March 12, 2021

45th Cleveland International Film Festival Announces Feature Film Juried Competitions

CLEVELAND (Friday, March 12, 2021) The 45th Cleveland International Film Festival is delighted to announce its feature film juried competitions. Twenty-six films are included in three esteemed competitions, with $30,000 in cash prizes available.

GEORGE GUND III MEMORIAL CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COMPETITION
Thirty-one years ago, CIFF launched a special focus on films from Central and Eastern Europe, the native lands of many Clevelanders. This year CIFF is proud to present the 19th Central and Eastern European Competition. And, for the ninth year, CIFF will present this competition in loving memory of George Gund III with the support of an endowment from The George Gund Foundation.

Award amount: $10,000 USD

THE AUSCHWITZ REPORT (Slovakia, Peter Bebjak)
CHARLATAN (Czechia/Ireland/Poland/Slovakia, Agnieszka Holland)
FATHER (Serbia/France/Germany/Croatia/Slovenia/Bosnia and Herzegovina, Srdan Golubović)
GOODBYE SOVIET UNION (Finland/Estonia, Lauri Randla)
HAVEL (Czechia, Slávek Horák)
MASHA (Russia, Anastasiya Palchikova)
PREPARATIONS TO BE TOGETHER FOR AN UNKNOWN PERIOD OF TIME (Hungary, Lili Horvát)
SANREMO (Slovenia/Italy, Miroslav Mandić)

Jurors: Tom Hall (Montclair Film), tt stern-enzi (Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival), and Barbara Twist (Film Festival Alliance)

NESNADNY + SCHWARTZ PORTRAIT DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The Nesnadny + Schwartz Portrait Documentary Competition is dedicated to the life and work of CIFF board member and friend Mark Schwartz (1956-2014).

For 17 years, the CIFF has presented the Nesnadny + Schwartz Documentary Competition. This will be the fifth year we celebrate the life of Mark Schwartz with a sharper focus on portrait documentaries. The subjects in these documentaries are determined, dedicated, and daring. The films themselves are artistic, passionate, and insightful. This competition is made possible with generous support from Nesnadny + Schwartz.

Award amount: $10,000 USD

AMY TAN: UNINTENDED MEMOIR (USA, James Redford)
A COPS AND ROBBERS STORY (United Kingdom/USA, Ilinca Calugareanu)
FOR MADMEN ONLY (USA, Heather Ross)
JACINTA (USA, Jessica Earnshaw)
LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD (USA, Jeremy Workman)
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD (Sweden, Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri)
NO ORDINARY MAN (Canada, Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt)
RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT (USA, Mariem Pérez Riera)
THE SELF PORTRAIT (Norway, Katja Høgset, Margreth Olin, and Espen Wallin)
TRUTH TO POWER: BARBARA LEE SPEAKS FOR ME (USA, Abby Ginzberg)
YES I AM - THE RIC WEILAND STORY (USA, Aaron Bear)

Jurors: Greta Hagen-Richardson (Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival), Abby Sun (DocYard), and Chloe Walters-Wallace (Firelight Media)

NEW DIRECTION COMPETITION
Now in its sixth year, CIFF’s New Direction Competition focuses on debut directors whose innovative films transform the traditional notions of cinematic storytelling. This competition is made possible with generous support from Jules and Fran Belkin.

Award amount: $10,000 USD

KARNAWAL (Argentina/Brazil/Chile/Mexico/Norway, Juan Pablo Felix)
MA BELLE, MY BEAUTY (USA/France, Marion Hill)
MY HEART CAN'T BEAT UNLESS YOU TELL IT TO (USA, Jonathan Cuartas)
THE NIGHT OF THE BEAST (Colombia, Mauricio Leiva-Cock)
THE PINK CLOUD (Brazil, Iuli Gerbase)
SUPERIOR (USA, Erin Vassilopoulos)
UNDERGODS (Estonia/Sweden/Belgium/United Kingdom, Chino Moya)

Jurors: Katie McCullough (Festival Formula), Setu Raval (Film Independent), and Joe Yanick (Yellow Veil Pictures)

CIFF45 STREAMS
CIFF45 Streams will be held entirely online April 7-20, 2021 at clevelandfilm.org. The Festival will consist of hundreds of films, filmmaker conversations and Q&As, audience voting, filmmaker awards, podcast episodes, and merchandise, as well as audience engagement activities and events. The Festival lineup will be released on clevelandfilm.org on Friday, March 19th at 11:00 AM ET. Tickets – including special event screenings – will go on sale to CIFF Members on Monday, March 22nd at 11:00 AM ET and to the public on Friday, March 26th at 11:00 AM ET. For more information, including membership opportunities, 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. Also, the Cleveland International Film Festival is made possible in part by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.

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CIFF45 STREAMS JURIED COMPETITIONS / HEADSHOTS:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YTjvMYFPxGnV-poSvroCrenxqgFpsaHD?usp=sharing

CIFF45 STREAMS ASSETS:
https://legacy.clevelandfilm.org/assets/45-ciff/index.html

MEDIA CONTACT
Debby Samples, Marketing & Media Director, debby@clevelandfilm.org, 216.623.3456 x14