It's been another wild week, and then some! We've finally reached Opening Night, which is when things will really start to get exciting!

Since I last reported in, I've had an incredible time learning about the Festival and attending its events. First, on the fifth, I attended the Sponsors party at Bice. (The Cleveland restaurant is so new that they don't even have a page for it on their site yet!) I didn't tell anybody, but it was my birthday that night, and that was the best birthday party ever. Wonderful people, fantastic entertainment (I could watch the clip reel a thousand times!), and the most amazing food ever. Plus I got to hang out with my favorite professor! It was a wonderful night.

Then I attended another organizational meeting in between studying for midterms. I couldn't get to the Columbus party because of the midterms, but it was a huge success! Obviously these events will need to become a yearly tradition!

Tuesday morning was the final pre-Festival staff meeting, and we celebrated Marcie Goodman's birthday. Which meant even more wonderful food and a hilarious video by FilmSlam coordinator Beth Radisek. Then it was time for things to really get moving! We've had our first group of filmmakers coming into town and everybody's been going nonstop to get everything in place at the Tower City Cinemas.

Right now I'm surrounded by the most high-spirited chaos I've ever had the pleasure of participating in. Things look wonderful, camera flashes are starting to go off...

The only thing we still need is you! Are you joining us for opening night?

I am still buzzing from last night! The premiere was extraordinary! We had four theaters packed full of enthusiastic film fans here to see Swedish Auto, and we had Derek Sieg, Tyler Davidson, and Lee Weaver with us! After the screening, we all trooped over to the MK Ferguson Plaza for the reception, which was amazing. We had spectacular food and hilarious entertainment! There's no way I can post this entry without mentioning Lounge Kitty, the riotous act that performed for us. I think I've found the reincarnation of Lucille Ball (either that or she's Lucy's love child with Carol Burnett)! Trust me, a lady with a huge beehive hairdo and a sparkly pink dress, singing "It's Not Easy Being Green..." is an unforgettable experience.

The Festival is the cover story of this week's Friday Magazine in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and they've given us some fantastic coverage! I'm saving my copy as a souvenir of the event! If you didn't manage to get a copy of the paper, yourself, the articles are also on Cleveland.com.

Showings kick off at 11:30 today with Congorama and Taking Father Home, then Thicker Than Water and What Means Motley? starting at 11:45 and Pingpong starting at noon. Inside Tip: This is the festival's slowest time and these very first showings tend to be a little undersold, so if you're feeling impulsive and want to see a film, this is your best chance to get in without waiting in a Standby line. And all five of these films are stellar, so they're worth zipping in for.

We have some exciting things happening this afternoon, but I have to finish finding out all about it. I'll be posting again very soon!

It's going to be an exciting afternoon!

Our first round of afternoon showings kicks off at 1:45 with Falkenberg Farewell and Still Alive, and then Bamako and Going Private starting at 2:00, and Frozen City at 2:15. Members of the Polish-American Cultural Center will be holding a Q&A after Still Alive screens, and a discussion about Bamako will be held in the Legends of Rock Room at the Hard Rock Cafe after its screening concludes. If you want to expand your cultural and political awareness, these are some great things to attend!

Then it's time for our "4:00 Round," which is actually beginning at 4:15 with Fresh Air and Indy Shorts #1. Then Stolen Holidays and Transylvania start at 4:30, and Boy Culture kicks off at 4:45.

The showing of Boy Culture will be followed by a Filmmaker Q&A, and actor Derek Magyar will be in attendance. Afterwards (or instead, if you couldn't make it) go to the MATURE Gallery Opening Reception at M% Studios and attend one of the most provocative art gallery openings around. You'll also have a chance to mingle with other Festival attendees, and Derek Magyar will be there, too! The Opening Reception runs from 5pm to 9pm, and M% Studios is the sponsor of the Festival's 10% Cinema, devoted to films of a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender nature.

Inside Tip: Word is that parking at Tower City is filling up fast, so you might get sent to an outlying lot or garage. If you'd rather not walk, I'd recommend driving over to one of the RTA parking lots for the trains. All of the RTA trains come in to Tower City, and that's a great way to avoid the crowding. (And it'll be even more important tomorrow when the St. Patrick's Day Parade is going off!) As another inside tip, the Producer Pass comes with Free Valet Parking, which will let you sidestep all of that kind of hassle for the entire festival.

