On April 13, 1977, as Jon Forman screened 鈥淔 For Fake鈥� at the Cedar Lee Theatre, he had no idea whether his new Cleveland International Film Festival would still be going 50 years later.
On Thursday, CIFF50 opens with Dori Berinstein's 鈥�.鈥� The iconic designer and the film's director will attend the screening at Playhouse Square. In a first for the festival, three venues in the Downtown theater district will be complemented by three screens at the Cedar Lee in Cleveland Heights. Films show in person through April 18 and then some stream online April 19-26.
鈥淲hen you have milestone anniversaries, it seems like a logical time to look back at the beginning, at the evolution, at the key players in the story of the organization,鈥� said CIFF Executive Director Hermione Malone when announcing this year鈥檚 schedule.
Forman said the expansion is not unusual.
鈥淐leveland audiences were spoiled for a number of years when the festival was at Tower City,鈥� he said. 鈥淓verything was under one roof, which is very rare for a festival. Having been to Toronto, having been to Sundance myself, you run all over town going to different screenings.鈥�
This year鈥檚 slate includes 236 shorts and 90 features, several of them coming to CIFF after Sundance premieres.
鈥溾�� is Walter Thompson-Hern谩ndez鈥檚 story of a working-class neighborhood in Los Angeles. The director will attend the screening on April 16. 鈥淯nion County,鈥� produced in Ohio last year, runs two days later. A third Sundance premiere, the Cleveland-based 鈥淐arousel鈥� with Chris Pine and Jenny Slate, is not on the schedule. Paul Sloop, director of programming, said last month that they were in talks to possibly add it to CIFF50.
鈥淲e just were able to add 鈥�,鈥� that world-premiered at Sundance and was made in Columbus by a pair of brothers that are from Columbus,鈥� he said.
Three programs titled Local Heroes include movies made by Ohioans and/or about Ohio. For example, Adam White鈥檚 鈥溾�� was produced through Tri-C鈥檚 film workshop. Andrew Easterling made 鈥溾�� as his senior thesis at Cleveland State University. He鈥檚 now an employee of 精东影业.
鈥淢y story鈥檚 about a competitive bowler, and he鈥檚 going against his former lover and partner,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e challenges her to one last bowling game to show that he鈥檚 changed.鈥�
Another short, 鈥�,鈥� is the latest work from Kent State University professors Dana White and Chris Knoblock, who live in Willoughby Hills. It stars Barkhad Abdi, the Oscar-nominated co-star of 鈥淐aptain Phillips.鈥�
鈥淗is agent told him, 鈥楾hey wrote it for you,鈥欌�� White said. 鈥淚 like to think that he felt himself in the character. There's no way to describe how good he is in this movie. Working with him is the most incredible, crazy, wonderful, intimidating, scary experience ever, because he's so talented. And you just kind of want to get out of his way and let him do his thing.鈥�
Oberlin grad Drew Dickler鈥檚 鈥溾�� reflects on her childhood in the 鈥�90s. It鈥檚 running as part of the LGBTQ-themed DReam Maker Shorts program.
"It's about embracing who you are and embracing the idea that there's no wrong way to grow up," she said. "That lens is through a really supportive teacher and a queer role model, even if I didn't necessarily know that at the time. [It's about] loving yourself at all costs and finding ways to find community around you who make you feel comfortable and make you feel like you can blossom into who you are."
Dickler and producer Nikki F. Heyman, another Oberlin alum, will participate in Q&A sessions after each showing.
On the feature side, 鈥溾�� follows Robert Post and his one-man variety show. 鈥溾�� tells the story of a Columbus bar that鈥檚 served as a safe haven for five generations of lesbian customers. Ry Levey's "" is about Cleveland jazz and gospel singer Billy Newton-Davis, who will attend both screenings.
CIFF鈥檚 Paul Sloop said he鈥檚 been 鈥渋mpressed鈥� by the diversity of stories and talent in the state.
鈥淭he stories in Ohio are very much like stories everywhere,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he power of film is that it reminds us, we sit together in a dark room, we get outside of ourselves for a minute and we're reminded that no matter how different we all are externally, internally we experience a lot of the same things.鈥�
Changes in latitudes
During its years at Tower City Cinemas, CIFF held satellite screenings as far away as Oberlin and Akron and as close as the Capitol Theatre. Jon Forman鈥檚 Cleveland Cinemas now runs the latter.
鈥淲e'd love to host them at that theater,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here have to be some technical upgrades ... and I think that next year and going forward, the theater would be a logical place for them to expand.鈥�
Akshay Kalra, economic development director for the neighborhood development corporation that owns the theater, said grants are on the way to upgrade the historic three-screen cinema in Gordon Square.
The Cleveland International Film Festival moved to Playhouse Square in 2019, going virtual for two years before officially debuting in person inside its new home under an agreement that runs through 2032. Malone said last month that they have not yet discussed continuing at the Cedar Lee beyond this year. At the time, Forman said he was hopeful.
鈥淚 really hope they do this again next year and in future years,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y hunch is, if it's successful here, they're going to have to give it serious consideration.鈥�
As co-founder of the fest, he'll be part of a 鈥淪pill the Tea鈥� discussion on April 16 alongside actress, writer and Cleveland native Ann Elder known for roles in 鈥淟augh In鈥� and 鈥淢ama鈥檚 Family.鈥�
Other discussion programs include Rock & Roll Hall of Fame VP for Education Jason Hanley discussing movie soundtracks. Radio on the Lake will present a workshop on the art of live sound effects. Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator, will interview Catherine Gund about social justice in film. Former Cleveland Brown Earnest Byner will be part of a panel discussion following 鈥�,鈥� an encore presentation of the documentary that set a CIFF attendance record after premiering here in 2016. This year鈥檚 screening includes a new ending, created after the Cleveland Cavaliers brought home a championship two months after the film fest that year.
