The Buzz is your source for the latest festival highlights and
best bets for films each day. You can also catch “The Buzz” video
program with Meaghan Earley on Facebook or YouTube. For more
information visit www.clevelandfilm.org/social.
WHAT’S BUZZING AT THE 38TH CIFF Saturday, March 29, 2014; Day
11:
Wake up to the booziest, most foul-mouthed uncle any family
could ever wish not to have, when “Uncle Nick” plays at 9:30
a.m.
The encore screening of the biopic film, “Gore Vidal: The United
States of Amnesia,” rolls at 11:25 a.m.
Meet a crew of celebrity impersonators at 1:40 p.m. when “Just
About Famous” has its second screening.
Join us for “Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang” at 3:45 p.m.,
and explore the spooky depths of the Hope Re-Education Center with
the characters from one of Spain’s best-selling comic books.
Journey into the Central African Rainforest at 6:20 p.m. with
“Song from the Forest,” and follow a writer who turns his back on
civilization for almost 30 years.
Explore language barriers at 8:45 p.m. with “Dual.” Two women
from Denmark and Sweden try to forge a friendship, but the only
language they have in common is English, where almost every word
has at least two meanings.
Join us at 11:30 p.m. for “Coherence.” As a passing comet
triggers unexplained mayhem all around them, a small group of
dinner guests tries to figure out if they’re in the middle of the
end of the world or just a really bad party.
Find out the latest information about these films and other
festival events by picking up The Daily, reading the festival
website and, of course, seeing as many films as you can.
The BUZZ
The CIFF DAY 11 / SATURDAY / 3.29.2014
Jumping at a Chance to Fly
Documentarian Catherine Gund has known performance artist
Elizabeth Streb for 25 years, since both of them were in college,
but their worlds didn’t fully collide until two years ago. Gund was
attend-ing Streb’s annual gala when she found out that a necessary
component of the perfor-mance needed some help: someone had to
climb up a 35-foot truss and drop a bowling ball down to Streb’s
emcee, Zaire, as part of the show. Gund volunteered.
“I literally jumped at the chance and climbed up the truss,” she
recalls, “posed and terrified with a bowling ball heavy in my lap.
Just then on either side of me, two other bowl-ing balls were
automatically released, hurtling down and plainly eviscerating the
cement blocks beneath them. By the time I let the bowling ball fall
out of my sweaty hands, I was primed.”
When Streb saw how big a thrill it had been for Gund, she
invited her to film the team at London’s Cultural Olympiad. For the
second time in one night, Gund jumped at the chance and proposed an
idea of her own: a full-length feature film.
The result is “Born to Fly,” a documen-tary that showcases the
vivid and frequently dangerous acrobatics that Streb and her troupe
perform.
“I don’t think of her pieces individually,” Gund says. “They’re
constantly evolving across time as well as in the space of her
studio, her
stage, her mind. I think of Streb’s work as a process, her
drive, unwavering demand, and a willingness—the effort—of the
dancers to risk everything and use their bodies in response to each
other in the most extreme way possible.”
Gund takes the same approach within her own filmmaking, and in
her advice to aspiring
filmmakers. “I would defi-nitely say just go for it … try
something you haven’t tried, push yourself, go further than you
imagined possible, no matter where you start, you can always risk
more. Filmmaking is a risk . . . My advice is don’t follow rules,
don’t hesitate.”
She and the CIFF go way back—her uncle, George Gund III, was one
of its founders, and the other three films she has directed,
“What’s On Your Plate,” “Making
Grace” and “Hallelujah! Ron Athey: A Story of Deliverance,” have
all played here. She was a Someone to Watch Award recipient in 2005
at the 29th CIFF.
“CIFF is a terrific, exemplary, powerhouse of a festival with so
many quality films, awesome energy, and [a] vital downtown presence
in a dynamic city. I love it,” she enthuses, adding that the
festival “grows and innovates with the times and that makes showing
films here feel satisfying and celebratory at once.”
—Lara Klaber
Elizabeth Streb (left) received the John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation ‘Genius’ Award in 1997. Catherine Gund is one
of the founders of the Third Wave Foundation, which champions the
causes of young women of color, transgender youths and other
marginalized groups.
CIFF is pleased to present these films in state-of-the-art
theaters with easy freeway access.DETECTIVE DOWNS 5:00 p.m. THAT
BURNING FEELING 7:00 p.m. LFO 9:00 p.m.
SHOWING TODAY AT VALLEY VIEW
BORN TO FLY is playing today at 9:35 a.m.
SHOWINGTODAY
DAY11OF THEFILM FESTIVAL IS SPONSORED BY
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Challenge MatchThe Challenge Match is the CIFF’s annual
fundraising campaign, and the only time of the year that we ask for
your support (we do not send out solicitation letters at any time).
