CIFF47 Updates
47TH CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
ANNOUNCES JURIED COMPETITIONS AND ADDITIONAL PROGRAM DETAILS
CLEVELAND (Tuesday, February 28, 2023) The 47th Cleveland International Film Festival is delighted to announce its juried competitions. Thirty-two feature films are included in three esteemed competitions, with $30,000 in cash prizes available. In addition, dozens of short films will be included in CIFF’s three Oscar® qualifying categories, with $3,000 in cash prizes available.
JURIED COMPETITIONS
GEORGE GUND III MEMORIAL CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COMPETITION
Thirty-three years ago, CIFF launched a special focus on films from Central and Eastern Europe, the native lands of many Clevelanders. This year CIFF is proud to present the 21st Central and Eastern European Competition. And, for the eleventh year, CIFF will present this competition in loving memory of George Gund III with the support of an endowment from The George Gund Foundation.
Award amount: $10,000 USD
BACKWARDS (Poland, Jacek Lusiński)
BUTTERFLY VISION (Ukraine/Czech Republic/Croatia/Sweden, Maksym Nakonechnyi)
THE HAPPIEST MAN IN THE WORLD (Macedonia/Belgium/Slovenia/Denmark/Croatia/Bosnia/ Herzegovina, Teona Strugar Mitevska)
JANUARY (Latvia/Lithuania/Poland, Viesturs Kairišs)
LARRY (Hungary, Szilárd Bernáth)
MARCH ’68 (Poland, Krzysztof Lang)
ORDINARY FAILURES (Czech Republic/Italy/Hungary/Slovakia, Cristina Groșan)
PAMFIR (Ukraine/France/Poland/Chile, Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk)
R.M.N. (Romania/France/Belgium/Sweden, Cristian Mungiu)
SHTTL (Ukraine/France, Ady Walter)
VALERIE IS GETTING MARRIED (Israel/Ukraine, Michal Vinik)
Jurors: Cigdem Slankard (Cleveland State University), Ula Śniegowska (American Film Festival of Poland), Lauren Thelen (Nashville Film Festival)
NESNADNY + SCHWARTZ PORTRAIT DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The Nesnadny + Schwartz Portrait Documentary Competition is dedicated to the life and work of CIFF board member and friend Mark Schwartz (1956-2014).
For 19 years, CIFF has presented the Nesnadny + Schwartz Documentary Competition. This will be the seventh year we celebrate the life of Mark Schwartz with a sharper focus on portrait documentaries. Like Mark, the subjects in these documentaries are determined, dedicated, and daring. And the films themselves are artistic, passionate, and insightful. This competition is made possible with generous support from Nesnadny + Schwartz.
Award amount: $10,000 USD
ACCIDENTAL LIFE (USA, Henna Taylor)
BEING MARY TYLER MOORE (USA, James Adolphus)
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHERE HITE (USA, Nicole Newnham)
IN THE COMPANY OF ROSE (USA, James Lapine)
IT’S ONLY LIFE AFTER ALL (USA, Alexandria Bombach)
JOONAM (USA, Sierra Urich)
JUDY BLUME FOREVER (USA, Davina Pardo, Leah Wolchok)
LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING (USA, LisaCortés)
MAX ROACH: THE DRUM ALSO WALTZES (USA, SamPollard, Ben Shapiro)
Jurors: Shakira Refos (California Film Institute; Tribeca), Alex Schmider (GLAAD)
NEW DIRECTION COMPETITION
Now in its eighth year, CIFF’s New Direction Competition focuses on debut directors whose innovative films transform the traditional notions of cinematic storytelling.
