The 43rd Cleveland International Film Festival will be held March 27 – April 7, 2019 at Tower City Cinemas in Cleveland, Ohio.

In April 2018 at the 42nd CIFF, Ohio’s premier film event featured 469 films originating from 72 countries and an attendance of 105,656 film-lovers – making CIFF one of the largest and longest running regional film festivals in the US.

CIFF is one of the few Academy Award® qualifying festivals in the world for all three categories of short films – live action, animated, and documentary. CIFF is also one of the only festivals that continues to provide written feedback from our selection committee for every film that is officially submitted. This past year, CIFF gave cash awards totaling nearly $130,000 to the winning filmmakers of 30 different competitions.

“The Cleveland International Film Festival may very well be the best kept secret in the festival world. No red carpets, no photo calls. And yet they somehow manage to pack theaters for several screenings in a row. Plus they make it easy for you to watch films, they offer food and drinks around the clock, and everyone goes out of their way to assist you with anything you might need. No one is stressed or arrogant or ignorant, everyone is in good moods and sincerely friendly, sharp, and efficient. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone – in today’s world, almost unbelievable. It’s a well-oiled machine dedicated to cinema, made of an army of caring humans.”
– Christina Kallas, Director, THE RAINBOW EXPERIMENT

“The Cleveland International Film Festival was a remarkable event, truly hospitable and a beautifully wide, eclectic mix of strong films. But most impressive for me were the audiences – regular viewers, not industry, there for one reason only: because they love film. You could really feel that.”
– Thomas Lennon, Director, SACRED

“We tell stories to connect and inspire one another. CIFF took the stories from the screens to the community to allow people to take action together to change the world. It’s the ultimate reward for filmmakers to see their work go from screens to the community. This is the love and community that every filmmaker, artist, and activist needs to have behind them.”
– Apo W. Bazidi, Director, RESISTANCE IS LIFE

Come take the journey with us as DNA is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.

DNA is about a young man who has faced the harsh reality of the street life. Then, he finds himself with a dilemma, with those he love and trust. In order for him to keep them he must make a decision to either leave the past behind by removing himself from the streets or continue on the same path and risk it all. He chooses the latter and everything comes crashing down on him. He begins to lose the trust of his longtime fiance while seeing those he’s trusted turn on him for they’re own greed. They say what’s done in the dark soon comes to the light. Fly finds that out first hand. Betrayal, revenge, love ,lust, and denial will keep you on a roller coaster ride.

This year’s short film fest includes a special preview night on Friday night, 6 blocks of film on Saturday – Family Films, Documentary, Drama, Comedy, Animation & Horror / Sci Fi. The closing night on Sunday night will feature the BEST OF THE FEST – 7 short films chosen by audiences competing for a juried grand prize. This festival focuses on connecting up-and-coming directors with passionate audiences.

Sponsored in part by Visit Canton and ArtsinStark

Schedule

What better way to prepare for the summer 48 Hour Film Project than to make a film in 48 hours? That’s why we’ve partnered with West Creek Conservancy’s Xtinguish Celebration on this FREE community filmmaking competition– 48HFP: Xtinguish!

The Xtinguish Celebration (www.xtinguishcelebration.com) is a series of events to help commemorate the ecological progress made since the infamous 1969 Cuyahoga River Fire. The incorporation of this project expands the cultural immersion of conversations around the Cuyahoga River into the film community. Will your voice be heard? This special competition will take place on the weekend of April 26^th-28^th with a very special screening showcase of the films on May 31^st at moCa Cleveland.

While this is not an official 48 Hour Film Project competition, it will follow the same rules as the 48HFP, but with a twist–teams will have 48 hours to write, produce, and edit their short films using a genre chosen at random, along with a character, prop, and line of dialogue…but all of the films for this special competition must take place in, on, or somehow feature the Cuyahoga River! It’s the perfect way for filmmakers to contribute to the overall Xtinguish Celebration, and hone your skills to prepare for this summer’s official 48HFP competition.

Registration to participate in the competition is FREE, but there are limited spots available! Registration info coming soon.

Kickoff Event at Merwin’s Wharf

There’s no better location to kick off an event like this than right on the Cuyahoga River’s Irishtown Bend at Merwin’s Wharf. Teams will show up for genre selection and announcement of the official required elements. Then at 5:30pm the 48 hours of filmmaking begins! The restaurant and bar will be open before and after the Kickoff for team bonding and planning for your filmmaking weekend.