The 32nd Annual Cleveland International Film Festival kicks off on Thursday and runs from March 6-16th this year. 130 feature films and 160 short films will be shown this year. The event is being held downtown at the Tower City Theaters and is the largest film festival in state of Ohio.

Here is the information on the event from their official website:

WHAT:
The 32nd Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF)
Presented by the Cleveland Film Society
www.clevelandfilm.org or 216.623.FILM (3456)

WHEN:
March 6 – 16, 2008

WHERE:
Tower City Cinemas at Tower City Center in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio

WHY:
32 Years! How Will It Change You? For the past 32 years, the CIFF has been the premier film event in Ohio. Today the CIFF presents a full survey of contemporary international and American Independent filmmaking, with more than 120 features and over 100 short subjects from more than 50 countries.

In addition to the main World Tour program, there are special sections that add interest and diversity to the overall Festival and help attendees navigate the offerings. These include Standing Up (films with a conscience), American Independents, Documentaries, Eastern European films, 10% Cinema films (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender), Pan-African Images, Cinema En Español, Family Films, Jewish and Israeli Visions, Pacific Pearls, and Scandinavian Screenings . And once again the CIFF will include a Local Heroes section, which spotlights works by local filmmakers.

This year’s sidebars include It’s Easy Being Green (films dealing with environmental issues), Music Movies, Oh Canada, and Women’s Films. Dozens of filmmakers and other special guests attend the CIFF where they introduce their screenings, discuss their work, and participate in FilmForums (which are panel discussions that give audience members a chance to talk about the films they’ve seen at the Festival). Other Festival components include:

• Director’s Spotlight - the CIFF shines a deserved spotlight on a director whose career warrants an in-depth look.

• Someone To Watch – the CIFF focuses on a handful of early or mid-career filmmakers by screening their latest work with an earlier film.

• Cultural Journeys – a CIFF program that opens windows onto other diverse worlds. This year Cultural Journeys will focus on China.

• FilmSlam – a mini-festival of CIFF films for high school students.

Again this year the CIFF is privileged to present the Eastern European Film Competition, with a $10,000 cash prize, and the Nesnadny + Schwartz Documentary Film Competition, with a $5,000 cash prize. Each competition will be judged by three jurors and the awards will be announced on Closing Night of the 32nd CIFF.

The CIFF is also privileged to present its Greg Gund Memorial Program. Endowed by the George Gund Foundation, this permanent section of the CIFF will include the screening of a film and the presentation of the Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Film Competition, with a $5,000 cash prize (Greg is the son of George Gund, one of the founding trustees of the CIFF).

This year the CIFF will be teaming up with the Cuyahoga County Public Library to present “From The Page To The Projector,” which will highlight a person that is involved with both the literary and film worlds. The first recipient will be Michael Cunningham.

WHO:
Annual attendance for the 11-day CIFF has climbed to nearly 53,000. Patrons can vote on the feature films they see and determine the recipient of the Roxanne T. Mueller Award (the internationally recognized CIFF audience choice award).

HOW:
Program Guides will be available in mid-February and ticket sales will begin at that time (www.clevelandfilm.org). Tickets go on sale to members only on February 18th — one week before they go on sale to the general public on February 25th. Because advance tickets for many screenings sell quickly, patrons are advised to purchase tickets as early as possible. And the best way to ensure a seat at the Festival is to become a Cleveland Film Society member – especially at a passholder level.

INFO:
Debby Samples, Marketing & Membership Director
Call: 216.623.3456 x14
Fax: 216.623.0103
E-mail: debby@clevelandfilm.org
Website: www.clevelandfilm.org