37th Cleveland International Film Festival

April 13, 1977 was the first day the Cleveland International Festival began its run at the Cedar Lee Theater. Now thirty-seven years later, it has become one of the must do events in Cleveland: 180 feature films and 165 short subjects. Moreover, Tower City is literally busting at the seams with the thousands of people walking up and down the concourse. If you haven’t experienced it yet, it really is something you need to experience for yourself.

What I enjoy most about this festival year after year is the enthusiasm everyone has as they grab a ballot and find their seat. This is the time where like-minded people (film buffs) “buzz” about their favorites or stinkers. It can be a “crap shoot” when you read the brief synopsis in the film guide and try to discern what “grabs you” in picking something fantastic that you can’t stop thinking about. As a friend of mine has eloquently stated to me many times, “If you haven’t seen something you didn’t like, then you haven’t stretch yourself.” Touché !

Volunteering is another thing I enjoy doing at the festival. I like hearing the positive comments about the films so I can markup my program guide that’s already littered with notes. Sometimes, however, when you hear the positive “buzz” it might be too late to get your ticket. But, there are so many films to choose from that you can’t get too upset by the ones that you’ve missed.

I met this older gentleman, an Army Colonel, who saw between 5 to 6 films a day. Pretty darn good for a retiree. He bought a “Directors” pass so he can see as many films and any film he feels like on any given day.  When I met him on my volunteer shift, he already watched 40 films and that was the beginning of the week.

This year, however, I have given more “fair” ballots than I have in the past. I’m not sure why but many of the films just “didn’t do it” for me one way or the other. I am a tough film critic because I see a fair number of films; plus as a book reader, I can appreciate if a film has a creative, unique story or something that hasn’t been done over and over. If it doesn’t, then it will be an average film by my standards. I can’t help it.

If I begin to nod off, most likely it didn’t grab my attention hence it’s going into the “average” rating pile. There is also a slim chance that I might just be tired on that day. More often than not, it simply was a generic, okay film. This only happened to me twice. One story just was not compelling enough - “The Coin Bearer” and I nodded off for several minutes. I did however get the basis of the story. As I walked out, I wished that I picked a different film. That is the beauty of the film festival, you can broaden your horizons into new genres.

If you love film, please check out the Cleveland International Film Festival next year, in March 2014. You will meet wonderful like-minded film people. I’ve enjoyed standing in line and conversing with everyone and anyone. In fact, I met a husband and wife who just moved to Cleveland. I couldn’t wait to tell them all the wonderful things going on in Cleveland. This is my favorite event of the year.

Here are a list of the films I saw ranked from Best to Worst

1. Laurence Anyways (a multi-layered story where a man becomes a woman and the struggle he faces in trying to let go of a woman s/he has lived with for years)

2. Pieta (a disturbing film but kept me on the edge my seat the entire time because the story was brilliant along with strong film editing that added to the drama.)

3. Three Worlds (a wonderful story where an accident affects three lives.)

4. Beauty (beautiful cinematography; quiet film how a teenage girl works for another family and the struggles she faces.)

5. The Last Ocean (documentary on the toothfish that is being harvested and slowly becoming extinct; hence this is changing the ecosystem.)

6. Call Me Kuchu (documentary how the Urgandan LGBT community is being jailed for coming out.)

7. Pulzel (narrative how two individuals try to get out of their comfort zones.)

8. The Orheim Company (Narrative how a family struggles with alcoholism.)

9. When Day Breaks (a professor finds a metal box that contains his real parents belongings such as a musical score.)

10. Omamamia (enjoyable, non-thinking film when a grandma travels to Rome hoping to meet the Pope.)

11. Casting By (documentary how Marion Dougherty found talented actors that helped to make  films great; the push/pull that “casting” should be nominated for an Academy Award.)

12. Musicwood (documentary on the future of wood for acoustic guitars and preserving the Alaska Forrest against clear cutting.)

13. Halima’s Path (two lives are intertwined when Halima can’t have children ends up raising her niece’s child during Bosnian wartime.)

14. The Deep (a fishing boat capsizes and one man survives in the bone chilling water; how did he survive?)

15. Out in the Dark (Isreali vs. Palestinian - two men trying to stay together where one guy loses his student visa in conflict; they can’t depend on their families for help.)

16. Red, White and Blueprints ( documentary on how rust belt cities are reinventing themselves.)

17. Kuma (a young girl marries an older gentleman while his first spouse struggles with cancer.)

18. Running From Crazy (Mariel Hemmingway’s honest account of the many suicides in her family and her outreach to bring this issue to the forefront.)

19. La Demora (narrative where a mother is struggling to make ends meet and is faced with  her father’s dementia)

20. I Do (a gay man loses his visa and he marries a Lesbian in order to say in the US. This brings up the issue of what is marriage?

21. My Beautiful Country ( a fictional story about a Serban woman and an Albanian soldier who have to find a way to be together during the Kosovo war - I nodded of but I thought it was a good story.)

22. Salma (documentary on a woman who defies her Indian culture and writes poetry. She is imprisoned for 25-years where men believe woman shouldn’t be educated; disappointed it wasn't as dramatic and I envisioned.)

23. Uprising (documentary on when Egyptians demand Mubarak to step down that erupted into a revolution, fighting for their democratic rights, and how facebook ignited thousands to participate.)

24. A Fighting Heart (interesting to learn how Johnny Kilbane became a champion boxer in Cleveland.

25. Chaos (a twisted thriller where a farmhouse is central to destruction, deceit and intrigue when a boy breaks up a marriage and tries to escape his past. Too many twists and it took too long to get to the point.)

26. Sugar Wars (mafia Godfather Lonardo in Cleveland.)

27. The Almost Man (an immature 35-year old who pulls childless pranks because he just doesn’t want to grow up.)

28. Bad Seeds ( two school kids kidnap a teacher; as time goes on they don’t know what to do with her. This had potential where it could of gone further to become edge-of-your-seat).

29. Piazza Fontana (a complicated Italian story when a bombing occurs killing 17 people and the investigation behind who is responsible. It was long, dry and confusing.)

30. Detroit Unleaded ( two characters fall in love in a gas station that falls short with too many stereotypes and not enough character development or strong dialogue.)

31. The Coin Bearer ( a story of two brothers who make money on casino-style gambling during wakes only; gambling is illegal in the Philippines so this is the only time to do it.)

32. Little World (Documentary on a boy who travels the world on a wheelchair; I was empathetic but a continuous close up on his face should have focused more on the terrain; instead I was bored and annoyed. It needed tighter editing.)

33. The Great Flood (old black and white footage on the 1927 Mississippi flood; no spoken words but interwoven with jazz music that I thought detracted from the imagery; I was bored. It would of been better as still photos.)

34. Up There (why I disliked this film is that I could not follow what it’s really about; a man needs to help a dead person find his way into heaven. Zombies?)

Cleveland International Film Festival

www.clevelandfilm.org