Cleveland, Ohio – USA
April 3 to 14, 2013

UPCOMING DEADLINE
September 30, 2012 – Regular Deadline

MISSION AND OBJECTIVE
The Cleveland International Film Festival promotes artistically and culturally significant film arts that enrich the life of the community. In pursuit of this mission, the Cleveland International Film Festival, steered by the Cleveland Film Society, places artistic merit above commercial appeal, fosters understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures and values, and works collaboratively to broaden access to quality film arts.

MORE ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
CIFF offers a unique mix of competitive categories, bestowing awards for Best Women’s Short Film, Best Central and Eastern European Film, Best Ohio Short Film, and Best LGBT Short Film. Additional competitions include The Greg Gund Memorial ‘Standing Up’ Film Competition honoring “films with a conscience”; the Local Heroes Competition; and the Rice Hershey Memorial Award, which specifically honors a filmmaker’s originality.

Whatever your passion project, and whatever your ambitions as a filmmaker, CIFF is a celebration of cinema that should not be missed. Submit to the Cleveland International Film Festival today!

The 37th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF), is continuing a tradition of warm hospitality and cinematic celebration that has been refined and perfected for nearly four decades. A circuit mainstay and an Academy-qualifying festival for short films, CIFF attracts many of the best and brightest filmmakers in the world and proves that Cleveland is more than just the heart of rock and roll – it’s also the heart of outstanding big-screen storytelling.

Last year’s CIFF celebration welcomed more than 85,000 people and featured over 300 films from more than 60 countries. The end result was a diverse, unpredictable, and far-ranging exploration of outstanding artistry on screen and behind the scenes. Year after year, CIFF offers an array of special programs that ensures its visitors get all they’d expect from one of the most robust film festivals in the world. These have included the student-oriented FilmSlam festival, a broad spectrum of outstanding filmmaker panels, and its “Someone to Watch” series highlighting a promising new talent.

With its unique blend of innovation, enthusiasm, industry support, and Midwestern charm, it’s little wonder that CIFF has been recognized by Indiewire as one of the 50 leading film festivals in the world. As the only recipient of a multiyear grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2011, CIFF is not only in the business of honoring great talent, it’s also eager to give voice to minority artists and to traditionally underexplored narratives. These efforts are the objective of CIFF’s new “Focus on the Filmmakers” series, which will train its eye this year on Latino filmmakers.