Less than two years after taking the helm, the head of the Cleveland Cinematheque is stepping down. Bilgesu Sisman鈥檚 last day running the theater, based at the Cleveland Institute of Art, is April 10.
"I need to move on for my professional growth as well as my personal priorities,鈥� she said.
Sisman will initially move back to Chicago, where her husband has been living to care for relatives. She declined to comment on other issues, saying she did not think it鈥檚 鈥渁ppropriate.鈥�
A native of Istanbul, she came to Cleveland in June 2024 after working in programming and marketing at the Maryland Hall cultural center in Annapolis and Film Streams in Nebraska.
鈥淚t was great to be here,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 mean, the people have been really the best part of all this. Every screening was special. I enjoyed being there with the audience, whether it was 10 people or 300 people.鈥�
Sisman cited audience growth, particularly among young viewers, during her tenure. Highlights included a live-scored showing of 鈥淔aust,鈥� a marathon screening of 鈥淭win Peaks: The Return鈥� and the controversial documentary, 鈥淣o Other Land.鈥�
As one of two full-time employees, Sisman oversaw a team of part-time projectionists, plus student workers tracking donations and handling the box office. After her hiring, she hinted at hopes of adding a concession stand to the Cinematheque. That didn鈥檛 happen, and looking forward, she stated, 鈥淚 don't think the CIA has the staff to be able to add concessions.鈥�
Sisman succeeded the Cinematheque鈥檚 co-founder, John Ewing, upon his retirement. At the time, he said the theater would be 鈥渋n good hands鈥� with Sisman. On Friday, she called him 鈥渁 lovely human being.鈥�
"I really enjoyed his company and his mentorship, and he really was there all the time," she said. "He won the coffee giveaways so many times that people were starting to think that we were basically hooking him up. He had to make a public announcement that there was no foul play!"
As a search begins for her replacement, Sisman called it 鈥渁 coveted role.鈥�
鈥淢y hope is that they find someone who's as passionate as John was, and as I was,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is where a programmer can really shine, because you're not just running the films that a booker is telling you to run. This is where you really paint a picture with your curation for your audience.
鈥淢y hope is that they support the new hire, let them do their best work as a curator and as a programmer. And I think if that's the case, that person will succeed.鈥�
Sisman previously taught at DePaul University and hopes to continue her writing career upon her return to Chicago.
鈥淏oth my academic writing and my creative writing, because that's what I've been hoping to do on my off time,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 haven't really had the chance to devote the kind of energy that project needs. The future is an open book right now.鈥�
Ron Holloway and George Gund III founded the Cinematheque with Ewing in 1985, initially screening movies at Case Western Reserve University. A year later, they moved to a lecture hall at CIA. In 2015, a purpose-built space, the Peter B. Lewis Theater, opened on Euclid Avenue.
