The 44th Cleveland International Film Festival will be held March 25 - April 5, 2020 at Tower City Cinemas in Cleveland, Ohio.
In the spring of 2019, CIFF43 featured 450 films originating from 71 countries and an attendance of 105,839 film-lovers - making CIFF Ohio's premier film event and one of the largest and longest running regional film festivals in the US.
CIFF is one of the few Academy Award® qualifying festivals in the world for all three categories of short films – live action, animated, and documentary. CIFF is also one of the only festivals that continues to provide written feedback from our screening team. This past year, CIFF gave cash awards totaling over $125,000 to the winning filmmakers of 30 different competitions.
“The Cleveland International Film Festival may very well be the best kept secret in the festival world. No red carpets, no photo calls. And yet they somehow manage to pack theaters for several screenings in a row. Plus they make it easy for you to watch films, they offer food and drinks around the clock, and everyone goes out of their way to assist you with anything you might need. No one is stressed or arrogant or ignorant, everyone is in good moods and sincerely friendly, sharp, and efficient. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone – in today’s world, almost unbelievable. It’s a well-oiled machine dedicated to cinema, made of an army of caring humans.”
– Christina Kallas, Director, THE RAINBOW EXPERIMENT
“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.”
– Thomas Lennon, Director, SACRED
“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.”
– Apo W. Bazidi, Director, RESISTANCE IS LIFE
Feature Film Awards:
Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film
Cash Award: $15,000
ReelWomenDirect Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman
Cash Award: $10,000
George Gund III Memorial Central and Eastern European Competition
Cash Award: $10,000
Nesnadny + Schwartz Portrait Documentary Competition
Cash Award: $10,000
New Direction Competition
Cash Award: $10,000
International Narrative Competition
Cash Award: $7,500
American Independents Competition
Cash Award: $7,500
Local Heroes Competition
Cash Award: $7,500
Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Competition
Cash Award: $7,500
Ad Hoc Docs Competition
Cash Award: $7,500
Global Health Competition
Cash Award: $7,500
Music Movies Competition
Cash Award: $7,500
FilmSlam Student Choice Award for Best Feature Film
Cash Award: $2,000
Short Film Awards:
All awards have a $1,000 cash prize. The Best Live-Action Short Award, Best Animated Short Award, and Best Documentary Short Award winners will qualify for consideration in the short films category of the Annual Academy Awards®.
Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film
Best Live-Action Short Award
Best Animated Short Award
Best Documentary Short Award
The Clover and Maggie Award: In Celebration of Life
The Sammy Award for the Short Film with the Biggest Heart
The Spalding and Jackson Award: In Celebration of Joy
Best After Hours Short
Best Comedy Short Award
Best International Short Award
Best LGBT Short Award
Best Ohio Short Award
Best Student Short Award
Best Women's Short Award
Programmer's Choice Award
FilmSlam Student Choice Award for Best Short
Perspectives Award for Immersive Storytelling (for New Media content only)