Apr 9, 2017 - Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award ... Page 3 .... Martin Howard, Ken Alexander, Jeremy Mayer, Doug
CELEBRATING 41 YEARS CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
MARCH 29–APRIL 9, 2017 TOWER CITY CINEMAS
PRESENTED BY DOLLAR BANK
WINNERS
over $100,000 in cash prizes
FEATURE FILMS $15,000 Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award for Best Film
Presented with generous support from the Callahan Foundation
B IG SONIA
Directed by Leah Warshawski, Todd Soliday (USA)
$10,000 George Gund III Memorial Central and Eastern European Competition
Presented with generous support from The George Gund Foundation
ANISHOARA
Directed by Ana-Felicia Scutelnicu (Germany, Moldova)
ReelWomenDirect Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman
Presented with generous support from Deborah Bachman Ratner
DANIELLE MILLER AND JULIA THORNDIKE
for BURN THE SHIPS (USA)
Nesnadny + Schwartz Portrait Documentary Competition May The Schwartz Be With You Director’s Award Presented with generous support from Nesnadny + Schwartz
T HE PEACEMAKER
Directed by James Demo (USA)
$7,500 American Independents Competition
Presented with generous support from Mike and Nicki Cancelliere
SEPTEMBER 12TH
THE UNIMAGINABLE JOURNEY OF PETER ERTEL
Directed by David Heinz (USA)
Global Health Competition
Presented by The Cleveland Foundation
STUMPED
Directed by Robin Berghaus (USA)
Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Competition
Presented with generous support from The George Gund Foundation
CITY OF JOY
Directed by Madeleine Gavin (Democratic Republic of the Congo, USA)
$2,000 FilmSlam Student Choice Award for Best Feature Film
Presented with generous support from OverDrive
JEFFREY
Directed by Yanillys Perez (Dominican Republic, France)
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Local Heroes Competition
Presented with generous support from Tom Piraino and Barbara McWilliams
Directed by Joseph Cahn (USA)
Music Movies Competition
Presented with generous support from Jules and Fran Belkin
SCORE: A FILM MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Directed by Matt Schrader (USA)
New Direction Competition
Presented with generous support from CoverMyMeds
DAYVEON
Directed by Amman Abbasi (USA)
SHORT FILMS $1,000 Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film Sponsored by CIFF
THE ILLUMINATION
Directed by Tom Scott (USA)
Best Animated Short Award*
Sponsored by Reminger Co., L.P.A.
MY HEART ATTACK
Directed by Sheldon Cohen (Canada)
Best Comedy Short Award
Endowed by David K. Ream
FANNY PACK
Directed by Uttera Singh (USA)
Best Women’s Short Award
Sponsored by Jinny and John Johnson
HE SAID
Directed by Tara Lynn Orr (USA)
The Clover and Maggie Award: In Celebration of Life Sponsored by Barbara Hawley and David Goodman
THE MARGARET LAMBERT FILM Directed by Nina Horowitz (USA)
FilmSlam Student Choice Award for Best Short Film
Sponsored by OverDrive
TWEEN
Best Documentary Short Award*
Directed by Raven Johnson (USA)
ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND BEATING HEARTS
Programmers’ Choice Award: In Celebration of the Life of Toni Oliverio
Sponsored by Jules and Fran Belkin Directed by Peter Byck (USA)
Best International Short Award
Sponsored by MP Star Financial
SPEECHLESS
Sponsored by The Sloop Family
MY MOM AND THE GIRL
Directed by Susie Singer Carter (USA)
Directed by Robin Polak (Germany)
The Spalding and Jackson Award: In Celebration of Joy
Best LGBT Short Award: Given in Celebration of the Life of Nikki Babbit
THE LITTLE DICTATOR
Sponsored by Jan and Harold Babbit
Sponsored by Marcie Goodman and John C. Williams Directed by Nurith Cohn (Israel)
PRINCESSBOY
Directed by Sosi Chamoun (Sweden)
Best Live Action Short Award*
Sponsored by Anne Bloomberg and Alan Gordon Lipson & Judy Harris
*These award winners will qualify for consideration in the Short Films categories of the annual Academy Awards.®
THE WHOLE WORLD
Directed by Julián Quintanilla (Spain)
Best Ohio Short Award
Sponsored by Ulmer & Berne
THE COLLINWOOD FIRE
Directed by Daniel Houghton (USA)
Best Student Short Award
Sponsored by MP Star Financial
ZAAR
Directed by Ibrahim Nada (USA)
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Approximately 2,000 Festival attendees gathered around The Grand Staircase in Tower City Center for the Closing Night Ceremonies, with an additional 5,000 joining via live stream.
