The 49th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) running March 27 – April 5, 2025, has revealed the year’s spotlight films, with For Worse, the directorial debut of actress Amy Landecker as Opening Night Film. The documentary Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore directed by Shoshannah Stern will screen as Centerpiece, and Love, Brooklyn directed by Amy Landecker as Closing Night Film.

In opening night film For Worse, Actress Amy Landecker (Transparent, “A Serious Man”) makes her feature screenwriting/directorial debut with this biting comedy of manners, starring as a newly divorced sober mom who accompanies her Gen Z date to a wedding where things crash and burn (literally) as she tries to keep up with the young wedding party. Directed byAmy Landecker. Produced by Amy Landecker, Bradley Whitford, Valerie Stadler, Jenica Bergere, and James Portolese. English with Closed Captions. 2025.

Marlee Matlin is an Oscar®-winning, Emmy-nominated Deaf actress, though fame came to her quite suddenly with her breakout performance in “Children of a Lesser God” at the age of 21. In Centerpiece: Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, learn how she fought through the naysayers and troubled, in-the-spotlight relationships to become a venerated philanthropist and a household name. Directed by Shoshannah Stern. Produced by Robyn Kopp, Justine Nagan, Bonni Cohen, and Shoshannah Stern. English and ASL with Open Captions. 2024.

André Holland (“Moonlight”), Nicole Beharie (“Miss Juneteenth”), and DeWanda Wise (She’s Gotta Have It) strike a perfect balance in Closing Night – Love, Brooklyn, Rachael Abigail Holder’s sensitive, wryly funny dramedy about a trio of Black friends-slash-lovers who are just trying to cope in a rapidly gentrifying Brooklyn. Directed by Rachael Abigail Holder. Produced by André Holland, Kate Sharp, Patrick Wengler, Maurice Anderson, and Liza Zusman. English. 2025.

Mallory Martin, Artistic Director for CIFF, says, “The Festival is an opportunity for artists and audiences to connect and converse about the stories that move us – often these are stories we wouldn’t have access to if not for the Festival.”

Providing a sneak peek into what is ahead at this iconic Cleveland event, Martin and her team reveal other CIFF49’s highlights, including world premieres, North American premieres, and U.S. premieres.

World Premieres

IF AN OWL CALLS YOUR NAME – For generations, the government has forcefully stripped away the rights and identities of the Esk’etemc, Gitxsan, and Wet’suwet’en territories within Canada, leaving behind unceasing ripples of trauma. But as this defiant documentary shows, they’ll never strip away these tribes’ souls. Directed by Zaya Benazzo and Maurizio Benazzo. Produced by Zaya Benazzo, Maurizio Benazzo, and Finley MacNeil. English with Closed Captions. 2024.

SOUND SPRING – In this experimental omnibus documentary, filmmaker Catalina Alvarez paints a picture of small-town America as she chronicles the centuries-long history of Yellow Springs, Ohio. The stories, ranging from comical to disquieting and everything in between, point to a rich community demanding to be heard. Directed and Produced by Catalina Alvarez. English with Closed Captions. 2025.

North American Premieres

BURY YOUR DEAD – As the world teeters on the edge of destruction, a roadkill collector and an excommunicated priest make their way through an apocalyptic hellscape in search of a way out. From the director of the heralded werewolf drama “Good Manners”—CIFF42 comes another genre-busting masterpiece of the surreal. Directed by Marco Dutra. Produced by Lourenço Sant’Anna and Rodrigo Teixeira. Portuguese and Chinese with English subtitles. 2024.

TARIKA – Acclaimed writer/director Milko Lazarov (“Ága”) spins this humanistic, magical realist yarn—marvelously shot by Kaloyan Bozhilov—about a quiet, widowed villager who must protect his extraordinary, gifted daughter from the scorn and pitchforks of superstitious locals. Directed by Milko Lazarov. Produced by Veselka Kiryakova. Bulgarian with English subtitles. 2024.

THE ANTIQUE (Antikvariati) – In snowy St. Petersburg, an unlikely friendship emerges amidst political upheaval when Georgian immigrant Madea purchases an apartment for a steal—only to realize she must share the space with the curmudgeonly old Russian owner. Rusudan Glurjidze’s haunted second feature deftly navigates the refugee crisis and what it means to have your life uprooted time and time again. Directed by Rusudan Glurjidze. Produced by Zurab Magalashvili, Manana Shevardnadze, Andrey Epifanov, Tanya Petrik, Jussi Myllyniemi, and UschFeldges. Georgian, Russian, and English with English subtitles. 2024.

U.S. Premieres

A SISTERS’ TALE – Filmmaker Leila Amini followed her sister Nasreen around with a camera for seven years, capturing her covert mission to become a famous singer. But an unsupportive husband, family pressure, and Iran’s oppressive stranglehold on female expression threatens Nasreen’s happiness every step of the way. Directed by Leila Amini. Produced by Afsaneh Salari, Vadim Jendreyko, and Leila Amini. Persian language with English subtitles. 2024.

GULIZAR (Gülizar) – In this taut psychological drama about the ripples of assault, a Turkish woman is attacked at a roadhouse while on her way to her wedding in Kosovo. But the festivities must go on, and we are observers to Gülizar’s emotional turmoil of what to do, who to tell, and how to hold your head up high. Directed by Belkıs Bayrak. Produced by Mehmet Bahadır Er, Belkıs Bayrak, and Murat Yaşar Bayrak. Turkish and Albanian with English subtitles. 2024.

HONEYMOON (Medovyi Misiats) – In this claustrophobic thriller ripped from the headlines, newlyweds Olya and Taras are just getting settled into their new Kiev home when the Russians attack. Now they must stay perfectly silent within the confines of their apartment—cut off from the outside world—without tipping off the invading forces of their presence. Directed by Zhanna Ozirna. Produced by Dmytro Sukhanov. Ukrainian with English subtitles. 2024.

MY CHEST IS FULL OF SPARKS (Mi pecho está lleno de centellas) – Life doesn’t always go as planned. After the death of the family patriarch, mother and child go separate ways to find themselves—she crosses the ocean to pursue the singing career she left behind, while filmmaker Gal realizes they are transgender—in this collage of video diaries. Directed by Gal S. Castellanos. Produced by Eduardo Esquivel, Omar Robles, Metzli Paulina Ibarra, and Gal S. Castellanos. Spanish and Turkish with English subtitles. 2024.

MY FRIEND AN DELIE – The remarkable adaptation of Shuang Xuetao’s novel marks the directorial debut of actor-turned-director Dong Zijian. When a diverted flight reunites Limo with a childhood best friend, An Delie, who no longer remembers him, their journey through snowbound northeastern China unlocks long-buried memories, forcing him to confront the lingering ghosts of his past in this poignant tale of friendship, family, and forgiveness. Directed by Dong Zijian. Produced by Juan Wan. Mandarin with English subtitles. 2024.

SILENT STORMS (Les tempêtes) – Nothing looms over a city like the presence of death. While investigating a mysterious series of sandstorms that have laid a permanent cover over the seaside, a journalist comes face to face with his wife’s ghost—a victim of the Algerian Civil War—in this haunting science-fiction drama. Directed by Dania Reymond-Boughenou. Produced by Jérémy Forni and Camille Chandellier. French and Arabic with English subtitles. Audio description. 2024.