The Cleveland International Film Festival starts Thursday, but one of the planned programs won鈥檛 go off as planned due to by CIFF Executive Director Hermione Malone.
California-based Re-Present Media issued a statement Monday saying it was pulling out of its April 17 film fest panel, Centering Care, Consent and Community in Visual Storytelling. RPM Executive Director Jennifer Crystal Chien said the move was in solidarity with Shakira Refos, CIFF鈥檚 head of public programs, who said she has experienced a culture of emotional abuse.
Malone told 精东影业 that she is aware of the allegations.
鈥淚 full-throatedly refute the allegations made by her, and I've never met or had any conversation with Ms. Chien,鈥� Malone said. 鈥淚 was completely unaware of her organization until Shakira programmed her for something during the festival. On March the 16th, I exercised our legal right as codified in her contract to give a 30-day notice of our intent to sever our agreement with her. Since that point, Shakira has repeatedly reached out to myself and members of the board of directors with varying claims against me. Members of the executive committee of the CIFF board did its due diligence and found that her claims were unsubstantiated. Members of the executive committee also met with her, without me in attendance, to hear her claims directly. After an internal discussion, the committee deemed no further action was necessary.鈥�
Malone came aboard in summer 2024 as the fourth director in festival history. In summer 2025, she was accused of creating a 鈥渢oxic鈥� work environment amid a staff exodus.
Refos said she was excited to join the film fest in July 2025 and work for an organization led by a Black woman. She alleges power and control issues in her interactions with Malone since coming aboard CIFF.
"She won't just give direction," Refos said. "She will kind of speak in this circular way. She clearly has a way she wants it to be done, but she won't tell you. She'll make you guess.鈥� Re-Present Media, a nonprofit that advocates and facilitates storytelling by marginalized communities, said it will now offer its discussion planned for CIFF online for free.
The 50th annual festival runs in person at Playhouse Square in Cleveland and at the Cedar Lee Theatre in Cleveland Heights Thursday through April 18 before offering some films online for another week.
