4/2/2025 10 films to watch at the 2025 Cleveland International Film Festival before it ends

4/1/25 The projectors are rolling: CIFF49 kicks off with record crowds and new features, with more to come

4/1/25 Freshwater Cleveland: The projectors are rolling: CIFF49 kicks off with record crowds and new features, with more to come

3/31/25 Greater Cleveland Partnership: Lights, camera, community! The magic of the Cleveland International Film Festival Trailer

 3/31/25 'Lost & Found in Cleveland’ sets CIFF attendance record

The 49th Cleveland International Film Festival is officially underway through April 5th at Playhouse Square! ....

We enjoyed the last day of the Cleveland International Film Festival with Tadashi Nakamura's Third Act Film......

We've been posting about the Cleveland International Film Festival a lot....

Check out the awesome media coverage the films and filmmakers received during CIFF49. From local television stations to independent news sources to out of town digital outlets, we were amazed at how far some of these stories traveled. 

CIFF49 Media Coverage

Looking for the CIFF49 Film Guides? Here's how to get yours!

Get your CIFF49 Film Guides today. See new and independent film in Cleveland. Things to do in Cleveland. March 27 - April 5 in person at Playhouse Square.

CIFF49 Film Guide Locations | Cleveland International Film Festival

Where to Find CIFF49 Film Guides!

The wait is over! The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) proudly announces the complete lineup for its highly anticipated 49th season, CIFF49, featuring 300 exceptional films from around the globe.

Discover the spotlight films for the 49th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF), featuring exciting world, North American, and U.S. premieres!  Explore 300 independent films from around the globe March 27 - April 13, 2025. Get your tickets now! 

CIFF, CIFF49, Cleveland International Film Festival, independent film, film festival, movie festival, film premieres, spotlight films, Marlee Matlin, Amy Landecker,  André Holland, Playhouse Square, Cleveland, Ohio, film tickets

CIFF49 Film Schedule Announced! | Cleveland International Film Festival

Lights, Camera, CIFF49!  Cleveland International Film Festival Announces 300-Film Lineup  

For Filmmakers Menu

For questions not answered below, please email 

CIFF49 (2025) Call for Entries is officially OPEN! Please visit FilmFreeway for all deadlines.

The 49th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) will take place March 27 - April 5, 2025 in person at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland, OH, and online April 6-13, 2025 as part of CIFF49 Streams.

CIFF is excited to return to the beautiful and iconic Playhouse Square - the largest performing arts district in the U.S., outside of New York City. All Festival details (including dates, format, and venues) are subject to change.

CIFF49 is scheduled to take place March 27-April 5, 2025 at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland, OH.

Productions completed after June 1, 2023 are eligible to submit for CIFF49.

CIFF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Fees collected through the Call for Entries process assist in our operations, so please do not request a waiver, unless you meet the following requirement.

If you are an Applicant who is also a CIFF alum, meaning that CIFF has screened one of your feature or short films in a previous festival, then CIFF will waive your submission fee for one film per person that meets the CIFF49 requirements.

Once your film has been submitted via the CIFF49 FilmFreeway portal, it is your responsibility to check your FilmFreeway account to ensure that your submission meets CIFF’s requirements; that you have provided all necessary information to CIFF; and that your film has been accepted by CIFF for consideration. Within one week after your submission date, CIFF will send you an email confirming that it has received your submission and, if applicable, requesting any further information needed from you.

We do! It's actually the only way you can now submit to CIFF.

Please review how to submit your online screener through FilmFreeway on their FAQ page 

Through FilmFreeway, we accept HD uploads and Vimeo links. If links are password-protected, passwords must be valid through April 6, 2025 or your submission will be considered 

Sorry! CIFF no longer accepts submissions on DVD or Blu-ray - we will only consider films submitted through Vimeo links or online screeners on FilmFreeway.

All linear films with a total runtime of 45 minutes or over are considered feature films. All linear films less than 45 minutes are considered short films. The maximum runtime for feature submissions is 150 minutes.

All genres! The CIFF exhibits short and feature length films of all genres - including Midnight, Sci-Fi, LGBT, and Family - and categories - including Narrative, Documentary, Animation, and especially International – we screened films from over 60 countries last year!

We do! All Music Video submissions must be 15 minutes or under and are subject to the same pricing and rules as short films.

If you would like to submit your work in the music video category, your work must be created for a specific piece of original music that you or an associate have the legal rights to.

