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7 Reasons to Go: Cleveland International Film Festival

Now Playing at Playhouse Square and Streaming Online

Image © Jon LaGuardia
Lexi Robinson March 03, 2025

FACT: The films at the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) are definitely not your average multi-million-dollar blockbusters shown at big-box suburban cinemaplexes on any given Saturday night. Instead, you’re exposed to everything from documentaries covering humanitarian issues and blocks of hilarious 10-minute shorts to foreign flicks and the hottest independent films around.

Happening March 27 - April 5, the 49th Annual Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is centrally located in Downtown Cleveland at its new home in Playhouse Square, with CIFF 49 Streams following from April 6 - 13 online.

If you really need a reason to get out to this amazing CLE staple, we've got a few...

1. You can watch 300+ films over 11 days

With 138 features and over 200 shorts from more than 60 countries, conceivably, one could watch a different film for 12+ hours every day for 11 days straight. And, it’s not uncommon to catch a few festivalgoers who call off work for a solid week to enjoy much of the event. (Hey…you should, too.) It all kicks off with the Opening Night screening of "For Worse," followed by a conversation and celebration of #ReelLove that Cleveland film fans won't want to miss.

2. It’s in one place — Playhouse Square

Unlike other film festivals around the world, all of CIFF’s film screenings happen in Playhouse Square in Downtown Cleveland. Our beloved theater district is the largest you'll find outside of New York, and its five theaters make for one incredible film festival experience. You're right in the thick of it too, close to first class accommodations like the Crowne Plaza Cleveland Playhouse Square, Hilton Cleveland Downtown and others, as well as great restaurants like Cibreo, Republic Food + Drink, Yours Truly, Hofbräuhaus Cleveland and Marble Room Steaks & Raw Bar.

3. You can meet the actual filmmakers.

Widely recognized as a “filmmakers festival,” CIFF will draw filmmakers from all around the world, with more being added every day. What’s better, festival goers at CIFF get the opportunity to chat with the filmmakers immediately following the screenings. 

4. It’s great for first-timers.

If you’re a newb to the film fest scene, no worries. CIFF organizes many of its films into categories called Sidebars, which help first-time festivalgoers to select films based on interest. Along with newer Sidebars like Indigenous Cinema and Parability Cinema, you've got all the old standbys like After Hours, Asian Cinema and Black Cinema, to name a few. See all Sidebars here.

5. You can watch CIFF Streams online.

Born of the determination and ingenuity that many organizations exhibited during and post-pandemic, the Ciff Streams platform was created so that the festival could share exciting films with their community right in the safety and comfort of their own home. Ciff Streams has now become an extension of the in-person festival, and from April 6 - 13, film fans can grab passes or individual tickets to view amazing cinema on web browsers, perosnal devices and Roku and Apple TV devices.

6. It’s more than just films.

Delve deeper into the important topics addressed within some of the festival's films with CIFF's media literacy program for students, FilmSlam, which provides students with the ability to evaluate and critique the messages they perceive when viewing films. The DReam Maker program honors an LGBTQ+ director each year and provides a cash award to support their future endeavors. The Groundbreaker Award offers a cash award to a filmmaker who is a pioneer in their field and who lifts marginalized voices. Additionally, they allow college students to view the films for free, and there are multiple other education and community programs.

7. It’s ranked up there with Sundance and Cannes.

CIFF was rated as one of six standout film festivals in the country beyond Sundance by the king of travel himself, Peter Greenberg. CIFF also made its way onto indieWIRE’s list of the 50 leading film festivals around the world. It’s also the largest festival of its kind in the region, and a multiple-time entry in MovieMaker Magazine's 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee. If that weren't enough, they are now one of a few dozen film festivals in the world that are Academy-qualified in all three short film categories.


CIFF 49 is Almost Here

The full schedule of films can be found here. Tickets go on sale Friday, Mar. 7 for CIFF members and Friday, Mar. 14 for the general public. Tickets are $18 for the general public and $16 for CIFF members.  

For more info, click here.

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