From family-friendly animation to dark comedies, CIFF49 offers diverse selections at Playhouse Square through April 5, with virtual streaming beginning April 6 for those who miss the in-person showings. Joey Morona
SOURCE: Cleveland.com | Joey Morona
April 2, 2025
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland International Film Festivalrolls on at Playhouse Square through Sunday, with CIFF49 Streams, the virtual version of the festival, launching Monday and running through April 13. The virtual format offers a second chance to catch many feature-length and short films from this year’s lineup.
This year’s festival showcases more than 300 films from 60 countries, spanning a variety of genres—from drama to comedy and everything in between—along with an array of inspiring and thought-provoking documentaries.
David Corenswet in James Gunn’s ‘Superman’. DC/YouTube
SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter | Ryan Gajewski, Aaron Couch
April 1, 2025
CinemaCon believed a man can fly on Tuesday as DC Studios head James Gunnshowed off an extended look at Superman. The film is a make-or-break moment for DC, which has an ambitious slate, much of which depends on Supermanworking at the box office this summer.
Previously unseen footage showed Superman getting assistance from a particularly rambunctious Krypto, who eventually drags him into the Fortress of Solitude. A number of lines were greeted with laughter from the crowd.
It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s DC’s last, best chance to make a movie that rivals Marvel.
James Gunn, who was hired by Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav to reinvigorate DC’s cinematic universe after a series of duds like “The Flash” and “Justice League,” took the stage at CinemaCon on Tuesday to share what he’s been cooking up. And the project that he’s most personally invested in, “Superman,” also saw him write the screenplay and direct the comic book adventure. The idea is to offer audiences a brighter, more optimistic do-over after DC went down a darker, dour path with the Snyder-verse.
“This is a movie that celebrates kindness and human love,” Gunn promised theater owners.
June Squibb as Gladys and Stacy Keach as Will in a scene from “Lost & Found in Cleveland.”Double G Films
SOURCE: Cleveland.com | Joey Morona
March 31, 2025
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Clevelanders showed up in a big way for “Lost & Found in Cleveland.” The independent film sold nearly 2,500 tickets to its Midwest premiere at the Cleveland International Film Festival on Sunday.
That set a record for the largest audience for a single screening in CIFF history and is also the biggest crowd to see a film at Playhouse Square since the Playhouse Square Foundation was established in 1973.
The previous festival record was held by the world premiere of “Believeland,” which drew 2,049 people to the Connor Palace at CIFF40 in 2016, cleveland.com reported at the time.
Shot entirely in the city in 2023, “Lost & Found in Cleveland” is a dramedy about five people whose lives intersect when America’s favorite antiques appraisal show comes to town. The movie tells the stories of a mailman (Dennis Haysbert) with a collection of seemingly ordinary vases; a professor (Santino Fontana) trying to unload an embarrassing but potentially valuable collection; a Korean War veteran (Stacy Keach) with some interesting plates; a socialite (Liza Weil) who brings in a statue with a dubious backstory; and a precocious nine-year-old boy (Benjamin Steinhauser) with an old letter that could change his life.
A Cleveland filmmaker and a former Hollywood effects artist are defying industry barriers by building an inclusive, independent film community in Northeast Ohio — one dream, one project at a time, writes columnist Leslie Kouba. Getty Images
SOURCE: Cleveland.com | Leslie Kouba
March 30, 2025
CLEVELAND, Ohio – How many dreamers does it take to change or make something? I’m guessing a lot, because nothing is ever easy, and the only way to get anywhere is by collaborating. So in that spirit, I introduced Nonie Shiverick to Det Chansamone this week. They are transformers.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Midwest premiere of “Lost and Found in Cleveland” happens Sunday afternoon during the Cleveland International Film Festival at Playhouse Square.
Co-Writer Keith Gerchak describes the film as a twist on “Best in Show” and the “Wizard of Oz”.
It highlights five different people over a 24-hour period who are trying to capture a better life.
Superman, played by David Corenswet, with director James Gunn and set director Edward Symon talk through a scene during filming at PNC Plaza. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
SOURCE: Cleveland.com | Joey Morona
March 28, 2025
CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s autographed Superman memorabilia!
The items include a framed 18-by-37-inch “Superman in Cleveland” poster, a framed 12-by-12-inch “Superman in Flight” print, a framed 19.5-by-27-inch “Superman: Man of Steel” poster and a 12.5-by-16 Superman metal sign. Each item is signed by director James Gunn and actors David Corenswet (Superman/Clark Kent) and Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane). A ceramic mug emblazoned with the superhero’s S-shield and autographed by Brosnahan is also available.
Tickets are $25 each or $100 for five. The drawing will take place on April 18, which is also Superman Day, marking the publication date of the character’s debut in Action Comics No. 1 in 1938. Glenville High School classmates Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman in 1932.
Working with a local budget of about $37 million, the cast and crew of the new “Superman” spent parts of six weeks filming in and around Cleveland last summer, drawn in part by an $11 million tax credit. Since its introduction in 2009, the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit has generated nearly $1.4 billion in gross economic output, with Northeast Ohio hosting 60% to 70% of this activity, according to the film commission.
To see the raffle items and purchase tickets, visit clevelandfilm.com.
SOURCE: News 5 Cleveland | Mercy Sackor
March 28, 2025
The 49th Cleveland International Film Festival kicked off Thursday night at Playhouse Square.
Executive Director Hermione Malone spoke to News 5 about what would happen throughout the event.
“We’ve got 300 films from 60 countries. Over 200, almost 300 filmmakers are going to be joining us over the next 10 days, and there’s something from everyone,” said Malone. “If you like adventure, animation, documentaries, narrative stories, horror, comedy— we’ve got something for you.”
SOURCE: WKYC 3 Studios | WKYC Staff
March 28, 2025
CLEVELAND — If you’re someone whose three favorite things are the city of Cleveland, “Antiques Roadshow,” and distinguished actor Dennis Haysbert, your ship has finally come in.
“Lost & Found in Cleveland” is a new film that follows a group of Clevelanders whose lives are turned upside down when a hit TV show rolls into town, offering them the chance to turn forgotten relics into big paydays. WKYC’s Mike Polk Jr. had the opportunity to sit down with co-creators and directors Keith Gerchak and Marisa Guterman to talk about their inspiration for the film and why they chose Cleveland as the setting.
SOURCE: Cleveland Magazine | Annie Nickoloff
March 27, 2025
You’ll see movies from around the world screening at the Cleveland International Film Festival — plus, a handful that have big connections to the Buckeye state. By Annie Nickoloff
The 49th edition of the Cleveland International Film Festival kicks off on Thursday, and features 300 films over the course of 10 days in Downtown Cleveland’s Playhouse Square.
Within that mix, you’ll find a fair bit of Ohio’s movie-making world on display. A handful of feature-length movies make up the “Local Heroes Competition,” showcasing movies that are, according to the CIFF website, “about Ohio, in Ohio, or by Ohioans.”
