Welcome to CIFF50

CIFF returns April 9-18, 2026, with hundreds of films from dozens of countries! Get info on venues, tickets, and more.

Attend CIFF50

Build your perfect Cleveland International Film Festival 2026 experience with screenings, Q&As, and special events across three iconic venues. Tickets go on sale to the general public March 18, with early access for Visionaries (March 5) and Members (March 11).

Know Before You Go

Tickets and Passes

New This Year

Attention Members, Donors and Pass Holders!

We'll save your seat! New to the Festival with CIFF50, you must select the films you wish to attend in advance. Please review our schedule and reserve your seat at each film by adding it to your cart and applying your pass.

Browse the CIFF50 Line Up

Browse All Films

Short

Kit

Run time: 16 minutes

World Premiere

Language
English

Genre
Drama

Captions
Closed

A teenager with dwarfism is hidden away from an unforgiving world by his superficial mother but discovers that his talent for drawing can set him free.

Short

Beach Day

Run time: 11 minutes

World Premiere

Language
English

Genre
Drama

Interests
Black Cinema

In a world where one woman’s death means the end of everything, a man sets out on a surreal journey to ask her permission to die before she does.

Short

Doppelgänger

Run time: 18 minutes

Midwest Premiere

Language
Spanish

Genre
Drama, Thriller

Captions
Open

A woman disconnected from her environment and her personal relationships receives a visit from an intruder who will give free rein to her darkest desires.

CIFF50 is Powered by Sponsors

Festival sponsors recognize and invest in the power of art to educate, engage, and transform communities. Their support keeps the festival magic alive year after year.

See CIFF50 Sponsors

Choose Your CIFF50 Experience

Make CIFF50 your own! Go all-in on shorts, pop into dynamic panels and workshops, or create an experience packed with premieres and filmmaker chats! No matter how you want to experience CIFF50, there's a perfect lane just for you.

CIFF50 Films

Shorts Programs

Festival Schedule

Featured Events and Special Screenings

It's the 50th anniversary of the Cleveland International Film Festival. You don't want to miss the fun and glamour of these featured and events and special screenings.

Fine Small Plates Served at the CIFF Opening Night Festival

April 9, 2026

Kick Off CIFF50 on Opening Night

Opening Night is where the magic begins — the electric first spark of CIFF50 and the moment the entire festival comes alive. This isn’t just the start of the Festival — it’s the event everyone will be talking about.

April 13, 2026

Believeland

What could be more Cleveland than a sports show about the years of bad luck our professional sports teams have faced? We're bringing back one of festival's biggest titles ever – with an alternate ending that proves we ARE THE LAND! Join us for this special highlight at CIFF50.

April 16, 2026

CIFF50's Centerpiece Film

CIFF50's Centerpiece film is If I Go Will They Miss Me. Making its Ohio premier, this film follows twelve-year-old Lil Ant as he transforms his working-class neighborhood beneath the LAX flight path into a living mythology, where family members become gods and the sky fills with endless departures.

Young Professionals Out for CIFF's Closing Night Event

April 18, 2026

Help Put a Bow on CIFF50

The Closing Night celebration is the grand finale of the 2026 Cleveland International Film Festival — the last, unforgettable curtain call that brings the entire CIFF community together one more time.

CIFF50 Awards and Competitions

CIFF50 celebrates standout storytelling and diversity through major awards and competitions, offering substantial cash prizes. As well, wins in three short-film award categories are Oscar qualifying.

See Awards