The 50 th Cleveland International Film Festival is returning, at least partially, to its roots at the Cedar Lee Theatre. The festival was founded in 1977 at the Cleveland Heights venue. Following a move to Tower City in the ‘90s, CIFF eventually shifted to Playhouse Square in 2022.

“It allows us to honor where we are today, where we've been in the past, and it also gives us the opportunity to try to show films more than once,” said Paul Sloop, director of programming.

The plan is to use three of the six screens at the Cedar Lee. Films will still run at Playhouse Square, likely in two theaters and the screening room for Cleveland State University’s School of Film and Media Arts. CIFF’s Shorts Club has already been using the space, which Sloop called “intimate.”

“It offers our patrons t

See Full Page