We do! All Web Series submissions must meet the requirements listed below and are subject to the same pricing and rules as short films.

All work submitted to our Web Series category must be a series of multiple videos in episodic form that pertain to the same theme and may not be longer than 45 minutes per episode. Only one episode needs to be submitted, though supplemental episodes may be requested after the original work is pre-screened. Therefore please submit what you feel is your strongest piece in the series. All episodes within the series must have been made after June 1, 2023. We unfortunately are not considering news programs, talk show, or reality show formats at this time.

Do we ever! The CIFF currently has 14 competitions for feature films and 20 competitions for short films, and we're always expanding our awards program. At CIFF48 we gave away over $135,000 in cash awards!

Yes! The CIFF is actually one of few festivals in the world that qualifies for all three Academy Short Film categories! CIFF's Best Animated Short Film Award winner, Best Live Action Short Film Award winner, and Best Documentary Short Film Award winner will all qualify for consideration in the Short Films categories of the annual Academy Awards®. Please check the Academy® website for rules and eligibility.

All work previously submitted to any prior CIFF will not be considered.

No, please do not submit works in progress or industrial/instructional works.

The only premiere requirement is that the film can't be on VOD or have played publically in the Greater Cleveland area, prior to our CIFF49 dates (March 27-April 5, 2025).

Any film that is available for public viewing on the web (i.e. YouTube, Vimeo) prior to our festival dates will not be considered, with the exception of Web Series content.

Definitely! Especially if it’s a short film to be eligible for our Best Student Short Film award of $1,000!

You will be notified by email whether your film has been selected for exhibition at the 49th CIFF. Our notification deadline is February 28, 2025 but is subject to change. We will try to let you know as soon as possible whether your film made it or not, but please be patient as our selection process does take time.

Yes! Written feedback from our screening team will be provided post-festival for all films that pay to submit in full. If you would like to see your comments, you must email 

 between May 1 - June 1, 2025. No comments will be provided for requests that come in after June 1, 2025 or for any films that submit with a waiver or discount.

Participants’ films - both short and feature - must be available for theatrical screenings as a DCP. For all films that will be participating in the potential online component of the festival, films must also be available as as a .mp4 or another CIFF-approved digital file. 35MM, BLU-RAY, AND DVD ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE FORMATS FOR CIFF48 EXHIBITION.

Selected participants must upload all exhibition files electronically to CIFF’s secure-storage platforms, powered by CineSend and Eventive. CIFF will not accept any exhibition files for CIFF49 that are submitted on a hard drive.

Answers to the most frequently asked questions from filmmakers about the Cleveland International Film Festival.

Filmmaker FAQs | CIFF49

Filmmaker FAQs

The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) reveals this year’s spotlight films to be featured in the line-up of 300 independent films from around the globe. The 49th season runs March 27 - April 5, 2025, at Playhouse Square, followed by CIFF Streams April 6-13, 2025. Explore the complete CIFF49 Film Guide starting February 28th at clevelandfilm.org.

This year's program, curated from over 3,500 submissions, is a testament to the power of independent filmmaking. With representation from 60 countries the program schedule offers diversity in cultural perspectives, storytelling styles, and visual formats.

Mallory Martin, Artistic Director for CIFF, says, "The Festival is an opportunity for artists and audiences to connect and converse about the stories that move us – often these are stories we wouldn’t have access to if not for the Festival.”

Providing a sneak peek into what is ahead at this iconic Cleveland event, Martin and her team reveal CIFF49’s highlights, including spotlight films, world premieres, North American premieres, and U.S. premieres. Several filmmakers are also planning to attend, making their travel arrangements now.

, “A Serious Man”) makes her feature screenwriting/directorial debut with this biting comedy of manners, starring as a newly divorced sober mom who accompanies her Gen Z date to a wedding where things crash and burn (literally) as she tries to keep up with the young wedding party. 

Directed byAmy Landecker.Produced by Amy Landecker, Bradley Whitford, Valerie Stadler, Jenica Bergere, and James Portolese. English with Closed Captions. 2025. 

(Thursday, March 27 at 7:00pm, Connor Palace).

Centerpiece: MARLEE MATLIN: NOT ALONE ANYMORE 

- Marlee Matlin is an Oscar®-winning, Emmy-nominated Deaf actress, though fame came to her quite suddenly with her breakout performance in “Children of a Lesser God” at the age of 21. Learn how she fought through the naysayers and troubled, in-the-spotlight relationships to become a venerated philanthropist and a household name. 

