Cleveland International Film Festival

Cleveland International Film Festival April 9-April 18, 2026 at Playhouse Square
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The Cleveland International Film Festival promotes artistically and culturally significant film arts through education and exhibition to enrich the life of the community. In other words, we present the newest and best films from around the world, and we do everything in our power to make sure that our audience learns something along the way - about other cultures, about the topic at hand, about the experience from the filmmakers themselves.

Next week! ⏰Deep Focus: Bite-Sized Storytelling: Writing the Microdrama is happening July 23. Don't miss your chance to ...
07/17/2026

Next week! ⏰
Deep Focus: Bite-Sized Storytelling: Writing the Microdrama is happening July 23. Don't miss your chance to learn vertical storytelling and microdrama business models from author/showrunner Claire Epstein.

📅 July 23
📍 Virtual
💵 $25

Whether you're a screenwriter, filmmaker, or just curious about the format taking over your feed, this session is for you.
Grab your ticket before spots fill up!

https://www.clevelandfilm.org/programs/events/26455/

Some of the best CIFF50 moments happened after the credits rolled, filmmakers spilling secrets, audiences asking the que...
07/13/2026

Some of the best CIFF50 moments happened after the credits rolled, filmmakers spilling secrets, audiences asking the questions we were all thinking, and honest panels.

Deep Focus is back for round two!CIFF's Deep Focus: Where Craft Meets Industry is a masterclass series for film arts cre...
07/09/2026

Deep Focus is back for round two!

CIFF's Deep Focus: Where Craft Meets Industry is a masterclass series for film arts creatives of all levels, bringing industry experts straight to you for virtual sessions blending skill-building with storytelling.

Our next session: Bite-Sized Storytelling: Writing the Microdrama

Vertical storytelling is taking over as more viewers turn to their phones over the big screen. Learn how to write these short-form series and the business models behind them, taught by author/showrunner Claire Epstein.

📅 July 23
📍 Virtual — join from anywhere
💵 $25
Save your spot
https://www.clevelandfilm.org/programs/events/26455/

Join us for our first Shorts Club event of 2026! In celebration of the Juneteenth holiday, CIFF will screen our Groundbr...
06/04/2026

Join us for our first Shorts Club event of 2026! In celebration of the Juneteenth holiday, CIFF will screen our Groundbreaker Shorts program from CIFF50. With a focus on elevating and supporting artists of color the Groundbreaker shorts program is a collection of short films sharing racially diverse stories made by racially diverse filmmakers.

🗓️ June 18, 2026
⏰ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
📍 CSU Screening Room at the Idea Center (Floor 6)
💲 $19.50

Get tickets today! https://www.clevelandfilm.org/festival/shorts/groundbreaker-shorts-program-2026-3/

Shorts we’re showing!

▶️ Dark Skin Bruises Differently | ▶️ Elijah| ▶️ Handwoven| ▶️ Enjoy Your Visit | ▶️ Grey | ▶️ Headbang | ▶️ What Freedom | ▶️ Impossible Journey

🎬 The credits are rolling on — and what a ride it's been.⁠⁠From Opening Night to the final stream, you showed up, pack...
04/28/2026

🎬 The credits are rolling on — and what a ride it's been.⁠
⁠
From Opening Night to the final stream, you showed up, packed the houses, stood up for the films you loved, and made our 50th anniversary everything we hoped it would be and more. This festival only exists because of you. 🙌⁠
⁠
A huge thank you to our incredible sponsors, members, staff, and volunteers — none of this happens without you.⁠
⁠
But don't go too far. 👀 The cameras may have stopped rolling, but we're just getting started. Great stories don't stop between festivals, and neither do we. Stay with us — you won't want to miss what's coming.⁠
⁠
📋 One last thing — tell us how we did! Take the CIFF50 Audience Survey and help shape the future of the festival.
Survey link: https://form.typeform.com/to/LJuhM6Gt

04/20/2026

A time was had! 🎬 Day 10 brought our incredible 50th anniversary to a close, and what a spectacular finale it was. Check out how we celebrated our final day!

🧩 Kicked off the morning with inclusive and joyful activities at our Sensory Friendly Family Fun Day
❤️ Showed our massive gratitude with a special Volunteer Appreciation Party (we truly couldn't do this without you!)
🎸 Packed the house one last time for our phenomenal Closing Night Film, Power Ballad
🪩 Danced the night away and celebrated a historic festival with our amazing community at the Closing Night After Party

Thank you to every single filmmaker, volunteer, sponsor, and attendee who joined us, supported us, and made our 50th birthday the best one yet. We love you, Cleveland. See you at CIFF51! 🍿

Missed the in-person screenings? Join us for CIFF50 Streams, live now! 🔗 👉https://www.clevelandfilm.org/festival/streaming/

04/19/2026

The festival isn’t over just yet!

CIFF50 Streams - Best of Fest starts NOW!
Watch a curated selection of the festival's best films from home.

The lineup features:
🏆Jury Award-Winning Features
🌟 Audience Choice Award Winners
🎬 Shorts Programs: Jury Awards, Film Slam, and our 7x7 CIFF50 Retrospective

You have until April 26th to watch!
Check out our website to browse the full schedule & get your ticket! https://www.clevelandfilm.org/festival/streaming/

04/18/2026

Day 9 was a movie! 🎬 We can’t believe how fast the time has flown by, but the festival energy is still off the charts. Hit play to see everything we got up to!

🛍️ Fans stocked up on exclusive gear at the Merch Shop (it’s your last chance to grab some!)
🍿 The energy was electric with packed houses and amazing conversations during our Filmmaker Q&As
🎸 Filmmakers & Staff experienced great vibes and even better company at the House of Blues Foundation Room
👑 We ended the night by celebrating our hardworking team and giving them their well-deserved crowns at the Inaugural CIFFty Awards!

We are officially heading into the FINAL day of CIFF50! 😭 Don’t miss your last chance to experience the festival magic. Grab your tickets at https://www.clevelandfilm.org/festival/schedule/ and let’s close out this milestone year with a bang! 🎉🎟️

Address

Cleveland, OH
44113

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 10pm
Tuesday 9am - 10pm
Wednesday 11am - 7pm
Thursday 9am - 10pm
Friday 9am - 12am
Saturday 11am - 12am
Sunday 12pm - 10am

Telephone

+12166233456

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