The 48th Cleveland International Film Festival taking place April 3-13, 2024 will kick off its in-person, 11-day run at Playhouse Square on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 with Thelma – a celebration and playful subversion of the action genre as well as a soulful exploration of aging and autonomy, directed by Josh Margolin. On Saturday, April 13, 2024, CIFF48 will present its Closing Night Film Devo directed by Chris Smith.
In Thelma, ninety-three-year-old Thelma Post is strong, sturdy and in-charge. Defying a lifetime of odds, she’s successfully brushed off assisted living well into her nineties; instead living alone in her cherished condo. Her independent world is rocked when she falls victim to elder-abusing phone scammers posing as her beloved grandson Daniel, and regrettably sends them $10,000 in cash. With her family now worried she is entering a “new phase,” Thelma decides to do the unthinkable – confront the scammers and get her money back. Enlisting the help of a reluctant old friend Ben, and his high-powered mobility scooter, the two set out on a perilous mission across Los Angeles, determined to prove she’s as capable as ever.
The cast is led by June Squibb (Thelma) as she steps into her first leading role in her storied 70-year-career. Squibb is joined by a bevy of talent who deliver powerhouse performances, including Fred Hechinger (Daniel), Richard Roundtree (Ben), Parker Posey (Gail), Clark Gregg (Alan), and Malcolm McDowell (Harvey).
Thelma marks the final on-screen performance by the legendary Richard Roundtree. The film was dedicated in loving memory of his celebrated and extraordinary life.
The film’s director and writer Josh Margolin was joined on the project by producers Zoë Worth, Chris Kaye, Karl Spoerri, Viviana Vezzani, Nicholas Weinstock, and Benjamin Simpson.
Through never-before-seen archival interviews with Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh, and Jerry Casale, director Chris Smith (Wham!, Fyre, 100 Foot Wave, and Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond) explores the highs, lows, surreal moments, and incredible performances spanning Devo’s 50-year career in the film titled Devo. From their lo-fi beginnings at Kent State University to the height of their mainstream fame in the 1980s as pioneers of the music video in the early days of MTV, Devo embraces the spectacle of the band’s gloriously radical spirit.
CIFF’s Groundbreaker Award and Program – now in its fourth year – focuses on educational efforts about structural racism and elevates and supports BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) and AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) filmmakers.
The Groundbreaker Award is presented to a pioneering filmmakers whose work has proven to lift up marginalized voices. This recognition comes with a $5,000 cash award to support the filmmaker’s future work. The Festival will present this year’s Groundbreaker Award to Set Hernandez, director of the CIFF48 film Unseen.
As part of the program, Set will connect with organizations whose missions support the themes and topics in their film. The Groundbreaker Award will be presented to Set during their time at CIFF48.
Set Hernandez (they/she/he) is a filmmaker and community organizer whose roots come from Bicol, Philippines. As a queer, undocumented immigrant, they dedicate their filmmaking to expand the portrayal of their community on screen. Their feature documentary debut Uunseen had its World Premiere at Hot Docs 2023. Set’s past documentary work includes the award-winning short Cover/Age (2019) and impact producing for Call Her Ganda (Tribeca, 2018). An alumnus of the Disruptors Fellowship, Set is also developing both a TV comedy pilot and a feature-length screenplay. Since 2010, Set has been organizing around migrant justice issues, from deportation defense to healthcare access. They co-founded the Undocumented Filmmakers Collective, which promotes equity for undocumented immigrants in the film industry. Set’s work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, NBC Universal, The Gotham Institute, Field of Vision, among others. In their past life, Set was a published linguistics researcher, focusing in the area of bilingualism. Above all, Set is the fruit of their family’s love and their community’s generosity.
Uunseen, screening at CIFF48 on Friday, April 5th and Saturday, April 6th, is about Pedro, an aspiring social worker who must confront political restrictions as a blind, undocumented immigrant to get his college degree and support his family. As he finally graduates, uncertainty looms over Pedro. What starts as a journey to provide mental health care for his community, ultimately transforms into Pedro’s path towards his own healing. Through experimental cinematography and sound, Unseen reimagines the accessibility of cinema, while exploring the intersections of immigration, disability, and mental health.
Each year the Cleveland International Film Festival commissions a local artist to create the Festival’s coveted Filmmaker Awards. Locally designed and produced, the more than 30 awards going to filmmakers from around the world are a representation of the wealth of talent in the Ohio arts community.
This year’s Award Artist is R.C. Sanford of Sankora Studios.
A woodworker with a love of art, glass, architecture, and nature, R.C. began his woodworking career in the mountains of Colorado, where he amassed skills from hand hewing timbers to precision cabinetry. After years of custom woodworking across the United States, he returned to Ohio where he focused on his illuminated designs, taking the leap into full time artist, designer, and craftsman. He formed Sankora Studios along with his wife, Trisha Sikora, who assists with finish and glass. Together they design and create lamps and window decor, exhibiting at some of the country’s top art festivals.
R.C. Sanford said in statement, “Combining wood and art glass requires attention to detail at every step, from the selection of locally sourced hardwoods to the milling and finishing of the piece. The filmmakers selected by the 48th Cleveland International Film Festival produce the highest quality and most evocative films of the time. I am honored to have been chosen to create the Filmmaker Award, and aim to provide the highest quality craftsmanship to reflect their excellence.”
Filmmaker Awards will be presented throughout the Festival and as part of the Closing Night Ceremony, taking place on Saturday, April 13, 2024.