The 39th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) begins on March 18 and runs until March 29 at Tower City Cinemas downtown. Again, NEO Sierra Club will participate as a Community Partner. In particular, we are helping to promote the film, Divide in Concord, a documentary about an octogenarian activist in Concord, Massachusetts who works to ban plastic water bottles in her community. The film depicts the obstacles that are often encountered by activists around the world when they confront serious environmental problems, and it speaks directly to what our own local activists are doing in northeast Ohio. We hope that it will stimulate more of our members to become active in confronting local environmental issues. The film screens on Thursday, March 26 at 8:30 PM and again on Friday, March 27 at 4:20 PM. NEO Sierra Club members will be introducing the film at each screening and Sierra Club literature will be available.
In addition to Divide in Concord, CIFF’s schedule includes other environmentally related movies that deal with a diverse array of subjects ranging from the Keystone pipeline to the wilds of Alaska to the elimination of solid waste in San Francisco. Tickets go on sale on Feb. 27 for CIFF members and on March 6 for the general public. Ticket prices are $13 for CIFF members, $13 for students and seniors (in-person only) and $15 for everyone else. Sierra Club members will be eligible for a $2 discount on tickets. To receive the discount, just use the codeword “Sierra” when purchasing your tickets. Tickets can be purchased online at www.clevelandfilm.org or by phone at 877.304.FILM (3456). In-person purchases can be made at the Tower City Cinemas lobby (see the CIFF website for hours). Advance purchase of tickets is recommended, especially for the films shown on the weekends. Check the CIFF website for a schedule and brief descriptions of the films.
The CIFF has grown to become one of the premier cultural events in Cleveland with screenings of more than 180 films and attendance by almost 100,000 movie-goers. Please plan to see Divide in Concord and other films at this year’s festival. Hope to see you there!