March Movie Madness!
The 36th Cleveland International Film Fest is Upon Us
By Sarah Valek
Forget March Madness… the best thing about March (and early April) is the Cleveland International Film Festival. You gotta love the excitement and buzz filling Tower City at this time of year. People from all over flock to downtown (as they should, right?) for an abundance of thought-provoking, cultural, eye-opening entertainment.
Like always, the 36th Annual Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) — running Thu 3/22 – Sun 4/1 — has some great films lined up. The hardest part is choosing which ones to see. There are, after all, 164 feature films lined up.
Luckily, you can cruise the sidebar categories to narrow down your choices. “10% Cinema” films deal with gay, lesbian and transgender issues; “Family Films” are just that — movies you can bring the fam to (recommended for older kids – age 10 and up); “Music! Movies!” films focus on the musical side of things; and “Women of the World” features films made by (mostly) women about empowered women.
Want to see films with local flavor? Check out the Local Heroes category with such flicks as Dirty Energy — a documentary detailing the disastrous effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (remember that?), The Second Execution of Romell Broom — a film raising important questions about the death penalty, and King Me — a peek into the complex world of checkers tournaments.
If you want to further explore a complex social issue, be sure to check out a FilmForum — a special panel discussion held after select screenings. FilmForums are featured after certain showings of Detropia (“How are the denizens of the post-industrial Midwest using their imaginations to reinvent their communities?”), Love Free or Die (“Everyone welcome. Really?”), Colour Me (“What does it mean to be black today, and what will it mean tomorrow?”) and others.
So, grab a schedule, download the app, visit CIFF online and get your tickets. And, yes, “Be Carried Away.”
The 36th Cleveland International Film Festival kicks off with an Opening Night Gala on Thu 3/22 featuring a showing of Nesting. Films screen daily through Sun 4/1. For more info and tickets visit http://ClevelandFilm.org.
Cool Cleveland editor Sarah Valek graduated from Ithaca College with a double-major in arts and writing. After graduation, she came back to her beloved city and served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. She currently spends her days chasing after her toddler-age son, drinking soy lattes and digging up the coolest events around town. Contact her at CoolEditorATCoolCleveland.com.