Award amount: $10,000 USD
AMANDA (Italy, Carolina Cavalli)
CHARCOAL (Brazil/Argentina, Carolina Markowicz)
CHRISSY JUDY (USA, Todd Flaherty)
DAUGHTER OF RAGE (Nicaragua/Mexico/Netherlands/Germany/France/Norway/Spain, Laura Baumeister)
FALCON LAKE (Canada, Charlotte Le Bon)
I HAVE ELECTRIC DREAMS (Belgium/France/Costa Rica, Valentina Maurel)
I LIKE MOVIES (Canada, Chandler Levack)
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY (Dominican Republic, Victoria Linares Villegas)
JOYLAND (Pakistan/USA, Saim Sadiq)
PLAN 75 (Japan/France/Philippines/Qatar, Chie Hayakawa)
SHIMONI (Kenya, Angela Wanjiku Wamai)
THE TUBA THIEVES (USA, Alison O’Daniel)
Jurors: Nick McCarthy (Newfest), Jenny Nulf (Austin Asian American Film Festival), Ruun Nuur (No Evil Eye Cinema)
OSCAR® QUALIFYING SHORT AWARDS
The Cleveland International Film Festival is one of only 34 film festivals world-wide that Oscar® qualify films in all three short film categories. The films that take home jury honors for Best Animated Short, Best Documentary Short, and Best Live-Action Short will become eligible to submit for Oscar® consideration for the 2024 Academy Awards®. CIFF has been an Oscar® qualifying festival since 2009 and has qualified five films that went on to become Oscar® nominees, four of which won: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (CIFF35) - Oscar® winner for Best Animated Short; Curfew (CIFF36) - Oscar® winner for Best Live-Action Short; Bear Story (CIFF39) Oscar® winner for Best Animated Short; Period. End of Sentence. (CIFF42) - Oscar® winner for Best Documentary Short; and The Present (CIFF44) - Oscar® nominee for Best Live-Action Short.
Each of the three Jury Awards for short films includes a cash prize of $1,000 USD.
Jurors: Florentina Almonte (Shorts TV), Milan Chakraborty (Film Producer), Colette Freedman (Author & Scriptwriter)
SHORT FILM SPECIAL PROGRAM
HOMEGROWN: FUTURE VISIONS
The Festival is excited to announce a partnership with HOMEGROWN: Future Visions, a new program presented by Firelight Media, PBS, and the Center for Asian American Media.
HOMEGROWN: Future Visionsis an anthology of eight documentary short films made by emerging BIPOC filmmakers that illuminate the living histories and thriving cultures of the American Midwest. Rooted in the cities of Detroit, Milwaukee, Gary, Minneapolis, Lansing, Lawrence, and Iowa City, each story centers around local residents who are redefining the future of their communities.
The program will premiere at CIFF47 on Saturday, March 25, 2023.
AWARD ARTIST ANNOUNCED
Each year the Cleveland International Film Festival commissions a local artist to create the Festival’s coveted Filmmaker Awards. With more than 25 awards going to filmmakers from across the world, CIFF’s locally designed and produced awards are a calling card of the thriving arts community in Ohio.
CIFF is thrilled to announce that this year’s Award Artist is April Bleakney.
April Bleakney is an artist, entrepreneur, and student of history. After graduating from Kent State University and working in the nonprofit world at the height of the recession, she launched her one-woman creative business, APE MADE, in 2011.
While primarily working as a screen printer, April also creates photographic, hand drawn, and mixed media work. She only utilizes eco-friendly hand printing techniques in her studio. April engages with the community with both teaching and public art projects. She has completed local and international artists residencies and recently created multiple large-scale murals and commissioned artworks.
Filmmaker Awards will be presented throughout the Festival and as part of the Closing Night Ceremony, taking place on Saturday, April 1, 2023.
CIFF47 IMPORTANT DATES
CIFF47 will take place March 22-April 1, 2023 at Playhouse Square, followed by CIFF47 Streams, sponsored by PNC, which will take place April 2-9, 2023 online. The full Festival lineup will be announced on Friday, March 3, 2023. Tickets go on sale to CIFF members on Monday, March 6, 2023and to the public on Friday, March 10, 2023. For information on CIFF, please continue to visit clevelandfilm.org.
The Cleveland International Film Festival is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. Also, the Cleveland International Film Festival is made possible in part by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.
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