January 19, 2019

CIFF Expanding Footprint in Two Arts Districts

Support from PNC Bank Will Create Festival Hubs in University Circle, Gordon Square

CLEVELAND, Jan. 21, 2019 - The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is thrilled to announce that this year there will be more to the Festival than ever before. In addition to its 500+ screenings at our longtime downtown home base,Tower City Cinemas, CIFF is making exciting changes to the scope of its footprint with the creation of two new Festival hubs – CIFF East and CIFF West. The new locations will expand the CIFF's presence in our city and showcase two of Cleveland’s thriving arts districts: University Circle on the east side and Gordon Square Arts District in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood on the west side.

CIFF East and CIFF West screenings are presented with generous support from PNC Bank.

“University Circle and Gordon Square have experienced a tremendous amount of growth in recent years and have become gathering places for people from across the region,” said Paul Clark, PNC regional president of Cleveland. “The Film Festival draws such a diverse audience that it’s fitting to expand the world-class experience to these thriving Cleveland neighborhoods.”

CIFF West will debut the first weekend of CIFF43 on the evening of Thursday, March 28, followed by two full days of programming Friday, March 29, and Saturday, March 30. Screenings will take place at the beautifully renovated Near West Theatre and the historic Capitol Theatre.

“We are extremely pleased to be a part of the Cleveland International Film Festival,” said Councilman Matt Zone who represents the Gordon Square area. “The Near West Theatre and the Capitol Theatre are perfect fits for this world-class Festival. I applaud the organizers for bringing our city neighborhoods into a spectacular limelight.”

CIFF East will offer programming the second weekend of the Festival, kicking off on the evening of Thursday, April 4, followed by two full days of programming Friday, April 5, and Saturday, April 6. Screenings will take place at the internationally renowned Cleveland Museum of Art and at the beloved Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

“We are thrilled that the Cleveland International Film Festival has chosen University Circle as the East Festival Hub for CIFF43 as it expands beyond downtown,” said Chris Ronayne, president of University Circle Inc. “We see this as an opportunity to welcome CIFF attendees to University Circle and to partner with CIFF to further engage audiences in Cleveland and beyond.”

CIFF Executive Director Marcie Goodman noted, “We are proud and excited to establish residencies in two premier arts districts within the City of Cleveland. Complementing our presence in Downtown Cleveland with these additional locations will result in a very robust CIFF43.”

PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.

The 43rd Cleveland International Film Festival will be held March 27 – April 7, 2019. More than 500 screenings will take place during the 12 days of the Festival, with over 300 guest filmmakers from around the world who will be visiting our city for the Festival. CIFF43 program details will be available at clevelandfilm.org on Friday, March 1, with Program Guides hitting the streets the week of March 4 Tickets will go on sale to CIFF Members on Friday, March 8 and to the general public on Friday, March 15. For more information, please 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.

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