CIFF41 STATS
AT TENDANCE
106,504 CHALLENGE MATCH ANNUAL CAMPAIGN
in partnership with Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
$167,350 The Cleveland International Film Festival is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
FUL L-TIME S TA FF
8
BOARD MEMBERS
41
MEDIA & NEIGHBORHOOD OU T RE ACH PA R T NERS
70
COUN T RIE S OF ORIGIN
71
NON-PROFIT COMMUNITY PARTNERS
180
SPON SORS & FUNDERS
185
FE AT URE FIL M S
202
SHORT FILMS
216
V IR T UA L RE A LIT Y FIL M S SEASONAL STAFF
14 300
SCREENINGS
520 +
VOLUNTEERS
1,000 +
INTERACTIVE MEDIA PROJECTS VISITING FILMMAKERS
8 325
MEMBERS
1,510
FIL M S L A M S T UDEN T S
9,300
ABOUT THE CIFF
THE FILM FESTIVAL
“The CIFF is the core of the opportunity.” -JINNY JOHNSON, CIFF BOARD OF DIRECTORS THE FILM FESTIVAL STAFF
“I’ve never seen so many people virtually unable to individually separate from the moment. It’s one entity – feeding off the goodwill of the people, and the joy of another cinematic summit conquered. It’s another statuette for achievement in small-group miracle making. And best of all, everyone knows (and sees) that you guys all have something that will last a lifetime. It’s the greatest thing to witness, and it’s the one family reunion I hope I never miss.” -TIM PIAI, THOMAS J. COLTMAN FOUNDATION CAPTIONS FOR THE PHOTOS ON THE RIGHT
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Opening Night film CALIFORNIA TYPEWRITER special guests (left to right) Martin Howard, Ken Alexander, Jeremy Mayer, Doug Nichol, and Richard Polt.
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CIFF41 brought year two of Perspectives to Tower City Center. The exhibition featured 14 virtual reality films, 8 interactive media projects, and a handful of additional platforms to explore immersive storytelling.
CIFF41 PHOTOS
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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS, PARTNERS, AND DONORS FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT OF CIFF41 PRESENTING SPONSOR
DIAMOND SPONSORS
PLATINUM SPONSORS
FOUNDATION SUPPORT
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SAPPHIRE SPONSORS
APO W. BAZIDI Director, RESISTANCE IS LIFE
“We tell stories to connect and inspire one another. CIFF took the stories from the screens to the community to allow people to take action together to change the world. It’s the ultimate reward for filmmakers to see their work go from screens to the community. This is the love and community that every filmmaker, artist, and activist needs to have behind them.”
THOMAS LENNON Director, SACRED
“The Cleveland International Film Festival was a remarkable event: truly hospitable and a beautifully wide, eclectic mix of strong films. But most impressive for me were the audiences: regular viewers, not industry, there for one reason only: because they love film. You could really feel that.”
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
BRONZE SPONSORS R
MAJOR INDIVIDUAL DONORS James Anderson and David Wit tkowsky
Jinny and John Johnson
Anonymous
Donna and Stewar t Kohl
Jules and Fran Belkin
Toby Devan Lewis
Tim and Nancy Callahan
Tom Piraino and Barbara McWilliams
Mike and Nicki Cancelliere
Julie and Peter Raskind
John and Allyn Davies
Alber t Ratner
Lauren Rich Fine and Gary Giller
Deborah Bachman Ratner
Char and Chuck Fowler
David K. Ream
Alistair and Joyce Fy fe
Mark Smith and Janet Rosel Smith
Rochelle and Harley Gross
Ted and Susan
Nance Hikes and Michael Melampy
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
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OFFICIAL SPONSORS
HOTEL PARTNERS
HOSPITALITY SPONSORS
MEDIA PARTNERS P
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NEIGHBORHOOD OUTREACH SPONSORS
FILM SPONSORS
James Anderson and David Wittkowsky
Art and Carol Anton
Pam Cerio Design
Mike Fluellen Char and Chuck Fowler Bill and Rose DeCapite
Alistair and Joyce Fyfe
Jo and Mark Goren Lynn Gottlob
Scott and Kate Gaines Debra S. Gold
Bill Plesec and Susan Stechschulte
Ted and Susan Joan Tompkins and William Busta Mark and Diane Trubiano
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STRASSMAN INSURANCE SERVICES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM Sponsored by This program builds and strengthens partnerships with other nonprofits by connecting them to films in the Festival that line up with the organizations’ missions.
