Can you believe it? Everything is almost done! We're finishing up our second-to-last round of films, and soon it'll be time to line up for our 7:00 PM round, when the final films begin to run! It's going to be such an incredible line-up of movies. And then, after the films have run, I hope all of you will be ready to join us around the fountain.... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 31st, 2012 @ 8:45pmI'm sure that all of our wonderful filmmaker guests would say that the moment they anticipate most of all at the Festival is when their film starts screening. But as our events draw to their close, one of the moments that everyone starts looking forward to is the moment when, after the last sets of credits roll, everyone gathers around the Tower C... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 31st, 2012 @ 8:00pmIf you're big on social and environmental issues, and want to learn more about how cities like both Detroit and Cleveland are working to reinvent themselves in the wake of so many industries leaving (and as Clevelanders, how can we not care about that?) we have a great film and FilmForum for you to see. It starts at 4:45 pm tomorrow, and it... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 30th, 2012 @ 9:15pmThings are winding down again in the Hospitality Suite, and I'm getting ready to head home for the night. Yeah, I know, it's Party Time at the Festival, I said it myself... but I've been going nonstop for a while now. I'm saving my late night for the Closing Night party. But! There's still something going on tomorrow that I have got to t... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 30th, 2012 @ 8:30pmTomorrow we will have our final recognition ceremony in our Focus on Filmmakers program, which has been created with a grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Our focus this year is on the... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 30th, 2012 @ 7:45pmOh, I love the final weekend, when everything kicks into overdrive. We're now truly into it, too -- the week is over. Work is at an end, and it's time to come play with us! We do have a lot of serious, and fascinating, topics in our films, of course. Two of our films even come with really cool ... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 30th, 2012 @ 12:15pmIf you've been coming to the Festival for years, and many of you have, you probably have a favorite t-shirt. I thought I did, until the whale and the rhino showed up this year. (And oh, how I wish I could fit into that adorable baby tee with all of the animals on it, because that is my all-time favorite.) I'm still not sure ... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 29th, 2012 @ 9:15pmCan you believe that Thursday, Day 8 of the Festival, is drawing to a close? The time has just flown! But now the night is starting to wind down. The last round of films is preparing to go in, and the Hospitality HQ is getting ready to close -- they'd be kicking me out in fifteen minutes if I wasn't already out the door to catch my train -- and ... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 29th, 2012 @ 8:15pmGoing Green often seems like such a clear-cut thing, doesn't it? What is there to lose? Sometimes, though, there's a lot at stake on both sides. "Not in my backyard!" doesn't just apply to toxic waste incinerators-- it can apply to hydroelectric power plants (as we saw last year) and wind farms, too... and sometimes the people who are resisting ... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 29th, 2012 @ 7:15pmAfter so many days of following the blog, you're probably very familiar with our Focus on Filmmakers program, which is presented thanks to a stellar grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 29th, 2012 @ 5:45pmIt appears that Superthief: Inside America's Biggest Bank Score is hugely popular with our audiences. We've had a lot of people asking us if we can add another screening of this film. Sadly, we can't, but I do have some very good ne... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 28th, 2012 @ 9:00pmFor our fourth night out on the town, we're returning to our roots! The Cedar Lee Theatre in Cleveland Heights is, after all, where it all began. Our very first Film Festival screened there, and it was our home base for years until the Festival outgrew it and ca... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 28th, 2012 @ 4:45pmWe're looking forward to a spectacular evening out tonight, in our third off-site film screening! If you're planning on attending, now's a good time to start preparing to go! This is our Evening at Capitol Theatre, and we have a really riveting film for you: ... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 27th, 2012 @ 9:30pmWell, things are winding down and I'm preparing to dash out of the Hospitality Suite to catch my train home. But before I go, I want to make sure you know about our next "night out." If going south or east really didn't work for you, why not go west? Our Wednesday night out is our ... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 26th, 2012 @ 9:00pmWell, the Knight Night screening is only just coming to a close, but it's time to start talking about our Evening at Shaker Square Cinemas. If Shaker Square is closer to home for you than Akron was, this could be your night! We'll be showing ... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 26th, 2012 @ 6:45pmIf you're not actually attending a class tomorrow, or only have a late afternoon class, it's a great time to head down to the CIFF! Wear your College T-Shirt, and bring your valid, current college ID, and stop by our College Day Table (located in the walkway by the Solutions desk) for free admission to any screening between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM! (A... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 25th, 2012 @ 8:45pmIt's still a day away, but we're coming up on a special event -- the first of our screenings away from Tower City Cinemas! Tomorrow night, we're having a very special Akron screening of Bill W at t... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
March 23rd, 2012 @ 2:30pmYou may remember, from years past, our Someone To Watch awards, which we gave to up-and-coming filmmakers whose works were making waves and spoke of brilliant futures to come. Those awards have now been transformed, thanks to a grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Now called Focus on Filmmakers, the awards go to prom... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
April 3rd, 2011 @ 6:30pmEvery year, as the final round prepares to go in and the Closing Night Ceremony closes in, I'm a little bewildered as to how quickly the time has passed and how much has happened in it. Things are a bit of a blur at times, but I've had the most wonderful time this year, meeting incredible people and making new friends. There are so many people I'... more
Posted by Lara Klaber
April 3rd, 2011 @ 4:25pmDon't give up hope! Our friends at Cleveland Cinemas have been paying close attention to which films have had huge crowds, especially if some of you had to be turned away because we ran out of seats! They're working on arranging to have the films come back to Cleveland, as soon as they... more
Posted by Lara Klaber