The challenge to you – our audience – is to raise $100,000, which
will be matched by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
We are $82,210 closer to reaching our goal of $100,000
A $10 DONATION QUALIFIES YOU FOR ONE OF THESE FABULOUS
PRIZES!!
A SHOW FOR ALL SEASONS: Experience an unforgettable night
downtown for four with dinner at Flannery’s Pub, and VIP seating
and Club access to a concert at Jacobs Pavilion.
IN THE MIX: If you’re a “smoothie” family, or perhaps frozen
drinks are your style, you can do it all with a Vitamix, the
world’s most durable blender! We’ll also include Market Bonds from
the West Side Market for fresh produce.
Stop by the Challenge Match table in the Tower City Cinemas
lobby to donate.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Official Airline of the 38th CIFFThe Cleveland International
Film Festival receives public support with local tax dollars from
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, to preserve and enrich our region’s
artistic and cultural heritage.
Visit The Daily online edition at
www.clevelandfilm.org/festival/the-daily.
TODAY’S ONLINE VERSION INCLUDES:• Just About Famous (Playing
today at 1:40 p.m.)
Matt Mamula and Jason Kovacsev share the unique story of
ordinary people who get paid to impersonate extraordinary public
figures.
• Heart of A Lion (Playing today at 2:40 p.m.) Jasper Pääkkönen
discusses playing against type for his controversial role as a
Neo-Nazi.
• Coherence (Playing today at 11:30 p.m.) James Ward Byrkit
explains his less-than-coherent production process and how it
resulted in his mind-bending science fiction film.
• Waiting in Line at CIFF Find out some of the best ways to kill
time while waiting in line, according to festival patrons.
THEONLINE
TOP LEFT: Volunteer Lizann Hudson and her daughter. TOP RIGHT:
First-time CIFF volun-teer Wayne Mesker struts his stuff on
Volunteer Appreciation Day. LEFT: Lil Routman (right) started
volun-teering for the CIFF 35 years ago when it was still at the
Cedar Lee. Her daughter, Sherri Routman (left), came on board 12
years ago.
THE HOME FOR STORIES
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Festival UpdatesAdded Screenings:Saturday March 29thWaltz for
Monica 9:10 amGore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia 11:25 am
Sunday March 30thThe Yank 9:40 amAntarctica: A Year on Ice 11:45
amThe Ferry 12:15 pmThe Sax Man 4:45 pm
Late Additions:Saturday March 29thLast Days in Vietnam 12:45
pmTo Be Takei 3:00 pm
Sunday March 30thLast Days in Vietnam 3:45 pmTo Be Takei 5:00
pm
Check for the latest festival updates on Twitter or Facebook. Or
visit www.clevelandfilm.org/festival/updates
Thommy T-Shirt Day: Remembering a Legend
This year, the Cleveland International Film Festival dedicates
its annual T-shirt Day to the memory of longtime festival staff
member, Thom Duke. He was a constant presence at Will Call, which
was renamed the “Duke Desk” in honor of his 70th birthday nine
years ago. He was also known for wearing a different t-shirt every
day of the festival and for always knowing about every film in the
festival. Duke passed away in January 2014, and his absence at the
38th CIFF has been felt.
“He was my high school history teacher, my CIFF cohort, my AFS
colleague and a friend,” says Chris Blake, CIFF Vice President of
Strategic Planning. “For me, though, and through CIFF, he will
forever be tied to Iceland and his love and fascination with that
country and its films.”
John Farina, CIFF staff member and longtime friend of Duke,
adds: “He always knew about every film in the festival. If a guest
had a ques-tion about a film, you could always send them
to Thom. He always had an opinion about every film.”
Rose DeCapite, a close friend of Duke’s and festival staffer
says, “He’s the only person I know who could see all these movies,
but that wasn’t the hard part; he remembered them! He remembered
their names and what they were about.”
“But being a history teacher, he had to remember,” responds her
husband, Bill DeCapite. “And many of his students came, and always
came to the theater here, and always remembered Thom and talked
about how great he was as a teacher.”
Another CIFF staffer, Tim Smith, also remembers Thom as a
teacher. “He taught everyone around him about film, about life,
about politics, about how to treat people. He was a curmudgeon, but
he was also a teddy bear, and he gave to everyone around him.”
Thank you, Thom Duke, for everything you gave to the CIFF and to
this world.
—Bridget Kriner and Lara Klaber
Thom Duke wore many hats (and t-shirts!) at the CIFF. As the
festival archivist, he worked to preserve CIFF’s rich history.
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