Do you have what it takes to program a film festival? Then this event is for you! The Cleveland International Film Festival’s (CIFF) GET SHORTY is a one-of-a-kind event where you get to have a say in what screens at CIFF44!

Here’s how it works: the gathering will begin with hors d’oeuvres and beverages before putting your programming skills to work. Once inside the Mimi Ohio Theatre, the CIFF will present a handful of short films, and at the conclusion of each film you will cast your vote. At the end of the evening, the film with the highest score will be guaranteed a spot in the CIFF44 program line-up!

This event is always a sellout so don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this extraordinary evening at Playhouse Square!

PUSHOUT:THE CRIMINALIZATION OF BLACK GIRLS IN SCHOOLS

PUSHOUT:THE CRIMINALIZATION OF BLACK GIRLS IN SCHOOLS is a feature length documentary which takes a close look at the educational, judicial and societal disparities facing Black Girls. Inspired by the groundbreaking book of the same name by renowned scholar, Monique W. Morris, Ed.D. The documentary confronts the ways in which the misunderstanding of Black girlhood has led to excessive punitive discipline which in turn disrupts one of the most important factors in their lives, their education.

A panel discussion and Q&A will take place immediately following the screening. Our panelist will be prominent local community leaders.

Registration will begin @ 2:30pm, screening will begin @ 3pm.

Many thanks to our event sponsors:

Lorain County Community College

NAACP – Elyria, Oberlin, & Lorain Units

T. ROSE Foundation

SUBMIT HERE:
https://funmillfilmsfest.weebly.com/submissions.html

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The FunMill Films Fest is our way of providing local Cleveland filmmakers the opportunity to show their films on the big screen at a lower cost than other film festivals. There is no risk in submitting because there is no selection process – submitting to our festival guarantees your short film will be screened in our Short Films block of the event. All films will be eligible for awards which will be announced at the final screening block.

The event will also feature tables and booths by vendors in the local entertainment community. Photographers, videographers, make-up artists, special effects professionals, and more are all welcome to join us to spread the word about your business!

ABOUT THE COMPETITION
The FunMill Films Competition will take place in the prime time spot of our festival event. 15 teams will compete for the chance to win cash prizes and a special grand prize complimentary submission to the Cleveland International Film Festival. Each team will be given the same first page of a script and have 30 days to complete the story with their own style and flair.

Purchase ALL DAY PASSES Here:
https://tickets.fandango.com/transaction/ticketing/express/ticketboxoffice.aspx?row_count=300397210&tid=aafya&sdate=2020-02-16+12:00&mid=221490&from=mov_det_showtimes

THE 21ST ANNUAL ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS
A DIVERSE SELECTION OF EXCEPTIONAL SHORT FILMS
The ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS

A curated selection of the “best of the best” animated short films created by students and professionals around the world, returns to theaters across North America this fall. Featuring 10 films from seven countries, the 2019 edition of the program offers an array of highly imaginative, thought-provoking, and moving works that reflect the filmmakers’ unique perspectives and their relationship to the world.

“Animation is an incredibly versatile medium that allows artists to explore situations and ideas that you won’t see anywhere else,” says ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS founder and curator Ron Diamond. “From political and philosophical concerns, to the complexities of individual identity and personal relationships, animated short films are uniquely able to capture the many facets of human experience.”

Personal relationships are at the heart of several of the films in this year’s program, including Daria Kashcheeva’s International Student Academy Award®-winning puppet animation “Daughter,” a deeply moving exploration of the ties between a father and daughter. Charting a very different, but related, course, “The Fox and the Bird” by Sam & Fred Guillaume, is a beautifully observed fable about an unlikely friendship between the two eponymous characters. Filmmaker Michael Frei and game designer Mario von Rickenbach provide a more clinical view of human behavior in their mesmerizing “KIDS,” which explores the nature of group dynamics.

The question of individual identity informs both “Hounds” by Amit Cohen & Ido Shapira and “Récit de soi” (“Self-Narrative”) by Géraldine Charpentier. In the former, a highly domesticated dog undergoes a disturbing change when a pack of wild hounds gathers near his house, while the latter offers a clear-eyed and heartfelt look at a young girl’s journey to self-realization as a transgender person.

Animation has often been the medium of choice for artists seeking to explore abstract ideas or philosophical issues, and these themes are well represented in the program. Joanna Lurie’s mysterious and transcendent “Flowing through Wonder” chronicles an extraordinary ritual and celebrates the transformative mystery that underlies life and death. Natalia Mirzoyan’s “Five Minutes to Sea” in which a young girl waits impatiently to go back in the sea, takes a more lighthearted approach, while playing with conundrums of time and perspective.

The program is rounded out by Gil Alkabetz’s “Rubicon,” a frenetic and very funny hand-drawn animation based on the classic riddle about how to ferry a wolf, a sheep, and a cabbage across a river without something getting eaten. In addition to the slapstick, the film also serves as a parable about the convoluted nature of political negotiations, specifically those related to the Middle East. Rubicon has been restored in 4K by The Animation Show of Shows.

The program also includes two mini-documentaries about the creative process featuring Alkabetz and Amit Cohen & Ido Shapira (Hounds).

THE 21ST ANNUAL ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS has a running time of 83 minutes and includes 10 films, three of which have qualified for 2020 Academy Award® consideration†. The complete lineup is:

• Kids – Michael Frei, Mario von Rickenbach, Switzerland
• Rubicon – Gil Alkabetz, Germany
• Portrait of Gil Alkabetz (Rubicon) – Marta Trela, Germany
• Five Minutes to Sea † – Natalia Mirzoyan, Russia
• Récit de soi (Self-Narrative) – Géraldine Charpentier, Belgium
• Le jour extraordinaire † (Flowing through Wonder) – Joanna Lurie, France
• Hounds – Amit Cohen, Ido Shapira, Israel
• Portrait of Amit Cohen and Ido Shapira (Hounds) – Shlomi Yosef
• The Fox and the Bird (Le renard et l’oisille) – Sam & Fred Guillaume, Switzerland
• Daughter † – Daria Kashcheeva, Czech Republic

Curator Ron Diamond responding to parental questions of age appropriateness explains: In my opinion, this program is very kid friendly as it’s a bit tough and uncomfortable at times but it’s also life affirming, funny, inspiring, purposeful and memorable. There is no sex or profanity. Spread throughout the program and like “life” in general, there are isolated incidents of interpersonal tension, hitting, shoving, sadness, anger, growling, barking, subjugation and retaliation. A burial at sea depiction, a transgender identity film, spoken French and Russian with subtitles, and of course, a wolf inexplicably and briefly has an oar stuck in its hindquarters.

For 21 years, the ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS has been presenting a highly selective, “best of the best” program of new and innovative short films to appreciative audiences at animation studios, schools and, since 2015, theaters around the world. During its first 20 years, 40 of the films showcased in the ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS went on to receive Academy Award® nominations, with 11 films winning the Oscar®. The ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS is a 501(c)(3) not for profit and is supported by major studios, companies, schools and hundreds of animation lovers around the world. Learn more about the films in current and past Animation Show of Shows and their makers by joining our mailing list at www.animationshowofshows.com/pages/sign-up.