Call for Entries

CIFF47 Call for Entries is now OPEN!

The 47th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) will take place March 22 - April 1, 2023 in person at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland, OH.

*PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL THEATRICAL SCREENINGS AT CIFF47 WILL BE IN DCP (FEATURE AND SHORT FILMS).* Thus, all invited films will be required to send a DCP file for exhibition.

CIFF is excited to return to its new forever home, the beautiful and iconic Playhouse Square - also the largest performing arts district in the U.S., outside of New York City. CIFF will continue to follow guidance and protocols based on science and community circumstances, in relation to COVID-19. All Festival details (including dates, format, and venues) are subject to change.

At this time, details about CIFF47 Streams (the virtual/online component of CIFF) are yet to be determined. We will update this page and notify all selected films in the festival as we have news.

CIFF47 will consist of hundreds of films, post-film conversations and Q&As with filmmakers, balloting, and over $130,000 in cash awards. CIFF Speaks (the organization’s podcast series) will be returning with episodes surrounding and during the Festival.

CIFF is committed to offering screening fees or travel assistance for all feature and short films accepted into the Festival. In a time of many changes, we are happy to report that CIFF continues to be one of the few Academy Award^®-qualifying festivals in the world for all three categories of shorts films—live action, animated, and documentary. CIFF accepts films of any runtime, any genre, and from every country.

As always, CIFF will provide written feedback from our Screening Team—a diverse volunteer committee comprised of 150 film enthusiasts assembled from our audience base, ranging from industry professionals to local film students. CIFF is also happy to once again offer submission waivers to any CIFF alum whose current film meets the CIFF47 requirements.

No matter what the future holds, the Cleveland International Film Festival remains dedicated to supporting the work of filmmakers everywhere and uniting our community through the power of film.

For all questions related to submissions, please see our Terms and Conditions or email submissions@clevelandfilm.org.

We thank you for sharing your films with us!

Submit your film:

 

Call for Screening Team Judges

Like watching movies? Want to help program CIFF47? The Cleveland International Film Festival is looking for new volunteer Screening Team Judges and invites you to apply today!

The CIFF Screening Team is a diverse and passionate volunteer committee of film enthusiasts assembled from our audience base, ranging from industry professionals to local film students. The CIFF Screening Team screens every feature and short film submitted to CIFF - last year we had almost 4,000 films submitted! Each week, judges view five short films or two feature films from the comfort of their own home, score them, and provide constructive written feedback for the filmmakers. The Screening Team is instrumental in pinpointing the highest-caliber films from our Call for Entries, which our programmers then combine with films invited from other festivals worldwide to create the most compelling slate of features and shorts to screen at CIFF.

Serving on the Screening Team is a significant commitment, and you can expect to spend roughly five hours each week reviewing a batch of features or shorts, including during all holidays. To make participating with the Screening Team more manageable, you can select to serve for one or two "terms." The first term runs from your onboarding (early August) through October 31. The second term runs from November 1 - January 31.

Judges in good standing that serve one (1) term will receive two (2) all-access passes to CIFF47. Judges in good standing that serve two (2) terms will receive four (4) all-access passes to CIFF47. You must finish 100% of your term(s) to receive the passes to CIFF47.

Please understand that by applying, you are also agreeing to the following:

• You agree to assess the quality of films from a discerning perspective and write intelligent, non-abrasive comments, including constructive criticism.
• We cannot control the specific assignments of genres and/or subject matters to judges. As such, you agree to review all lengths and genres of films. You will receive both feature and short films during your term on the Screening Team.
• All new Screening Team Judges must attend a virtual orientation session over Zoom. On the application, please indicate which session you wish to attend.
• Please note: that only one judge may apply per household.

Apply to join the CIFF47 Screening Team

For all questions, please email CIFF Screening Team Lead, Dylan Zsigray at dylan@clevelandfilm.org.