AARP Cleveland
Cleveland Asian Festival
CWRU AIDS Clinical Trails Unit
Achievement Centers for Children Cleveland Comedy Festival
DANCECleveland
After-School All-Stars
Cleveland Council on World Affairs
Dartmouth Club of Northeast Ohio
Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter
The Alive Inside Foundation Alzheimer’s Association America SCORES Cleveland American Cancer Society American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center Cleveland Hiking Club Cleveland Hungarian Development Panel
Anti-Defamation League
Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque
Artists Archives of the Western Reserve
Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank
Asian Services in Action, Inc. Autism Speaks Be the Match Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging Brite Winter BVU: The Center for Nonprofit Excellence CANAPI Canine Partners for Life Canton Film Festival Canton Palace Theatre Carmella Rose Health Foundation Center for Arts-Inspired Learning The Center for Health Affairs The Centers for Families and Children
Cleveland Leadership Center Cleveland Museum of Art Cleveland Orchestra Cleveland Print Room Cleveland Public Library Cleveland Public Theatre Cleveland Rape Crisis Center Cleveland State University Diversity Management Program
Community Assessment and Treatment Services Community Partnership for Arts and Culture Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park Consolato d’Italia Detroit Consolato On d’Italia Cleveland & Ohio
ChamberFest Cleveland
Consulate of Sweden Cleveland Ohio
Cleveland Area Mensa
Contemporary Art Society of the Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland Arts Education Consortium
Countryside Conservancy
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Dobama Theatre Earth Day Coalition Engage! Cleveland Equality Ohio Equality Toledo Foundation Center Midwest Global Cleveland Global Ties Akron Graffiti HeArt Great Lakes Science Center Great Lakes Theater Greater Cleveland Film Commission
Greater Cleveland Urban Cleveland-Bratislava Sister Cities Film Festival
Chagrin Documentary Film Festival
City Club of Cleveland
Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio
Cuyahoga River Restoration
GroundWorks DanceTheater HandsOn Northeast Ohio Heights Arts Heights Christian Church Heights Community Congress Heights Libraries/Friends of Heights Libraries Heights Youth Theatre The Hispanic Roundtable HOLA Honorary Consulate General of Romania in Ohio Human Rights Campaign
TONI MULLEE THE UP SIDE OF DOWNS
“Participation in the Film Fest is always a great experience for us. We appreciate the exposure it brings to our organization and are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this great CLE event. Thanks!”
ANGELA REAGINS MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HIGH SCHOOL
“The African Diaspora shorts program was excellent! Thank you again for providing the opportunity for students to attend FilmSlam and experience the CIFF. Thank you for educating, encouraging, and inspiring young scholars to share their stories.”
ICA–Art Conservation
North Coast Men’s Chorus
Stocker Arts Center
Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence
North Union Farmers Market
Stokes: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future
Ingenuity Cleveland
Northeast Ohio Consortium for Middle East Studies
International Institute of Akron
Northeast Ohio Sierra Club
InterReligious Task Force on Central America & Colombia
Nueva Luz Urban Resource Center
IPM (International Partners in Mission)
OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates, Greater Cleveland Chapter
Irish Network Cleveland, Ohio The Junior League of Cleveland
Ohio Fair Trade Network
Kol Israel Foundation
Ohio Regional Music, Arts, and Cultural Outreach
Lake Erie Ink
Old Stone Church
LATINA, Inc.
Our Lady of the Wayside
League of Women Voters of the Akron Area
PFLAG Cleveland
Legal Aid Society of Cleveland Leukemia and Lymphoma Society LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland
Playwrights Local
Margie’s Hope
Ten Thousand Villages Towards Employment Tyrian Network The Up Side of Downs of Northeast Ohio Urban Squash Cleveland U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
Pride in the CLE
Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio
Recovery Resources
Mandel JCC Cleveland Jewish FilmFest
Swedish Cultural Society
Vasa Order of America: Polish-American Cultural Center Nobel-Monitor Lodge 130
The Links, Incorporated, Cleveland Chapter
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce–Greater Ohio Region
Valley Art Center
Progressive Arts Alliance
Malachi House
SVU Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences Cleveland
Plexus LGBT and Allied Chamber of Commerce
Lifebanc
Magnolia Clubhouse
Susan G. Komen Northeast Ohio
The Refugee Response Refugee Services Collaborative of Greater Cleveland Rescue Village River’s Edge Rock & Roll Hall of Fame+Museum
Waterloo Arts West Side Catholic Center Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society Western Reserve Land Conservancy Windsong, Cleveland’s Feminist Chorus Women’s Happy Hour (WH2)
Rocky River Public Library
Young Latino Network
Roots of American Music
YWCA Greater Cleveland
MOCA Cleveland
Saint Martin de Porres High School
Zonta Club of Cleveland
MotivAsians
Seeds of Literacy
The Music Settlement
Shore Cultural Centre
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Greater Cleveland
Sistah Sinema
Metro Catholic School Milestones Autism Resources
National Council of Jewish Women/Cleveland National Organization for Women–Cleveland Chapter
Social Justice Institute of Case Western Reserve University Society of Professional Journalists, Cleveland Chapter Sokol Greater Cleveland
Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
SPACES
Night Market Cleveland
A Special Wish Foundation Cleveland Chapter
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CIFF41 PHOTOS
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DIANE RANKIN JACKSON HIGH SCHOOL
“CIFF’s FilmSlam is one of our most favorite field trips we take and we are already looking forward to next year. Thank you for all that you do to make it an amazing experience for my students! ” CAPTIONS FOR THE PHOTOS ON THE LEFT A.O. Scott, film critic for The New York Times, was the recipient of CIFF’s
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inaugural Distinguished Award of Appreciation. Mr. Scott was also the featured guest for a CIFF Special Presentation, which was a one-on-one conversation with The Plain Dealer’s Joanna Connors.
