Cleveland International Film Festival } March 25 – April 5, 2020 } Tower City Cinemas

Special Programs

Festival FilmSlam

You are currently viewing the CIFF43 lineup. Programming for CIFF44 will be announced in early March 2020.

FilmSlam^®

Students from Northeast Ohio middle, junior high, and high schools have the extraordinary opportunity to see new films by some of the world’s most innovative filmmakers.

Celebrating its 27th anniversary, FilmSlam^® is the Cleveland International Film Festival’s media literacy program and mini-festival of films for students. FilmSlam^® aims to educate students about evaluating and critiquing the messages they perceive while viewing films. Film can be less intimidating than many other art forms because of its prominent role in American culture. Therefore, it is a logical conduit through which social messages (such as the importance of the prevention of domestic violence and the eradication of discrimination) can be sent to young audiences.

FilmSlam^® serves as an effective program to provide students with deep learning opportunities that go beyond the acquisition of basic skills. These include: the ability to foster thought-provoking discussion, analysis, and awareness of media communication forms and genres; critical thinking; curiosity; and social emotional growth.

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For more information or to make reservations, please contact Beth Steele Radisek, FilmSlam Director, at 216.623.3456 x13 or beth@clevelandfilm.org.

Support Provided By:

The City That Sold America

USA
Directed By Ky Dickens
Running Time: 69 Minutes

What do Kleenex, the Pillsbury Doughboy, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and the Wassup Bud Light commercial have in common? They were all created by Chicago advertising firms. In fact, most of the advertising techniques we use and reference today come... {more}

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Life Without Basketball

USA
Directed By Tim O'Donnell, Jon Mercer
Running Time: 89 Minutes

Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir grew up loving basketball. In high school she became the highest scorer in Massachusetts history. She then went on to play at the University of Memphis and Indiana State, where she gained notoriety as the first Division 1... {more}

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Long Time Coming: A 1955 Baseball Story

USA
Directed By Jon Strong
Running Time: 88 Minutes

In 1955 the southern United States was divided by segregation and brimming with hatred and prejudice. Enter the Pensacola Jaycees All-Stars, the first African-American little league team in Florida. White parents didn’t want their kids playing against black kids, and... {more}

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Witness Theater

USA
Directed By Oren Rudavsky
Running Time: 75 Minutes

As the last generation of Holocaust survivors dwindles, it is now more important than ever to capture their stories and to prevent their memories from dying with them. The Witness Theater program in New York City has done just that.... {more}

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