March 09, 2021

CIFF45 Streams Announces Special Event Screenings

CLEVELAND (Monday, March 8, 2021) The 45th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF45 Streams) is excited to announce its slate of special event screenings, including an added bonus for audiences to enjoy.

OPENING NIGHT

CIFF45 Streams will kick off its 14-day online run with TOGETHER TOGETHER – a film exploring contemporary connections and the particulars of love. The story focuses on two very different characters: Matt (Ed Helms), a successful app developer in his 40s who is ready to start a family but finds himself without any romantic prospects; and, Anna (Patti Harrison), a young barista with a complicated past who is hired as Matt’s surrogate. TOGETHER TOGETHER takes viewers on a delightful ride with this story about love and friendship formed in the most unlikely circumstances. Written and directed by Nikole Beckwith (STOCKHOLM, PENNSYLVANIA), and produced by Anthony Brandonisio, Tim Headington, and Daniela Taplin Lundberg, the film features a dynamic cast of comedy gems including Tig Notaro, Julio Torres, Anna Konkle, and Sufe Bradshaw.

Tickets for Opening Night are $25 per person ($20.00 for CIFF members). The evening includes the 7:00 PM ET screening on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, as well as a post-film Q&A. CIFF Super Streamer members are not required to purchase a ticket, as access to the film is included in the Super Streamer level of membership on a first-come, first-served basis.

The 45th Cleveland International Film Festival Opening Night is sponsored by Dollar Bank.

CENTERPIECE SCREENING

New this year, the Festival is thrilled to add a Centerpiece Screening. SUMMERTIME, directed by Carlos López Estrada (BLINDSPOTTING) will be part of the lineup of CIFF45 Streams special events. SUMMERTIME is a love song to the West Coast that blends poetry and hip-hop with themes of home and belonging. Taking place over one summer day in bustling Los Angeles, the film showcases 25 young local poets, using their impassioned slam pieces like a musical does songs. The film is produced by Kimberly Stuckwisch, Jeffrey Soros, Alisa Tager, Simon Horsman, Carlos López Estrada, and Diane Luby Lane.

Kristin Harris, from the film’s Ohio-based distributor Good Deed Entertainment, states “It’s always an honor to have our films selected and showcased by CIFF. We’re especially proud of and excited for audiences to experience the diverse, joyful, ground-breaking work of Carlos López Estrada’s SUMMERTIME.”

Tickets for the CIFF45 Streams Centerpiece Screening of SUMMERTIME are $10 ($8 for CIFF members). The ticket price includes the 9:00 PM ET screening on Tuesday, April 13, 2021 – which also marks CIFF’s 45th birthday – as well as a post-film Q&A. Passholder-level members are not required to purchase a ticket, as access to the film is included in passholder-level membership on a first-come, first-served basis.

CLOSING NIGHT

On Saturday, April 17, 2021, CIFF45 Streams will present its Closing Night Film, BEST SUMMER EVER, directed by Michael Parks Randa and Lauren Smitelli, and produced by Andrew Pilkington, Terra Mackintosh, Leah Romond, Jake Sharpless, and Katie White. This joyful and heartwarming teen genre musical follows Sage and Anthony who – after falling in love at a summer dance camp – find themselves unexpectedly reunited at high school and dealing with the struggles of being true to your authentic self. Fresh and inclusive, BEST SUMMER EVER, and its fully integrated cast and crew of people with and without disabilities, will have you dancing in your living room with its eight original songs.

Tickets for Closing Night are $10 ($8 for CIFF members). The ticket price includes the 7:00 PM ET screening on Saturday, April 17, 2021, as well as a post-film Q&A. Passholder-level members are not required to purchase a ticket, as access to the film is included in passholder-level membership on a first-come, first-served basis.

Following Closing Night there will still be three more days to catch up on CIFF45 Streams films.

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 19that 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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SPECIAL EVENT SCREENINGS IMAGES

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1q5m0KQ_VPlv0nqy5hEqq02TWQ9xZgdaq?usp=sharing

Please note: When given, photo credit can be found in the image file name and should be used.

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