47, Executive Director
Why She’s Interesting: After years working as a print journalist and in the nonprofit sector, Malone is the newly appointed executive director for the Cleveland International Film Festival. She aims to deepen community partnerships and use her experience to elevate audience engagement and bolster inclusion and accessibility for all filmgoers.
A New Era: One saying that resonates with her is, “Nothing about us without us is for us,” and she believes that it’s incumbent upon arts communities to challenge people. “I am grounded in an understanding of the dynamic stories and places that make up Northeast Ohio, and I think we have an obligation to be responsible storytellers through our film programming.”
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Cleveland Connection: The Detroit native enjoyed her first career as a print journalist for The Boston Globe before moving to Cleveland to attend the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, earning her MBA in entrepreneurship and marketing. She then relocated to New Orleans for a stint. “I continued to visit Cleveland and was always surprised by the continuing growth of the city — its housing. Like Detroit, Cleveland continues to be shaped by the next generation of leaders with a love for this place and its people.”
To The People: With the pandemic and CIFF no longer being hosted at Tower City Cinemas, CIFF has been revamping how festival goers interact with their programming. “Reimagining our programming and working to establish and deepen community partnerships has been most exciting. How we think about incorporating technology and leveraging film as a catalyst for conversation, understanding and social change are all the significant conversations I’m having right now.”
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