Directed by Shoshannah Stern. Produced by Robyn Kopp, Justine Nagan, Bonni Cohen, and Shoshannah Stern. English and ASL with Open Captions. 2024.

(Tuesday, April 1 at 7:30pm, KeyBank State Theatre)

 - André Holland (“Moonlight”), Nicole Beharie (“Miss Juneteenth”), and DeWanda Wise (

) strike a perfect balance in Rachael Abigail Holder’s sensitive, wryly funny dramedy about a trio of Black friends-slash-lovers who are just trying to cope in a rapidly gentrifying Brooklyn. 

Directed by Rachael Abigail Holder. Produced by André Holland, Kate Sharp, Patrick Wengler, Maurice Anderson, and Liza Zusman. English. 2025. 

(Saturday, April 5 at 7:30pm, KeyBank State Theatre)

 - For generations, the government has forcefully stripped away the rights and identities of the Esk’etemc, Gitxsan, and Wet’suwet’en territories within Canada, leaving behind unceasing ripples of trauma. But as this defiant documentary shows, they’ll never strip away these tribes’ souls. 

Directed by Zaya Benazzo and Maurizio Benazzo. Produced by Zaya Benazzo, Maurizio Benazzo, and Finley MacNeil. English with Closed Captions. 2024.

(Tuesday, April 1 at 5:15pm, Allen Theatre)

 - In this experimental omnibus documentary, filmmaker Catalina Alvarez paints a picture of small-town America as she chronicles the centuries-long history of Yellow Springs, Ohio. The stories, ranging from comical to disquieting and everything in between, point to a rich community demanding to be heard. 

Directed and Produced by Catalina Alvarez. English with Closed Captions. 2025. 

(Saturday, April 5 at 5:10pm, Upper Allen)

 - As the world teeters on the edge of destruction, a roadkill collector and an excommunicated priest make their way through an apocalyptic hellscape in search of a way out. From the director of the heralded werewolf drama “Good Manners”—CIFF42 comes another genre-busting masterpiece of the surreal. 

Directed by Marco Dutra. Produced by Lourenço Sant’Anna and Rodrigo Teixeira. Portuguese and Chinese with English subtitles. 2024. 

(Thursday, April 3 at 9:45pm, Upper Allen)

 - Acclaimed writer/director Milko Lazarov (“Ága”) spins this humanistic, magical realist yarn—marvelously shot by Kaloyan Bozhilov—about a quiet, widowed villager who must protect his extraordinary, gifted daughter from the scorn and pitchforks of superstitious locals. 

Directed by Milko Lazarov. Produced by Veselka Kiryakova. Bulgarian with English subtitles. 2024.

(Thursday, April 3 at 2:35pm, Upper Allen)

 - In snowy St. Petersburg, an unlikely friendship emerges amidst political upheaval when Georgian immigrant Madea purchases an apartment for a steal—only to realize she must share the space with the curmudgeonly old Russian owner. Rusudan Glurjidze’s haunted second feature deftly navigates the refugee crisis and what it means to have your life uprooted time and time again. 

Directed by Rusudan Glurjidze. Produced by Zurab Magalashvili, Manana Shevardnadze, Andrey Epifanov, Tanya Petrik, Jussi Myllyniemi, and UschFeldges. Georgian, Russian, and English with English subtitles. 2024.

 - Filmmaker Leila Amini followed her sister Nasreen around with a camera for seven years, capturing her covert mission to become a famous singer. But an unsupportive husband, family pressure, and Iran’s oppressive stranglehold on female expression threatens Nasreen’s happiness every step of the way. 

Directed by Leila Amini. Produced by Afsaneh Salari, Vadim Jendreyko, and Leila Amini. Persian language with English subtitles. 2024. 

(Friday, March 28 at 5:15pm, Allen Theatre)

 - In this taut psychological drama about the ripples of assault, a Turkish woman is attacked at a roadhouse while on her way to her wedding in Kosovo. But the festivities must go on, and we are observers to Gülizar’s emotional turmoil of what to do, who to tell, and how to hold your head up high. 

Directed by Belkıs Bayrak. Produced by Mehmet Bahadır Er, Belkıs Bayrak, and Murat Yaşar Bayrak. Turkish and Albanian with English subtitles. 2024.

