Ad Hoc Docs Competition

Audience at the CIFF love documentaries.

Over the past several years, almost half of the feature films we have presented have been documentaries. Thanks to Tom & Anita Cook, we’re excited to once again present this competition featuring topics, subjects, and stories that go beyond the descriptions of our other competitions.

Based on audience vote, the winner of this competition will be announced at our Closing Awards Ceremony and receive a $7,500 cash prize.

Competition Presented by:

Tom and Anita Cook

American Independents Competition

Thanks to Mike & Nicki Cancelliere, we're thrilled to once again present this competition featuring films with big dreams and small budgets, and representing the finest in contemporary American cinema.

Based on audience vote, the winner of this competition will be announced at our Closing Awards Ceremony and receive a $7,500 cash prize.

Competition Presented by:

Mike and Nicki Cancelliere

Audience Choice Award for Best Short

Sponsored by Char and Chuck Fowler

Best After Hours Short

Sponsored by Friends of Patrick McFadden

Best Animated Short

Sponsored by MP Star Financial

This award winner will quality for consideration in the Shorts Films Animation category of the annual Academy Awards.

Best Black Cinema Short

Sponsored by Hingetown Browns Backers

Best Comedy Short

Endowed by David K. Ream

Best Documentary Short

Sponsored by Jules and Fran Belkin

This award winner will quality for consideration in the Shorts Films Documentary category of the annual Academy Awards.

Best Family Short

Sponsored by University School

Best Latinx Short

Sponsored by La Familia Watilo Blake

Best LGBTQIA+ Short

Sponsored by Jan and Harold Babbit

Best Live Action Short

This award winner will quality for consideration in the Shorts Films Live-Action category of the annual Academy Awards.

Sponsored by Jules & Fran Belkin and Alan Gordon Lipson & Judy Harris

Best Ohio Short

Sponsored by Bill and Teri Koeth

Best Student Short

Sponsored by MP Star Financial

Best Women's Short

Sponsored by Jinny and John Johnson

FilmSlam Student Choice Award for Best Feature

Sponsored by Tom Piraino & Barbara McWilliams

FilmSlam Student Choice Award for Best Short

Sponsored by Tom Piraino & Barbara McWilliams

George Gund III Memorial Central and Eastern European Competition

Thirty-two years ago at the 14th CIFF, we launched a special focus on films from Central and Eastern Europe, the native lands of many Clevelanders.

This year the CIFF is proud to present its 20th Central and Eastern European Competition. And, for the tenth year, we are deeply honored to showcase this competition in loving memory of George Gund III with the support of an endowment from The George Gund Foundation.

As determined by our jury, the winnner of this competition will be announced at our Closing Awards Ceremony and receive a $10,000 cash prize.

Competition Presented by:

Jurors:

Alan LaFave – Alan LaFave is the Founder/Festival Director/President of the Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival (HHM) in Bay City, MI where he was born and raised. HHM is an all-volunteer festival, so in addition to the festival, Alan has a separate career and is on several nonprofit boards in his community. To date, he has produced one feature film, "Skippers" (2018) as well as written and co-directed one short film "Eugene" (2019).

Lela Meadow-Conner – Lela Meadow-Conner is the Founder of mama.film—a village at the crossroads of art and advocacy where storytellers, changemakers, and nurturers come together to champion humanity through a maternal gaze. Lela has 20 years of experience in independent cinema exhibition, serving as Executive Director of Film Festival Alliance from 2017-2021, and in leadership roles at organizations including the Tallgrass Film Association and Geena Davis' Bentonville Film Festival. Lela currently serves on the board of Los Angeles' iconic Vidiots Foundation, soon to relaunch in the historic Eagle Theatre, and Harvester Arts in Wichita, KS. Other roles include Co-Producer for Sav Rodgers' documentary "Chasing Chasing Amy" (2021), Producer for Nitzan Mager's "Strange Love" and "Run Amok" and Executive Producer for Emily Christensen's Feminist Foremothers podcast.

Chris Clark – Chris Clark is the longtime Artistic Director of Cinema St. Louis. Drawing upon his background in film studies, mass media, and public-event coordination, he has been an integral part in many of the organizational and logistical changes that have led to the growth and expanded artistic direction of this nonprofit arts organization. Over the past 25 years, he has been a key player on the front lines of developing, managing, and producing an ever-increasing number of annual film-related events produced by Cinema St. Louis, including the St. Louis International Film Festival (their flagship event), the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, Classic French Film Festival, and QFest St. Louis. He has immense hometown pride and a strong desire to add to the quality of life to those living in St. Louis through the arts and in the spirit of what makes us unique. Chris was a member of the Eastern European awards jury during CIFF28 in 2004 and is thrilled to once again proudly serve in this role.

Global Health Competition

The CIFF has always recognized the power of film to change people’s viewpoints about the world. This competition includes films that delve into human health-related issues (both mental and physical) and films about the health of the environment.

The selections in this competition will encourage viewers to question the true definition of health as it relates to individuals and the planet.