Our Challenge Match is off to a fantastic start. As of this morning, we're well on our way to our $31,000 goal; donations stand at $3,425 between pre-Festival donations and Opening Night contributions. There are a whole lot of fantastic prizes and premiums for Challenge Match contributions, so stop by the table and check them out. I'm going to try to post a list of them later.

I have the best job in the world!

We're coming up on our first full evening for the festival, and things are definitely hopping!

We'll be starting at 6:45 with Reprise, followed at 7:00 with First Snow and The Old Man Who Read Love Stories. At 7:15, screenings will start for A Map For Saturday and Salty Air.

A few heads-ups about those screenings! This is a very popular time of the evening, and two of the screenings -- First Snow and The Old Man Who Read Love Stories -- are on Standby now. So get here early! Once they know how many seats are still available for people in the Standby line for one of those films, the people in the front of the line will get to go in first. So the earlier you get here, the better your chances are. Also, we still have plenty of tickets for Reprise, Salty Air, and A Map For Saturday, all of which are fantastic films themselves.

There will be Filmmaker Q&As after The Old Man Who Read Love Stories and A Map For Saturday. If you're a Rolf de Heer fan (and I know a whole lot of you are), this is a great chance to get his insights on his film. (All the more reason to get in line as early as you can!) And if you're a fan of exotic locales, you definitely want to get in line early for A Map For Saturday. While tickets for that movie probably won't run out, that's because it's playing in two theaters. Once the first theater is filled, the second theater will be opened for the overflow. But the Q&A will only happen in the first theater, and given how fascinating Brook Silva-Braga's journey was, you'll need to make sure you're in line early if you want to participate!

So far nothing's gone on Standby in the 9:00 Round, but I'll keep an eye on that and let you know if anything changes.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wow, you guys are amazing! Yesterday was the Festival's biggest First Friday ever, with more than 3,800 attendees! And today is looking to be huge, too!

I don't know about you, but I woke up to solid white in front of my house! Cleveland's getting between 1 and 3 inches of snow over the course of the day, so if you're driving down here, please make sure to give yourself extra time, especially because parking is going to be tight and tricky with all of the St. Patrick's Day revelers coming down. If you want to save yourself a headache, RTA is the way to go. I took the red line in, myself.

We're getting ready for the noon round of films now, and are they ever a fantastic group! We kicked off this morning with American Visa and What Means Motley at 9:30, which are some really wonderful films. Next up at 11:30, we have Angosto and The Art of Crying. Then, at 11:45, we have The Bet Collector and The World's Best Commercials, and at noon we have the 10% Shorts Program.

A few words to the wise: The World's Best Commercials is already on Standby, and it looks like the 10% Shorts Program will go on Standby, too. This doesn't mean that you can't see the films, but it does mean that your best bet is to arrive early. Also, if your schedule mentioned a Filmmaker Q&A for The Bet Collector, there won't actually be one for this screening. But it's still a really impressive film that you should go see.

I'm gathering information about the 2:00 round and will get that up really soon. Have a wonderful time and wear lots of green!

I have to say, I love all the people I'm working with.

This is the best group of people ever. As crazy as things get -- and they get pretty crazy! -- there's so much wonderful energy and cooperation and such a strong sense of fun. You should know that, when you come down here and see us, all of the smiles on people's faces are genuine. I've never seen such grace under pressure.

And you guys are totally amazing too! I'd like to put up a special shout-out to last night's audience for A Map For Saturday, who responded so generously to Toby Devan Lewis's challenge! You guys raised $1,400 for our Challenge Match, putting us over $7,500! And you were all so sweet to Brook Silva-Braga's mother! That warmed all of our hearts. You made the premiere of Brook's film a huge success!

We're coming up on the 2:00 PM round, and we have even more spectacular films for you. We'll be kicking off at 1:45 with First Snow and Looking For Leonard. Then, at 2:00, Thicker Than Water will start, followed by the Family Shorts Program and A Map For Saturday at 2:15. Stellar choices, all!

Be aware: First Snow and A Map For Saturday are currently on Standby, and we think that the Family Shorts Program will probably go on Standby soon, too. Remember, Standby does not mean we're sold out, but it does mean that you'll want to get in line early so that you'll have the best chance of getting in. So finish up that green beer and get over here! ;-)

We're coming up on the 4:00 round, which is looking wonderful.

At 4:15 we'll be starting off with Bamako and The Old Garden, which will be followed at 4:30 with the Indy Shorts #2 Program and Salty Air. Then the final film in the round, Liquid Vinyl, will start at 4:45. You'll have another wonderful chance to talk to Taylor Neary and George Reasner after Liquid Vinyl concludes, so this is a don't-miss! Indy Shorts has gone on Standby, but we're not anticipating ticket shortages for the other shows. All of the screenings are top-rate.

