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.
With so many features and shorts from around the world, conceivably, one could watch a different film for 12+ hours every day for eight 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.]
Widely recognized as a “filmmakers festival,” CIFF is celebrating its 50th festival, drawing 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.
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.
CIFF 50's film screenings will be held in Playhouse Square in Downtown Cleveland, at Cedar Lee Theater in nearby Cleveland Heights and at Cleveland State University's School of Film & Media Arts. 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, Hofbrauhaus Cleveland and Marble Room Steaks & Raw Bar.
It all happens April 9-18 in the heart of Downtown Cleveland at Playhouse Square. Tickets are on sale now.