Following the retirement of John Ewing at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque after 40 years and the naming of his successor, yet another major Cleveland film organization is transitioning its leadership.
When the Cleveland International Film Festival started in 1977, with one location, it was hard to envision it becoming what it is now: a huge, sprawling event with dozens of partners and venues and hundreds of films over a two-week period. It requires commitment and a deep love for film, but its success shows than many people have those attributes. It’s now one of the longest-running film festival in the U.S. and one of the largest, taking place primarily at Playhouse Square.
For the past 24 years, Marcie Goodman has served as the organization’s executive director. But last summer she announced that she would be retiring following the 2024 festival, its 48th edition, which took place in April. CIFF has now announced that Hermione Malone will take over leadership of the organization, starting June 10.
A Detroit native, who lived in Cleveland for 13 years prior to 2016, Malone has extensive nonprofit experience. In Cleveland she worked at both the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, as well as served on boards and committees of organizations such as the Junior League of Cleveland, ICA Art Conservation, the Office of the Cuyahoga County Executive, and the Cleveland chapter of The Links, Incorporated. According to her bio, she has “more than 15 years of experience in strategic development, program design and implementation, innovation, and collaboration. Most recently, as Head of Emerging Markets at the American Journalism Project, Hermione built and led philanthropic partnerships to close local news gaps across the U.S. Her work resulted in the launch of a new state-wide organization and raised over $17 million dollars in seed funding across two markets.”
CIFF49 takes place March 26-April 5, 2025 at Playhouse Square.
Learn more about Malone at clevelandfilm.org/news/CIFF-announces-new-ED.