Tomorrow marks the Opening Night for the 36th Cleveland International Film Festival. I won’t be there, but starting Friday I’ll be all over Tower City Center. Here’s my schedule for opening weekend:
Friday March 23rd
10:15am – 2:15 pm –> Volunteer
4:20pm –> Woman in the Fifth
6:20pm –> Hollywood Complex
9pm – 11:30pm –> Volunteer
Saturday March 24th
1:45pm –> Brooklyn Castle
6pm –> Shuffle
8:15pm –> Cat Vanishes
Sunday March 25th
9:40am –> Love Free or Die
Sunday is my annual film festival day with Papa G., although we don’t have all of our films decided yet. He brought me to my first ever CIFF in 1998 when I was a sophomore in high-school and we’ve attended almost every year since. We pick one day and about three or four movies. Over the years I’ve seen some amazing films and I don’t know if I would be as involved with CIFF as I am if he hadn’t introduced me to it at such a young age. I mean, I was on the Selection Committee this year. My name is in the program guide.
Let me know if you’re interested in joining me for any of the films on Friday and Saturday, since, as you can see, I have an extra magical all access pass (obviously Papa G. gets it on Sunday).

Looking at my schedule, most of my planned films are this first weekend. There are two that I’ll be seeing after the BGSU Alumni Event and my Day o’ Docs with my friend Staci next Saturday, but other than that, next weekend I’ll only be at Tower City to do volunteer stuff.
Truthfully, next weekend I hope to see The Hunger Games with some friends. It seems so wrong, to go see this big Hollywood blockbuster when there is a wealth of independent films available, but man oh man oh man do I love that series. Of course, I don’t love it enough to go opening night, but only because the opening weekend of The Hunger Games is this weekend, the same opening weekend as CIFF.
Talk about the odds not being in my favor.
Love from the ashes,
Lady Lazarus