This year the CIFF is proud to present our ninth Global Health Competition, thanks to the generous support of Mark Smith & Janet Rosel Smith.

Based on audience vote, the winner of this competition will be announced at our Closing Awards Ceremony and receive a $7,500 cash prize.

Competition Presented by:

Mark Smith & Janet Rosel Smith

Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Competition

In 2005 The George Gund Foundation granted the CIFF with an endowment to create the Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Competition as a tribute to Greg Gund. Greg's friends and family described him as "intensely creative and talented, and wholly without pretension."

For five years Greg lived in Playa Negro near Tamarindo, Costa Rica where he immersed himself by becoming part of the local community. As much as he deeply loved his home there, Greg was also an extensive world traveler with an adventurous spirit and an insatiable curiosity about different cultures and people. He lived by this Mahatma Gandhi quote inscribed in his passport: "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." Greg died at the age of 32 in a small plane crash off the Pacific Coast in 2005.

Standing Up started as a sidebar to focus on films with the mission to change the world and grew into a celebration of activism and the fight for social justice. Our Standing Up Competition includes "films with a conscience." Many of these films highlight personal stories featuring individuals who set out to teach lessons on how to live a better life. One of the aspects all these films share is the impact they make on viewers long after the credits roll. Through the films, Standing Up honors Greg Gund - as well as others with a different view of the world - and the continual fight to make it better.

Based on audience vote, the winner of this competition will be announced at our Closing Awards Ceremony and receive a $7,500 cash prize.

Competition Presented by:

Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Films sponsored by:

International Narrative Competition

CIFF is a great way for Clevelanders to experience the different cultures, languages, and customs of the entire world.

We are recognized for our well-rounded international program, and we’re happy to showcase films from around the globe in the fifth year of this competition, thanks to Tom Piraino & Barbara McWilliams.

Based on audience vote, the winner of this competition will be announced at our Closing Awards Ceremony and receive a $7,500 cash prize.

Competition Presented by:

Tom Piraino & Barbara McWilliams

Local Heroes Competition

Local Heroes is our annual celebration of films made about Ohio, in Ohio, or by Ohioans.

Thanks to Lauren Rich Fine & Gries Financial Partners, we are honored to once again support these films and filmmakers, hoping to empower the already booming independent film community of Cleveland and Ohio alike.

Based on audience vote, this winner of this competition will be announced at our Closing Awards Ceremony and receive a $7,500 cash prize.

Competition Presented by:

Lauren Rich Fine

Nesnadny + Schwartz Portrait Documentary Competition

The Nesnadny + Schwartz Portrait Documentary Competition and the "May the Schwartz Be with You" Director's Award is dedicated to the life and work of our longtime board member and friend, Mark Schwartz (1956–2014).

For 18 years, N+S has sponsored the CIFF Documentary Competition. Six years ago, we focused more exclusively on portrait documentaries. Like Mark himself, the subjects in these documentaries are determined, dedicated, and daring. The same qualities define the best of what art can achieve in all mediums, including graphic design.

The films are artistic and passionate, telling stories with insight, power, and revelation. Never a man to back down from controversy, this genre of filmmaking exemplifies the way Mark led his life and ran his design firm. Since his death, the firm has continued to honor his vision. Their work is big and bold, grounded in logic, and informed by research.

Portrait documentaries in competition that are screening in the Festival will be viewed by our panel of jurors throughout the week.

As determined by our jury, the winner of this competition will be announced at our Closing Awards Ceremony and receive a $10,000 cash prize.

Competition Presented by:

Jurors:

Donna Dabbs – Donna Dabbs currently serves as Executive Director of the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Foundation (GCUFF). In 2012, she spearheaded the idea to launch a film festival—the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival—and then served in a volunteer capacity as the festival organizer, film acquisition specialist, and chief programmer until 2019 when she was officially hired as Executive Director. Donna previously served as a Director of the Small Business Administration's SBDC (Small Business Development Center) in Ohio for over eight years, helping entrepreneurs build profitable and sustainable businesses. She has also held management and leadership positions in large corporations for over 25 years. In addition to her professional pursuits, she is vice president of the Society of Urban Professionals (SOUP, Inc.), a networking organization that provides event planning and marketing advice to local professionals. Donna is active in the community and currently serves on the board of the African American Quilt and Doll Guild and has previously served on the boards of Buck Out Cleveland and Karamu House.

Holly Meehl Chapman – Holly Meehl Chapman is a producer based in L.A. who guides films from original inception through distribution. For the past seven years, she's produced award-winning narrative and documentary features and short films through her company, Lunamax Films. Recent credits include the feature documentary, "Jacinta" (2020), which launched to critical acclaim at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020 and won the Albert Maysles Best New Documentary Director Award. The film was picked up by ABC News and was released as a Hulu Original in fall 2021. Holly's co-producing credits include the upcoming documentary, "Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter" (2021). Holly is an Impact Partners Producing Fellow and was named one of DOC NYCs "40 under 40" in 2020. She graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2011 with a double major in film studies and creative writing.

