First night = awesome.

It’s Here! The 33rd Cleveland International Film Festival began on Thursday and last night I experienced the festival in all its excitement for the first time. The buzz of excitement and joy inside Tower City is immediately contagious. Everyone around you is there for one common purpose: to enjoy wonderful films at a wonderful place surrounded by wonderful people. And the people are WONDERFUL! Every person I encountered last night—from the jovial waitress at the Hard Rock Café (yum!) to the young woman behind the ticket booth to all the festival staff members—were so extremely friendly and lively that it was hard not to be bursting through my own seams with excitement, as well.

Briefly, the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is the flagship event of the Cleveland Film Society. Since 1977, the Cleveland Film Society has presented the CIFF every spring. Since its humble beginnings of only 8 film screenings, the CIFF has steadily grown to feature over 140 feature films and more than 170 short subject films from more than 60 countries and all 7 continents. It’s like travelling the world without ever leaving Cleveland! The Cleveland Film Society’s vision is to be “a leader in helping the world discover the power of the film arts to educate, entertain and celebrate the human experience.”

Last night, I attended the screening of La Belle Personne, a lovely French film directed by Christophe Honore. The film showcases the uncertainty and turbulence of adolescent love. The young actors were fantastic and the soundtrack, mostly featuring the hauntingly beautiful songs of Nick Drake, was perfect. I’m so glad that this lovely film was my kickoff to my festival experiences. I’m looking forward to MANY more films and events this week!