Things are getting busy for the evening, and we're going to have a number of films on Standby, so once again, come down here early and buy your tickets ahead of time, because we definitely want you to get to see these movies!

It's going on evening here in Tower City, and we're gearing up for the 7:00 PM round of films! The round will kick off at 6:45 with Red Road. Then, at 7:00, Congorama and The Rape of Europa will start. Those will be followed at 7:15 by Brotherly Jazz and Itty Bitty Titty Committee, both of which will have Filmmaker Q&A sessions afterwards.

So far, Itty Bitty Titty Committee, The Rape of Europa, and Red Road are in Stand-By status, so be sure to get in line early for them if you want your best shot at entry. Especially if you want a chance to talk to IBTC's director afterwards.

A lot of people have been fans of Jamie Babbitt since her 1999 film, But I'm a Cheerleader, so this is a great chance to talk to one of Cleveland's most fascinating voices. (Yes, she's a Clevelander!) Or if Jazz is your passion, you can join the filmmakers for a discussion about Brotherly Jazz and then adjourn with them to the English Oak Room in Tower City Center for the Tri-C JazzFest CD Release Party.

Tonight definitely has a spicy kick to it!

It's getting on towards time for the 9:00 Round of films! Things are going to get wild and busy tonight, especially with St. Patrick's Day revelers still thronging downtown, so you definitely want to get here early. Especially because three of our five films in the round are already on Stand-By!

We're starting at 9:30 with Fay Grim and Who Loves the Sun. Then at 9:45, Alexandra's Project and A Grave-Keeper's Tale will begin. Finishing out the round is the provocative Boy Culture at 10:00.

At this time, Alexandra's Project, Boy Culture, and Fay Grim are all on Stand-By, so the earlier you arrive, the better your chances are of getting seated. We have four Filmmaker Q&A sessions this round. Alexandra's Project attendees will have another wonderful opportunity to talk to Rolf de Heer, while Boy Culture attendees can talk to actor Derek Magyar. Derek is on the cover of The Advocate this month! Director Chitra Palekar will field questions once A Grave-Keeper's Tale finishes screening, and Who Loves the Sun attendees can talk to director Matt Bissonnette and producer Corey Marr. That's a lot of very stimulating conversation!

There is an incredible festival adventure story attached to Who Loves the Sun, that I hope I'll be able to share with you tomorrow. More soon!

We're gearing up for our final shows of the night! Tonight our Midnight Screenings are Bad Boy Bubby and Cold Prey. Bad Boy Bubby is, of course, the film that garnered Rolf de Heer his enormous local cult following, and he'll be taking questions from the audience after it screens. Cold Prey, meanwhile, is an intense Norwegian slasher film guaranteed to chill you. A perfect way to finish out St. Patrick's Day without a headache in the morning!

And for those of you who aren't hung over in the morning, join us at 9:30 am for showings of Angosto and Reprise.

Inside Tip: The noon showing of Cold Prey is already on Stand-By, so if you were hoping to catch it then, get here early. And for everybody who had to be turned away from Itty Bitty Titty Committee today, we are so sorry that happened. Demand for the film, and for Hero Tomorrow, has been so tremendous that we're opening up extra theaters. Both of those will show in two theaters during the noon round, so we'd love it if you came back and joined us. The best way to avoid standby lines is to buy your tickets right now through the site and then pick them up at our desk in the morning... or get a Director-level membership and you'll be able to walk into any of our shows without any hassles.

Hello everybody! It's Lara, back at long last at the Cleveland International Film Festival! It's a very exciting night, both opening night and the start of my spring break after a grueling semester. And yes, this is the best vacation I could possibly ask for. It's wonderful to see familiar faces -- hopefully I'll be seeing many more when all of you begin to arrive -- and get back in touch with everybody I've missed!

The Festival is already off to a spectacular start, with record-breaking ticket pre-sales and more movies than ever. People are beginning to trickle in already, preparing for our spectacular opening night film! Tonight we're showing Then She Found Me, which is Helen Hunt's directorial debut! As a fan of her films, I'm very excited.

If you're coming down to join us tonight and haven't started down yet, now is definitely the time to go, because we have a traffic snarl down here. A few roads near Tower City center had to be rerouted -- the RTA driver said it was a water main break -- so don't leave things to the last minute. This is the place to be tonight, and I'm so happy to be here!

See you soon!