Brandon Harrison – Brandon Harrison is a programmer and creative. He is a Feature Programmer at DOC NYC, and he has programmed for a number of festivals, including Tribeca, Brooklyn, and Nashville Film Festivals. He's also produced multimedia content for a variety of media outlets, including Domestika, The Players' Tribune, and Vox. Brandon is a graduate of Morehouse College, and he received his M.A. in Cinema from UCLA. He loves making cool stuff.

New Direction Competition

At the 39th CIFF we premiered our focus on debut directors whose innovative films transform the traditional notions of cinematic storytelling.

Thanks to the support of Hyland, we are proud to present our seventh New Direction Competition. Screening within this competition are films created by emerging filmmakers who we believe will define the future of filmmaking. Films in competition that are screening in the Festival will be viewed by our panel of jurors throughout the week.

As determined by our jury, the winner of this competition will be announced at our Closing Awards Ceremony and receive a $10,000 cash prize.

Competition Presented by:

Jurors:

Casey Baron – Casey Baron was born and raised in the small island of Dominica, located in the West Indies, and moved to Austin, Texas after graduating from Florida State University (FSU) with a degree in English – Editing, Writing, and Media. While attending FSU, Casey worked for The Torchlight Program. He was the Team Leader and Personal Assistant to film industry veteran Paul Cohen, the program's Executive Director. Beyond that creative venture, Casey has also been an editor on a handful of literary magazines, including FSU's The Kudzu Review and Miami Dade College's AXIS Creative Arts Magazine. Casey has been a part of the Austin Film Festival family for six years, starting off as an intern, then becoming the festival's Shorts Programmer for its 25th anniversary and Senior Film Program Director after that. He jumped into the role of Director of Programming and Industry Relations, and was pivotal in the launch of the Writers Conference's Game Writing Track in 2021. Casey is looking forward to continuing the organizational and personal mission of championing storytellers. When he's not racing to find interesting stories, Casey spends his spare time watching basketball and soccer, listening to music, and playing with his dog Niobe.

Chris Feil – Chris Feil is a freelance film and television critic and co-host of the podcast This Had Oscar Buzz. His work has previously been published in Vanity Fair, Vulture, Polygon, The AV Club, and Gawker, among others. He resides in Columbus, Ohio.

Karen McCullen – Karen McMullen serves as a Features Programmer at Tribeca and DOC NYC Film Festivals, operates as the Director of Programming for the TIDE Film Festival, and screens for the Sundance Film Festival. She has served as a juror for the Pan African, Trinidad + Tobago, and Bentonville Film Festivals and has participated on the review committees for The Gotham Awards, Carey Institute, Black Public Media, and the Cinema Eye Awards. Karen moderates panels for the New York African Film Festival, NYWIFT, Netflix, IFC, Pure Non Fiction, and HBO, and she appears on television and radio as a media expert. She has editing credits on numerous features, documentaries, and short films and is a former professor of film post-production. Karen is a graduate of Brown University.

Programmers' Choice Award - In Celebration of the life of Toni Oliverio

Sponsored by The Sloop Family

In memory of long-time CIFF shorts programmer, Toni Oliverio.

Reel Women Direct Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman

We are thrilled to once again celebrate female filmmakers at the CIFF, thanks to Deborah Bachman Ratner.

In an industry historically dominated by men, we are honored to showcase these women–who make up 49% of our feature filmmakers–and the empowered female perspectives they provide within their films.

Based on audience vote, the winning director of this award will be announced at our Closing Awards Ceremony and receive a $10,000 cash prize.

Competition Presented by:

Deborah Bachman Ratner

Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award

Roxanne T. Mueller served as the film critic at The Plain Dealer from 1983 until 1988 when she lost a six-month battle with cancer at the age of 36. Mueller was a strong supporter of the Festival and, through her writing, helped to raise the general level of film appreciation in Cleveland. She was an exceptionally engaging writer who managed to weave personal insights into her film reviews, whether she was covering popular Hollywood fare or sophisticated foreign cinema. In its 12th year, the CIFF established the Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award for Best Film to help bring this important Festival friend back into focus a bit each year. Festival patrons rate each film they see and the most popular film is announced at our Closing Awards Ceremony. The Callahan Foundation, started in 1968 by Cleveland nuclear engineer, inventor, and businessman Joe Callahan, joins us in celebrating the 34th year of this renowned award with a $15,000 cash prize to the winner.

Competition Presented by:

The Clover and Maggie Award

Sponsored by Barbara Hawley and David Goodman

The Ophelia Award

Sponsored by Jim Brumbaugh & Carolyn Berg

The Sammy and Jules Award for the Short Film with the Biggest Heart

Sponsored by Marcie Goodman

The Spalding and Jackson Award

Sponsored by Marcie Goodman and John C. Williams

The Tom and Ginny Knoll Family Award

Sponsored by Tom and Ginny Knoll and The Knoll Family Fund Promoting Civility and Acts of Kindness of Akron Community Foundation