Festival Guide

George Gund III Memorial Central and Eastern European Film Competition

Over two decades ago, the Cleveland International Film Festival launched a special focus on films from Central and Eastern Europe, the native lands of many Clevelanders. When we began our series, the world was a very different place: the Berlin Wall was still standing, the U.S.S.R. was still one country, and the Cold War was chilling out. Throughout these past two decades, the films from Central and Eastern Europe have changed dramatically due to filmmakers exerting their rights to make films without government involvement and censorship. We now see films from a plethora of genres, including colorful comedies, slice of-life sketches, and unusual love stories. The results provide us with a rare and unique look inside the lives of the ordinary as well as the extraordinary.

One thing that has remained the same for the past 22 years is our commitment to bringing some of the most soughtafter films from this area of the world to Cleveland. This year the CIFF is proud to present its 10th Central and Eastern European Film Competition. This competition not only gives recognition to the films coming to us from Central and Eastern Europe, but it also awards one filmmaker a $10,000 cash prize that will be announced at the Closing Night Reception. {view films}

Nesnadny + Schwartz Documentary Film Competition

The CIFF is excited to present the eighth Nesnadny + Schwartz Documentary Film Competition. In 2005, after CIFF atten- dees voted documentaries as the winners of its audience choice award three years in a row, we decided to highlight these films since they hold such enormous interest for our audience.

Nesnadny + Schwartz (www.BigFatIdeas.com) is a preeminent international visual communications consultancy committed to providing clients what they least expect. Nesnadny + Schwartz is very proud to continue their support of the Cleveland International Film Festival and to sponsor a program that has such social, artistic, and popular appeal.

Documentaries in competition that are screening in the Festival will be viewed by our panel of jurors throughout the week, and the winner will be announced at the Closing Night Reception. In addition to continuing this honorable competition, we are pleased to announce an increase in its awarded cash prize to $7,500. {view films}

Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up "For" Competition

Our Standing Up Film Competition is a tribute to Greg Gund. Greg’s friends and family described him as “intensely creative and talented, and wholly without pretension.” For five years Greg lived in Playa Negro near Tamarindo, Costa Rica where he immersed himself by becoming part of the local community. As much as he deeply loved his home there, Greg was also an extensive world traveler with an adventurous spirit and an insatiable curiosity about different cultures and people. He lived by this Mahatma Gandhi quote inscribed in his passport: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Greg died at the age of 32 in a small plane crash off the Pacific Coast on July 16, 2005.

Our Standing Up program includes “films with a conscience.” Standing Up started as a sidebar to focus on films with the mission to change the world and grew into a celebration of activism, the fight for social justice, and the battle to heal the earth. Many of these films highlight personal stories featuring individuals who set out to teach viewers lessons on how to live a better life. One of the aspects that all of these films share is the impact they make on viewers long after the credits roll. Through the films, Standing Up honors Greg Gund—as well as others with a different view of the world in which we live—and the continual fight to make it better.

In 2005 the George Gund Foundation granted the CIFF with an endowment to create the Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Competition. Since its inception, it has grown into our largest and most popular competition. Last year 33 films were screened in competition, including five of our top ten audience-rated films.

This year the Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Competition is being split into two categories: films Standing Up To something and films Standing Up For something. Make sure you Stand Up with your vote, as this competition now has two awards of $5,000 each, based on audience balloting. Winners will be announced at the Closing Night Reception. {view films}

Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up "To" Competition

Our Standing Up Film Competition is a tribute to Greg Gund. Greg’s friends and family described him as “intensely creative and talented, and wholly without pretension.” For five years Greg lived in Playa Negro near Tamarindo, Costa Rica where he immersed himself by becoming part of the local community. As much as he deeply loved his home there, Greg was also an extensive world traveler with an adventurous spirit and an insatiable curiosity about different cultures and people. He lived by this Mahatma Gandhi quote inscribed in his passport: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Greg died at the age of 32 in a small plane crash off the Pacific Coast on July 16, 2005.

Our Standing Up program includes “films with a conscience.” Standing Up started as a sidebar to focus on films with the mission to change the world and grew into a celebration of activism, the fight for social justice, and the battle to heal the earth. Many of these films highlight personal stories featuring individuals who set out to teach viewers lessons on how to live a better life. One of the aspects that all of these films share is the impact they make on viewers long after the credits roll. Through the films, Standing Up honors Greg Gund—as well as others with a different view of the world in which we live—and the continual fight to make it better.

In 2005 the George Gund Foundation granted the CIFF with an endowment to create the Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Competition. Since its inception, it has grown into our largest and most popular competition. Last year 33 films were screened in competition, including five of our top ten audience-rated films.

This year the Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Competition is being split into two categories: films Standing Up To something and films Standing Up For something. Make sure you Stand Up with your vote, as this competition now has two awards of $5,000 each, based on audience balloting. Winners will be announced at the Closing Night Reception. {view films}

American Independents Competition

With big dreams and small budgets, these films represent the finest in contemporary American cinema. Based on audience vote, this year's competition will yield an increased cash prize of $5,000 to the winner announced at the Closing Night Reception.

The American Independents award is presented with the generous support of ALAN and MARTA GLAZEN.

{view films}

Local Heroes Competition

Our annual celebration has now become one of our newest competitions, highlighting films made about Ohio, in Ohio, or by Ohioans. We are honored to support these films and filmmakers, hoping to empower the already booming independent film community of Cleveland and Ohio alike. Based on audience vote, this year's competition will yield a $5,000 cash prize winner announced at the Closing Night Reception.

The Local Heroes award is presented with the generous suport of MIKE and NICKI CANCELLIERE.

Local Heroes films are sponsored by Cleveland State University. {view films}