D/E
Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Steve James was honored with the CIFF41 Director’s Spotlight Award. In addition to a retrospective of his work, ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL was screened at this year’s Festival.
F/G
CIFF² (Cleveland International Film Festival Connecting and Illuminating Future Filmmakers) showcased the works of underrepresented filmmakers, focusing on women of color directors in its inaugural year. In order to create more opportunities for their work to be impactful, while simultaneously promoting the education of future filmmakers, CIFF² paired a select group of these women with local, female teenage film students.
DOUG BLUSH NESNADNY + SCHWARTZ PORTRAIT DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION JUROR
“CIFF41 was a total joy. There are very few other festivals where so much fun combines with so much serious discussion of the craft of filmmaking. Thank you for a fantastic time!” CAPTIONS FOR THE PHOTOS ON THE RIGHT
A
Filmmakers and patrons took advantage of the Festival’s Chat Room where extended Q&As took place.
B
Joe Purdy performs following the screening of SEPTEMBER 12TH at the Beachland Ballroom & Tavern.
C
Carla LynDale Carter welcomes audience members of VOICES OF THE HILL at the Akron Art Museum.
D
CIFF41 volunteers pose on the Grand Staircase on Closing Day of CIFF41.
CIFF41 PHOTOS
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FILMSLAM
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CELEBRATING ITS 25TH 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.
CAPTIONS FOR THE PHOTOS ABOVE
A
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B/C
(Front row left to right) FilmSlam Director Beth Steele Radisek stands with film subjects Lulie and Gordon Gund following the screening of THE ILLUMINATION as part of FilmSlam’s International Shorts program. CIFF41 welcomed 9,300 students spanning 200+ classes and representing 109 schools from across Northeast Ohio.
2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Officers Nancy Callahan............ President Jules Belkin................. V ice President of Development Chris S.W. Blake.......... Vice President of Strategic Planning William E. Koeth.......... Vice President of Finance Kevin Poor................... Vice President of Marketing Scot t Gaines................ Secretary
Joe Arezone
Lisa King
Cher yl Bailey
Lisa Kreiger
Frank Bird III
Gregg Levine
Anne E. Bloomberg
Toby Devan Lewis
John J. Boyle III
Alan Gordon Lipson
Rober t Br yan
Joyce Mar tin-Fy fe
William Bus ta
Kerr y McCormack*
Pat Cirillo
Todd Mesek
Odell Coleman
Sandra Morgan
Tom Cook
Tim Piazza
John Davies
Sarah Rathke
Timothy J. Downing
David K. Ream
Lauren Rich Fine
Ivan Schwarz*
Char Fowler
Mark Smith
Jerr y Frant z
Roy Turnell
Debra S. Gold
Byron P. White
Lynn Got tlob
Beth Yates
Dean Ilijasic Jinny Johnson
*Ex officio
Sawssan Khour y
EXECUTIVE STAFF Debby Samples Dzioba
Allie Freeman
Marcie Goodman
Bill Guent zler
Marketing & Media Director debby@ clevelandfilm.org
Development Manager allie@ clevelandfilm.org
Executive Director marcie@ clevelandfilm.org
Artistic Director bill@ clevelandfilm.org
Debbie “Sheepie” Marshall
Mallor y Mar tin
Beth Steele Radisek
Patrick Shepherd
Membership Director & Operations Manager
Director of Programming & Projection
Special Programs Director: FilmSlam, Submissions,
Associate Director patrick@ clevelandfilm.org
marshall@ clevelandfilm.org
mallory@ clevelandfilm.org
Volunteers beth@ clevelandfilm.org
MISSION The mission of the Cleveland International Film Festival is to promote artistically and
CIFF MEMBERSHIP & CIFF MERCHANDISE are available online at clevelandfilm.org
culturally significant film arts through education and exhibition to enrich the life of the community. In other words, the CIFF presents the newest and best films from around the world and does everything in its power to make sure its audience learns something along the way—about other cultures, about the community, about the experience from the filmmakers themselves.
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