The 2025 Cleveland International Film Festival

The movie-going experience has certainly changed throughout the last few years, but one thing that is certain is the way a film can bring together a theater full of strangers in just a few hours. A good movie can take people on paths they never knew existed and provide a megaphone to voices yet to be heard. 

For almost 50 years, the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) has done just that, providing movie lovers and moviemakers a platform that allows the community to explore the world through multi-layered lenses and championing perspectives from all over the globe. With an array of genres and categories, they aim to transcend the typical moviegoer experience, connecting audiences through meaningful cultural and artistic stories. 

“I think film is a very powerful medium for sharing perspectives, for lifting up the voices of different people and presenting history in a way that’s palpable,” says Executive Director Hermione Malone. “We’ve got an opportunity to think about how film can do much more than simply entertain us.”

CIFF is one of the largest film festivals in the country, sifting through thousands of submissions each year. Hermione says she doesn’t think most people realize how many films they receive from moviemakers vying for a spot in the festival. She loves watching peoples’ jaws drop when she tells them the festival receives more than 3,500 submissions. “I would think the amount of work that goes into it and the volume of films we get is probably something that would astonish people,” she notes. 

From July to January, their team screens and rates every single film. That may sound like a sweet gig, getting paid to sit back with a bowl of popcorn and watch a movie, but there is so much work that goes into the process in terms of the number of films and rating them based on artistic merit or a perspective that is not often viewed. 

This year’s CIFF season launches in March at the historic Playhouse Square, where the festival has taken up residency since 2019. But festival goers don’t have to wait until then to get in on the action. CIFF invites people to the party before the party, with an annual fundraiser called Get Shorty, which has become a time-honored fan favorite. 

This year is no exception.

On Friday, February 21, Get Shorty gives the power to the people, when the community has a chance to be a part of the process. Doors open at 6 p.m. at the Mimi Ohio Theatre in Playhouse Square. The festivities kick off with yummy snacks and drinks. Entertainment is provided by the one and only DJ Lily Jade, the 10-year-old phenom superstar and a Forbes 30 Under 30 Cleveland honoree.



Then, at 7 p.m., attendees will screen 60-90 minutes of short films and score them right from their smartphones, essentially acting as programmers, picking out what short they want to see in the festival, which starts on Thursday, March 27, and will run through Saturday, April 5.

Since 1977, CIFF has made it its mission to enhance inclusive experiences designed to be appreciated and attended by the community of Cleveland. Get Shorty is another way they lift the velvet curtain, providing fun and engaging entertainment as well as enlightening education with a variety of community outreach that goes beyond the festival. 

For more information about the Cleveland International Film Festival, call 877-304-3456 or email cfs@clevelandfilm.org. For tickets to Get Shorty, visit ClevelandFilm.org/get-shorty-2025. For film festival tickets, visit ClevelandFilm.org. The Mimi Ohio Theatre is located at 1511 Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland.