Highlights from the 34th Cleveland International Film Festival

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE

34th CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Attendance of 71,554 (a 7% increase over the 33rd CIFF and more than a 100% increase since 2003)
• 153 feature films
• 152 short subjects
• 84 countries of origin
• Over 100 visiting filmmakers and other guests from around the world
• 151 sponsors and funders
• 85 community partners
• 73 media sponsors
• 44 college and university outreach partner campuses
• 200 college ambassadors
• Approximately 5,000 FilmSlam high school student attendees
• 115 staff members
• Over 400 volunteers
• $34,000 Challenge Match raised more than $52,000
• 1.5 tons of waste was diverted from landfills through composting and recycling
• Celebrity sightings:  Actress Jennifer Coolidge and Musician Dee Snider

FEATURE AWARD WINNERS
ROXANNE T. MUELLER AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST FILM
(sponsored by Cleveland Magazine) 
Louder Than a Bomb
Directed by Jon Siskel and Greg Jacobs (USA)
GREG GUND MEMORIAL STANDING UP FILM COMPETITION
(endowed by The George Gund Foundation with a $5,000 cash prize) 
Louder Than a Bomb
Directed by Jon Siskel and Greg Jacobs (USA)
AMERICAN INDEPENDENT AWARD
(with a $2,500 cash prize) 
Harvest
Directed by Marc Meyers (USA)
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN FILM COMPETITION
(sponsored by George Gund and Iara Lee with each winner receiving a $5,000 cash prize) 
Hipsters
Directed by Valery Todorovsky (Russia)

Honeymoons
Directed by Goran Paskaljevic (Serbia/Albania)

The three jurors this year were:  Russ Collins, Peter Knegt, and Harun Mehmedinovic
NESNADNY + SCHWARTZ DOCUMENTARY FILM COMPETITION
(sponsored by Nesnadny + Schwartz with a $5,000 cash prize) 
Marwencol
Directed by Jeff Malmberg (USA)

The three jurors were:  Aron Gaudet, Ryan Harrington, and Debra Zimmerman
SHORT SUBJECT AWARDS
Cleveland State University Audience Award for Best Short Film
Lights
Directed by Giulio Ricciarelli (Germany)
The Rice Hershey Memorial Award for Originality 
(sponsored by Bill Markstrom) 
Expiration
Directed by Mark Nickelsburg (USA)
The Clover and Maggie Award: In Celebration of Life
(sponsored by Barbara Hawley and David Goodman) 
The Best Part of My Day
Directed by Benjamin Dewhurst (USA)
The Jesse Epstein Humanitarian Award
(sponsored by Kodak Motion Picture Film) 
Heal
Directed by Mian Adnan Ahmad (Pakistan/USA)
The Spalding and Jackson Award: In Celebration of Joy
(sponsored by Marcie Goodman and John C. Williams) 
Winter Fugue
Directed by Jadrien Steele (USA)
The Best Animated Short Film Award*
(sponsored by Reminger Co., L.P.A.)  
Lost and Found
Directed by Philip Hunt (United Kingdom)
The Best Documentary Short Film Award
(sponsored by Jules and Fran Belkin)
Home
Matt Faust (USA)
The Best Live Action Short Film Award*
(sponsored by Anne Bloomberg and Alan Gordon Lipson & Judy Harris)
Ana's Playground
Directed by Eric D. Howell (USA)
The Best Student Short Film Award
(sponsored by Mike and Nicki Cancelliere) 
Cigarette Candy
Directed by Lauren Wolkstein (USA)
The Kodak Best Ohio Short Film Award
(sponsored by Kodak Motion Picture Film) 
The Beauty of Damage
Directed by Thomas Ball (USA)
The Best Women’s Short Film Award
(sponsored by Jinny and John Johnson)
Beast
Lars Arendt (Denmark)
The Best LGBT Short Film Award:

Given in Celebration of the Life of Nikki Babbit
(sponsored by Jamie and Harold Babbit)
Claiming the Title: The Gay Olympics on Trial
Directed by Jonathan Joiner and Robert Martin (USA)
The Best International Short Film Award
(sponsored by Mike and Nicki Cancelliere) 
The Devil's Wedding
Directed by Dan Cadan (United Kingdom)
The Programmer's Award
Get Happy
Directed by Mark Payne (USA)

* now eligible for Academy Award® nomination consideration