Film fest gets better

March 16, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

CLEVELAND

Better, not bigger. That’s the rally cry behind the Cleveland International Film Festival, which enjoys its 39th year Wednesday through March 29 at Tower City Cinemas in downtown Cleveland, as well as at select neighborhood screening locations.

“Our focus is really presenting the best festival we can,” said Patrick Shepherd, associate director of the CIFF. “Not only with programming but also with customer service. Our reputation is growing around the country and [beyond] because we do bring filmmakers in from all over the world.”

“It’s really special when the audience is able to engage with the director or actors. That’s what keeps the festival relevant in the digital age, where people can watch movies on their phone or at home on their couch.”

Billed as the premier film event in Ohio, this year’s CIFF includes more than 190 feature films and 230 short subject films from approximately 60 countries. More than 200 filmmakers and other special guests attend the festival.

As far as attendance, CIFF has grown by leaps and bounds. Last year, nearly 98,000 people attended the festival, compared with 35,000 in 2003.

“I don’t have a list or the data to completely back this up, but we certainly think we’re one of the best-attended festivals in the country,” Shepherd said. “This will be my 17th festival, so it is a little mind-blowing to think about [reaching an attendance figure of 100,000 people].”

Also mind-blowing are the festival’s book-ended screenings. The opening-night film is “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” which is directed by Brett Haley and features Blythe Danner, Martin Starr and Sam Elliott. As far as the closing-night feature, that honor goes to “Danny Collins,” which is directed by Dan Fogelman and features Al Pacino as an aging ’70s rocker.

Sure, there’s star power galore at this year’s CIFF, but that’s not what this Northeast Ohio tradition is built on. Instead, it’s the nook-and-cranny productions that stand out as providing moviegoers something different, unique and sometimes local.

“It’s hard to pick films, per se, because it’s like picking your favorite children,” Shepherd said. “We’re thrilled to screen a film called ‘Forced Perspective,’ which is about local artist Derek Hess, a graduate of Cleveland Institute of Art. It’s not just about the artwork but some of the struggles he faced in his life.”

Another movie with ties to Northeast Ohio is documentary “Traficant: The Congressman of Crimetown,” which is staging its world premiere at a showing in Akron. The 90-minute film was written, directed and produced by Eric Murphy, a Warren native and Youngstown State University graduate.

The first screening of “Traficant” will take place at 6:20 p.m. Saturday at the Akron Art Museum, 1 S. High St., Akron. It will then be shown at 4 p.m. Sunday and at 11:55 a.m. March 23 at the festival’s main location, Tower City Cinemas, 230 W. Huron Road in Cleveland.

Traficant, of Youngstown, served 17 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, before he was expelled in July 2002 after being convicted of 10 felonies. He spent seven years in federal prison before being released in September 2009. He died after a tractor accident on his farm in September.

Finally, spring gets sprung during the CIFF. After this winter, can you name a better way to spend a Northeast Ohio day than getting out of the snow, ice and cold and taking in a screening or two?

Shepherd added, “Exactly.”

For more information and show times, go to clevelandfilm.org.