 - In this claustrophobic thriller ripped from the headlines, newlyweds Olya and Taras are just getting settled into their new Kiev home when the Russians attack. Now they must stay perfectly silent within the confines of their apartment—cut off from the outside world—without tipping off the invading forces of their presence. 

Directed by Zhanna Ozirna. Produced by Dmytro Sukhanov. Ukrainian with English subtitles. 2024. 

MY CHEST IS FULL OF SPARKS (Mi pecho está lleno de centellas)

 - Life doesn’t always go as planned. After the death of the family patriarch, mother and child go separate ways to find themselves—she crosses the ocean to pursue the singing career she left behind, while filmmaker Gal realizes they are transgender—in this collage of video diaries. 

Directed by Gal S. Castellanos. Produced by Eduardo Esquivel, Omar Robles, Metzli Paulina Ibarra, and Gal S. Castellanos. Spanish and Turkish with English subtitles. 2024. 

(Monday, March 31 at 5:20pm, Mimi Ohio Theatre)

 - The remarkable adaptation of Shuang Xuetao’s novel marks the directorial debut of actor-turned-director Dong Zijian. When a diverted flight reunites Limo with a childhood best friend, An Delie, who no longer remembers him, their journey through snowbound northeastern China unlocks long-buried memories, forcing him to confront the lingering ghosts of his past in this poignant tale of friendship, family, and forgiveness. 

Directed by Dong Zijian. Produced by Juan Wan. Mandarin with English subtitles. 2024. 

(Wednesday, April 2 at 11:50am & Thursday, April 3 at 5:00pm, KeyBank State Theatre)

 - Nothing looms over a city like the presence of death. While investigating a mysterious series of sandstorms that have laid a permanent cover over the seaside, a journalist comes face to face with his wife’s ghost—a victim of the Algerian Civil War—in this haunting science-fiction drama. 

Directed by Dania Reymond-Boughenou. Produced by Jérémy Forni and Camille Chandellier. French and Arabic with English subtitles. Audio description. 2024. 

(Saturday, April 5 at 5:05pm, Allen Theatre)

In addition to this list of highlights, the Festival is proud to share that it will continue the longstanding tradition of celebrating Ohio films and filmmakers in the category of Local Heroes, in which filmmakers with regional ties compete for a prize of $7,500.

One of the largest and longest running festivals in the country, CIFF awards a total of $130,000 in prizes. Jurors include: 

Alejandra Martinez, Bilgesu Sisman, and Lediona Kasapi 

for the George Gund III Memorial Central and Eastern European Competition; 

Cassidy Dimon, Karim Ahmad, Set Hernandez 

for the Portrait Documentary Competition; 

Jourdain Searles, Zuri Obi, and Ingrid Raphaël 

Sharon Badal, Tiffany Alexander, and Jimmy Woody

, by phone at 1.877.304.FILM, or in person starting Friday, March 7th at 11:00 am ET for members, and Friday, March 14th at 11:00 am ET for the public. Tickets can also be purchased on site at the Film Festival Box Office in the KeyBank State Theatre Lobby at Playhouse Square (based on seat availability).

 Individual tickets for in-person screenings are $18 per person, with package deals available for those planning to see multiple films.

The CIFF49 Film Guide launches February 28th with details on 300 films. Find it online at 

 or pick up a physical copy at various locations, including public libraries.

Please note: CIFF members receive a printed Film Guide as a membership benefit.

CIFF members enjoy a range of benefits, including early access to tickets and parking passes, invitations to private special events, discounts on merchandise, and more. To learn about membership or to become a member, visit 

The Cleveland International Film Festival is generously supported by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. The Festival also receives support from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically,1 through state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature.

About the Cleveland International Film Festival: Now entering its 49th year, the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to showcasing the best in independent cinema. CIFF offers year-round programming, including the annual film festival, educational initiatives, and community screenings. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Visit us online at www.clevelandfilm.org (http://www.clevelandfilm.org)

Media Contact: Dahlia Fisher, dahlia@clevelandfilm.org

Discover the spotlight films for the 49th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF), featuring exciting world, North American, and U.S. premieres!  Explore 300 independent films from around the globe March 27 - April 13, 2025. Get your tickets now!

CIFF49 Spotlight Films Revealed! | Cleveland International Film Festival

CIFF49 Spotlight Films Revealed!

The Cleveland International Film Festival is now accepting
submissions for CIFF49.

Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) Announces CIFF49 Call for Entries

The Cleveland International Film Festival is proud to announce the appointment of Hermione Malone as its new Executive Director.