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CIFF Opening
Barney and Laura Taxel
(CIFF Opening Night)
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Biz and Roy Turnell
(CIFF Opening Night)
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Margie Wheeler and Carol Wellman
(CIFF Opening Night)
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Ron and Patsy Berkman with Terry and Ron Weinberg (CIFF Opening Night)
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Cleveland International Film Festival
“Opening Night”
The Cleveland International Film Festival's opening night party was just the beginning of the most successful Film Festival ever, with attendance up seven percent from last year (71,000 this year) and many, many movies on stand-by throughout the 11 days.
One thousand or so people wandered around the MK-Ferguson Plaza sipping and munching and talking about the festival opener, a quirky film called "Timer." And everyone got to go home with an egg-shaped timer courtesy of perennial opening night sponsor Dollar Bank.
Bob Anderson called "Timer" "refreshing and creative — a little "Star Trek" but also realistic." Laura Taxel found the film, "charming and entertaining" while Margie Wheeler and Carol Wellman agreed on "enough offbeat flavor to be a great opening movie. Very beguiling." Russell Trusso said, "I loved it. It was clever, cute and fun." We heard more pros than cons.
More than 300 films from 84 countries makes for an intriguing experience for Cleveland's film fans. It is possible to see six or seven movies in one day, though most of us settle for two or three, or even four. It requires fortitude and sometimes fast footwork to get from one movie to the next.
Opening night always has such a great air of expectation about it. For the small CIFF staff, headed by executive director Marcie Goodman, the party is the culmination of a year's hard work. The logistics of the film festival are staggering and it requires a volunteer force of nearly 400 people.
We can hardly wait until next year. STORY BY MARTHA TOWNS/PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEFF FARR
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