October 27, 2021

CIFF Announces Expansion of Staff and Expansion of 2022 Festival Dates

CLEVELAND (Wednesday, October 27, 2021) – The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) has announced the addition of five key staff members, as well as its expanded Festival dates for 2022.

STAFFING

Jazzmin Hardman has joined the full-time team as Administrative Coordinator. Formerly the Events, Membership, & Development Coordinator of Northwest Neighborhoods CDC (Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization and Cudell Improvement, Inc.), Jazzmin is a leader in building community collaborations and engagement. In addition, Jazzmin brings her vast knowledge of event planning and fundraising strategies to the Festival.

“Increasing the size of our full-time team from seven to eight individuals is very important as we approach 2022 and our first ever Festival at Playhouse Square, our first ever hybrid Festival, and our first ever three-week Festival. We are thrilled to welcome Jazzmin Hardman to CIFF! Jazzmin’s admirable capabilities are going to add so much to our operations,” said Marcie Goodman, CIFF Executive Director.

The Festival has also grown its artistic team, with its newly formed seasonal Features Programming Team. The Team is comprised of four programmers and curators with diverse backgrounds in the film and arts industry.

Neha Aziz, a Features Programmer, is a Pakistani-American writer, filmmaker, and social media specialist. Neha previously screened for SXSW and currently works as the Film Programmer and Education Coordinator for the Austin Asian American Film Festival. Neha was recently named an iHeart Radio NextUP fellow for their inaugural podcast program.

Ivonne Cotorruelo, a Features Programmer, is a Cuban film curator and producer based in New York. Ivonne previously screened for DOC NYC and New Orleans Film Festival and is currently a Programmer at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival. Ivonne is also part of the Programming Committees at Miami Film Festival and Los Angeles Latino Film Festival.

Brett Reiter, an Associate Features Programmer, is an award-winning producer at Loose Films, a film production company based in Columbus, Ohio. Brett has been involved in production on numerous films including documentaries and narratives that had their premieres at Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. Brett serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the Greater Columbus Film Commission and is currently a programming associate with the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.

Deidre McPherson, CIFF’s Special Programming Manager, is a cultural convener, brand experience expert, and community advocate who has held leadership roles at the Cleveland Museum of Art and Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland. Deidre is a founding director of Sistah Sinema Cleveland, a monthly film & dialogue series (2012-2017) that centered queer women of color. She will continue to oversee and now help curate CIFF’s spotlight programs, DReam Catcher and Groundbreaker.

“The Cleveland International Film Festival is a collaborative celebration of film and community, so it’s incredibly vital for our curation to also be collaborative. We are beyond excited and honored to welcome the voices and perspectives that Neha, Ivonne, Brett, and Deidre bring to the newly established CIFF Features Programming Team,” said Mallory Martin, CIFF Artistic Director.

FESTIVAL DATES

CIFF46 will extend its 2022 dates to accommodate the popular online version of the Festival, which was presented in 2020 as CIFF44 Streams and in 2021 as CIFF45 Streams. The in-person CIFF46 will take place Wednesday, March 30th– Saturday, April 9th at the Festival’s new and permanent home at Playhouse Square. CIFF will present its Closing Night Film and Ceremony on Saturday, April 9th at Playhouse Square.

After the conclusion of the in-person Festival, CIFF46 Streams will take place Sunday, April 10th– Sunday, April 17th on the CIFF Streaming Platform. The online event will showcase much of the CIFF46 lineup being offered at the in-person Festival, with hundreds of films being showcased throughout the week.

According to Marcie Goodman, “A hybrid Festival of in-person and online offerings affords our audience a multitude of viewing options and opportunities. We will continue to strive for increased accessibility to film and to the Festival throughout our presentation for CIFF46, from start to finish.”

All-access passes and individual tickets will be available for purchase to the in-person CIFF46, as well as CIFF46 Streams. Look for all-access pass information to be released in the coming weeks with the Festival’s recently revamped membership program.

This year’s Festival will offer hundreds of feature and short films with accompanying filmmaker discussions, as well as special events. Program details will be released in March 2022. 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. 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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DIGITAL ASSETS :: HEADSHOTS

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1J2ghzwOJVsqGg0uGlSDy4bca_Wq6u87p?usp=sharing

MEDIA CONTACT

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