a lot of people originally from Ohio,” says Guentzler.
He continues, “Now it’s a lot more people that are still living in Ohio or from Ohio but living in Los Angeles or elsewhere. This just goes to show that there’s more work to keep people here in Ohio and in Cleveland as a whole, that they can make their films here.”
One lucky filmmaker from the Local Heroes Competition will win a cash prize of $5,000. Just who the winner is in this category is based on audience vote, a unique aspect the film festival thinks is really important. “The film festival is owned by our audience, more so than a lot of film festivals around the world, so we want to make sure that their voices are heard,” explains Bill.
So what would Bill say to those that haven’t experienced the fabulousness of the festival? “We just want people to take a chance. These are films that most of the time you’re not going to be able to see again, especially with an auditorium full of other people and possibly with the filmmaker coming in. We have probably close to 300 guest filmmakers coming in this year that will be taking part in Q & As and you’ll get to talk with people that are behind the film. That doesn’t happen when you go to a regular movie theatre,” he states.
He continues, “We hear stories all the time where people meet for the first time at the film festival and become best friends, some people get engaged and eventually married after meeting for the first time at the film festival. It’s a huge celebration…it’s 12 days of celebrating.”
For a full program guide, ticket information, theatre locations and other details about the festival, go to ClevelandFilm.org. Remember to arrive at least 20 minutes early prior to showtime, so you can be sure to secure your hot seat!
Here’s a list of the films competing in this years Local Heroes category and a little bit about each filmmaker:
45365
This film presents an affectionate view of Sidney, Ohio, as told by two hometown boys, directors Bill and Turner Ross, who are themselves a product of the idyllic Ohio Valley experience portrayed. The brothers take both a sentimental and anthropologic approach in describing life in this small Ohio Valley town, which could be “Anywhere, USA.” (Bill and Turner Ross have three films in this year’s Festival as part of the Someone to Watch Series, including Tchoupitoulas and Western.)
All-Stars
Director Lance Kinsey, a familiar character actor best known for the “Police Academy” films, grew up in Chagrin Falls and attended Hawken School. This “mockumentary” style film lampoons the state of youth sports and stars Cleveland natives Fred Willard and Miriam Flynn.
Call Me Lucky
Director Bobcat Goldthwait shines a spotlight on 80s-90s stand up comedian Barry Crimmins, known for acerbic acts directed primarily at the U.S. government and the Roman Catholic Church. The documentary reveals the source of Crimmins’ personal outrage and pain, and how he overcame his past. Crimmins is a one-time resident of Lakewood.
Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon
Director Douglas Tirola attended Miami University of Ohio. He tells the story of the National Lampoon during the 70s and 80s, a time when humor was being redefined by legendary comedians such as Chevy Chase, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, and Christopher Guest.
Dusk
Director Michael Maney hails from The Queen City and is a 2002 graduate of the University of Cincinnati. He is the screenwriter, producer, and editor of Dusk. He has also directed and produced commercials and television programs on NBC, FOX, and Comedy Central. Dusk is an intense psychological thriller following a man’s desperate search for his kidnapped wife, with plenty of satisfying twists, turns, and complexities.
Finding the Gold Within
This documentary follows six young men from Akron enrolled in Alchemy, Inc., a mentoring and support program for urban adolescent males as they enter college and adjust to university life. The film chronicles their journey to make peace with their past and to create their own story of triumph, defying racism and other obstacles.
Forced Perspective
This documentary explores the life and art of Cleveland-based artist and illustrator Derek Hess, whose art can be viewed in galleries (including the Louvre and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) and on countless posters, flyers, CD covers, and even his own t-shirt line. The film explores the origins of Hess’s interest in pen and ink drawing and his early years as a concert booker and promoter, leading to his discovery and evolution into an artist of international acclaim.
Kilbanetown Comeback
Irish documentary filmmaker Des Kilbane offers this homage to Cleveland boxer and politician Johnny Kilbane, a distant cousin. A follow-up to Kilbane’s earlier work, “A Fighting Heart” (screened at CIFF37), this story picks up as the City of Cleveland commissions a statue in Kilbane’s honor. The film offers an inspiring look at a resilient city and its people.
Limited Partnership
Shaker Heights native Thomas G. Miller, a past CIFF Roxanne T. Mueller Award winner, has a curriculum vitae that includes a degree in zoology from The University of Michigan, an M.F.A. from USC School of Cinematic Arts, and an M.D. from the Medical College of Ohio. An accomplished filmmaker, Miller tells the true story of Richard Adams and Tony Sullivan, who were pioneers of the Marriage Equality movement long before it became mainstream.
Long Way to the Top
Director Rob Montague is a director, producer, and videographer from Lakewood, Ohio. This documentary chronicles the journeys of touring musical acts, particularly the realities and sacrifices of “life on the road.”
Move On
Akron-based filmmaker Ted Sikora chronicles the beloved Near West Theatre group as they move out of their original space at St. Patrick’s Church in Ohio City to their own brand new building in the transformed Gordon Square Arts District. The documentary captures the bittersweet emotions of the theatre troupe as they rehearse in the final days before the move.
A Murder in the Park
This film is directed by Shawn Rech, a graduate of Cleveland State University, and Brandon Kimber, a graduate of Bowling Green State University. They also work together at Cleveland’s Transition Studios. The film tells the story of Anthony Porter, whose life was saved 48 hours before his scheduled execution thanks to the investigative work of a Northwestern University journalism class, led by Professor David Protess. Their re-investigation of the crime for which he was convicted—a double homicide in a Chicago park—led to the discovery of the real killer, Alstory Simon, whose confession exonerated Porter.
Semicolon; The Adventures of Ostomy Girl
Director Robin Greenspun follows the trials and triumphs of Dana, a 25-year-old woman who has endured chronic illness for most of her life. The documentary depicts Dana’s defiance, determination, and sense of humor as she receives treatment for her severe Crohn’s Disease at the renowned Cleveland Clinic and makes significant medical decisions that could affect the rest of her life.
Sweet Micky for President
Alliance native Ben Patterson directs this documentary about an interesting collision of politics and music in Haiti. Pras Michel of the internationally successful band The Fugees fights a history of corrupt and ineffective government in his home country of Haiti by mobilizing a successful presidential campaign for controversial Haitian pop star Michele Martelly (aka Sweet Mickey) despite having little money or experience.
Tchoupitoulas
Ohio natives Bill and Turner Ross follow three young brothers as they take in the exciting sights and sounds of New Orleans, a far cry from their home across the river in Algiers, Mississippi. The film, part fable and part documentary, contrasts aspects of the boys’ chaotic home environment with the kaleidoscope of color, sound, and activity of NOLA’s city streets.
Traficant: The Congressman of Crimetown
Director Eric Murphy was born in Warren and earned a B.A. from Youngstown State University, before graduating with a M.F.A. from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Murphy depicts the turbulent career and fall from grace of Congressman Jim Traficant by featuring archival footage and interviews. The documentary was funded with the help of a successful Kickstarter campaign.
Western
Directors Bill and Turner Ross tell the soulful story of sister cities Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Niegras, Mexico, whose citizens have managed to coexist in friendship. Washington bureaucracy and Mexican drug cartels threaten this peaceful existence and the Ross Brothers capture the beauty, tension, and air of change with their trademark cinema verite style.
Cleveland International Film Festival
Cleveland, OH 44113