March 28, 2014
A Byrd’s Eye View N
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ABOUT MOVIES, TV, ARTS AND EVENTS IN THE VALLEY
The Cleveland International Film Festival Is A Cinematic Adventure By Art Byrd Every year, I attend the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF), it is a cinematic adventure. I feel like Indiana Jones from Raiders of the Lost Ark fame searching for cinema gems and finding them.
A Quote By
This is the 38th CIFF, which runs for two weeks ending Sunday, March 30th. There will be more than 350 films shown and along with 200 filmmakers in attendance at Tower City Cinemas in Downtown Cleveland and various off site venues. My adventure in finding the films began by going online to the CIFF website. I like to start with films I have heard a buzz about. A few months ago, I saw the trailer for Ivory Tower and wanted to see it. Boom, CIFF is showing the film. Ivory Tower, a documentary looking at the American higher education system and the huge amount of debt amassed by college students reaching 1.1 trillion dollars. One statistic really surprised me was the price of college has risen 1120% since 1978. The film was entertaining and educational. Next, the shorts program, which usually is a roller-coaster of emotions from happy, sad and laugher in a strange mix. This particular shorts program started with a film called One Last Hug: Three Days at Grief Camp, which is the story of a group of children dealing with the loss of loved ones. This one brought out emotions in the audience as I heard sniffles and people wiping their eyes including me.
“You’re seeing multiple films with multiple strangers, discussing the films and possibly even making new friends. It’s more than just showing movies.” Bill Guentzler, Cleveland International Film Festival’s Artistic Director talking about going to the CIFF.