The 49th edition of the Cleveland International Film Festival kicks off on Thursday, and features 300 films over the course of 10 days in Downtown Cleveland's Playhouse Square.
Within that mix, you'll find a fair bit of Ohio's movie-making world on display. A handful of feature-length movies make up the "Local Heroes Competition," showcasing movies that are, according to the CIFF website, "about Ohio, in Ohio, or by Ohioans."
(Courtesy The Debutantes)
The Debutantes
Debutante balls still take place today, and they’re the focus of this documentary which follows three young Black Canton residents who enter the world in search of connections and scholarships — despite some of the social issues which come with these events. 7:45 p.m., March 28, Mimi Ohio Theatre
(Courtesy Down to the Felt)
Down to the Felt
A string of bad luck and bad bets leads an Ohio gambler to set up his most dangerous game yet, meeting with a hitman who will kill him in two weeks. Of course, then his luck suddenly starts to change, and he has to find a way to call off the hit in this Columbus comedy. 10 p.m., April 3 and noon, April 4, KeyBank State Theatre
(Courtesy Lone Wolves)
Lone Wolves
A woman reconnects with an old high school friend in a weekend organized with one goal in mind: getting a sperm donation to start a family. Set and filmed in Toledo, the movie digs into the two characters’ lives since growing up. 7:30 p.m., April 2, Upper Allen Theatre
(Courtesy Lost and Found in Cleveland)
Lost and Found in Cleveland
The Lost and Found antique show comes to Cleveland and sheds light on five different Northeast Ohioans in this comedy movie featuring an all-star cast of Martin Sheen, June Squibb, Dennis Haysberg, Jon Lovitz and Dot-Marie Jones. The CIFF screening will also include a Q&A with filmmakers. 4:45 p.m., March 30, KeyBank State Theatre
(Courtesy Seeds)
Seeds
Dayton-based filmmaker Brittany Shyne documents a Black family in Georgia which continues to run a farm, following multiple generations over the course of a century. The documentary sheds light on ongoing racism and inequity in the industry, tied to this up-close, human story. 7:20 p.m., March 31 and 2:25 p.m., April 2, Allen Theatre
(Pictured: Charles Arthur Williams, courtesy Sound Spring)
Sound Spring
Dive into the history of Yellow Springs, Ohio, through eight individuals’ stories and connections — woven together in this experimental documentary created by New York-based filmmaker Catalina Alvarez. 5:10 p.m., April 5, Upper Allen Theatre
(Courtesy The Stamp Thief)
The Stamp Thief
Decades after a Nazi officer stole stamps from Holocaust victims, Gary Gilbert goes on a mission to return them to their heirs in this adventurous documentary, which was directed by Dan Sturman, a Cleveland native. 12:05 p.m., March 28 and 7:30 p.m., March 30, Mimi Ohio Theatre
Local Shorts
Beyond feature-length films, Ohio is also well-represented in several shorts categories, which are organized by "Local Heroes Shorts 1," "Local Heroes Shorts 2" and "Local Heroes Student Shorts."
Outside of these categories, The Traveler also features Cleveland’s Natalie Knepp. The short film will screen in Shorts Program 9 at 2:35 p.m. on April 1 inside the Allen Theatre. Another short, I Forgot To Tell You About... The Cleveland Buckeyes is centered around Ohio's historic Negro League baseball team of the 1940s.
(Courtesy Dogwood)
Local Heroes Shorts 1
7:45 p.m., April 1, Upper Allen Theatre
- All Over Now
- Eighteen Tuesdays
- Dogwood
- Death: The Life of Mike Egan
- Steady
- The Journey: The African American Garden, a Place to Call our Own
(Courtesy Breakout)
Local Heroes Shorts 2
7:45 p.m., April 2, KeyBank State Theatre
- The Last Fortune
- Dain Bramage: Voyages into Visual Collage
- Safety State
- Breakout
- UNALIVED
- Victoria Woodhull - Shattering Glass Ceilings
Local Heroes Student Shorts
7:20 p.m., April 3, Keybank State Theatre
- The Lonely Gargoyle
- Brain Eating Spider
- Charger
- Showtime
- Daily Reminders
- Fish Out of Water
- Bully
- Solitude
- Aqui (Here)
- Marshmallows
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