This is one of Cleveland’s best cultural events. There are about 200 movies presented in hundreds of screenings over a week and a half. In addition, there are a couple hundred additional shorts and for the second year a selection of interactive media (VR, videogames. . .).

The vast majority of the screenings are at Tower City Cinemas, but this year there are screenings at The Capitol Theater, the Cleveland Cinematheque, the Beachland Ballroom, Nightlight theater in Akron and more.

Many of the movies are followed by interesting discussions, often with help from the festival’s many community partners. Many other films offer a chance to speak with the movie’s subjects or filmmakers.

The movies are from all over the world, from all over the United States and from Ohio and Cleveland, too. Documentaries cover important themes and represent oft-underrepresented groups. Other films span the entire spectrum of filmmaking: horror, drama, comedy. . . The worst part of attending the festival is facing the festival schedule and the tasking of winnowing it down into a number of films that still leaves some time for sleep.

On the other hand, it’s also easy to head down to Tower City and rely on serendipity. (If you’re a first time festival attendee, it’s worth reviewing the stand-by system. In some cases, it will be necessary to get there one hour early to buy a stand-by ticket. 95%+ of the time, all stand-by ticket holders are admitted and 100% of the time most stand-by ticket holders are admitted.)

http://www.clevelandfilm.org/