The Chagrin Documentary Film Festival Tells It Like It Is, Oct. 3-8

The overused label (especially in movie hype) “labor of love” really applies to the The Chagrin Documentary Film Festival. The CDFF premiered eight years ago, as organizer Mary Ann Quinn Ponce’s way to honor her son, filmmaker and Chagrin Falls native David Ponce who died at 20 of leukemia in 2006 during post-production of one of his nonfiction films.

Now the CDFF is a widely anticipated event that unreels in the fall

throughout the village of Chagrin Falls when the place is in full autumn foliage. Screening sites - most of which are all within nice walking distances from one another - range from the Chagrin Valley Little Theater to the old Township Hall on Main Street to the United Methodist Church.

How big is the festival? Serious names in the film industry arriving this year include Colin Hanks, actor-filmmaker son of Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival alumnus Tom Hanks. Two features directed by Hanks the younger will screen, both music-oriented. ALL THINGS MUST PASS is an oral history of the roller-coaster rise and fall of Tower Records, a music-vending chain that helped shape the pop scene as we know it. EAGLES OF DEATH METAL (NOS AMIS) profiles the American hardcore-sound band caught in a notorious Islamic terror attack at a French concert in 2015 and their return to France a year later.

Visit the Nonfiction section, as The Chagrin Documentary Film Festival returns, Oct. 7-11.

Event preview by Charles Cassady, Jr.

Now in its sixth year, the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival is northeast Ohio's contribution to a boom in recent film festivals (like the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival and Canada's HotDocs) uniquely devoted to nonfiction features and shorts.

The CDFF takes place from Wednesday, Oct. 7, through Sunday, Oct. 11, at venues throughout the famously postcard-pretty village of Chagrin Falls on the eastern side of Cuyahoga County. Screening sites - most of which are all within nice walking distances from one another - range from the big school auditorium on Philomethian Street to the more salon-like environment of the Valley Art Center.

Win a pair of tickets to the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival

If you would like a pair of tickets for you and a guest to see one film at the Chagrin Documentary Film Fest, send your name and address to: clevelandmovieblog@gmail.com by Friday October 2nd. We'll randomly select the winner from all entries at midnight on October 2nd and notify you by email.

 

Celebrating its sixth year, the Festival is being held Oct. 7 to Oct. 11 in Chagrin Falls, OH. The 66 selected documentaries represent the work of filmmakers from 28 countries and focus on a wide range of thought-provoking topics. The Festival was named to MovieMaker Magazine’s “Top 50 Film Fests Worth the Entry Fee” the last three years.

Best of the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, April 25 and 26.

Event preview by Charles Cassady, Jr.

Springtime in Chagrin Falls means two things. First there's the Memorial Day weekend "Blossom Time" community festival that customarily includes a massive hot-air balloon convention and flyover. But Chagrin Falls has another claim to fame in the spring. It's the "Best of the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival."

The actual CDFF a week-long celebration of the latest in nonfiction cinema, normally takes over the whole of the town in October. But as a runup to the 2015 edition, the CDFF is making Saturday a retrospective of highlights and audience-award winners from last year's fest.

The Curse and the Symphony (October 8th, 10th, and 12th at the Chagrin Documentary Festival)

[THE CURSE AND THE SYMPHONY screens Wednesday October 8th at 7:00 pm, Friday October 10 th at 7:00 pm, and Sunday October 12 th at 12:00 pm at the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

Composer Nathan Felix

Nathan Felix, formerly of the indie rock band Noise Revival Orchestra, heard a symphony in his head and was bound and determined to get that music out into the world. The work, titled “The Curse, The Cross, & the Lion”, comes complete with a story and cast of characters that, from the illustrations we see, looks something like the Thundercats fighting an epic battle against the creatures from THE DARK CRYSTAL. Heck, I'd see a ballet or opera based around that idea.

Chagrin Documentary Film Festival to Present Documentary MENTOR October 8-12

[Press release from the 2050 Group.]

Screenings:                                                                                                                                                            Friday, October 10 at 1:00pm @ United Methodist Church of Chagrin Falls                                       Saturday, October 11 at 12:15pm @ United Methodist Church of Chagrin Falls 

Mentor, Ohio, is largely white, upper middle class, and listed as one of the “Top 100 Places to Live in the United States,” but between 2006 and 2010 five teenagers from this proud community - known for its safe streets and good schools - take their own lives. “Mentor” follows the families of two of these victims as they uncover a shocking story of bullying. The Vidovics swap the perils of the war in Bosnia for an American culture of conformity where their daughter ends up enduring constant bullying from 8th grade on. Kids make fun of her name, her Croatian accent, and her clothes.  The Mohats’ son, active in musical theater, does not tell his parents of his daily verbal and physical abuse, being shoved and called “queer” at school.

'Defiant Requiem' screens in Cleveland May 14th

[Press release from the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival]

Back by popular demand! the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage presents:

On Wednesday, May 14th at 7pm at The Temple-Tifereth Israel, the powerful film Defiant Requiem will be shown followed by a performance of Dies Ire (Day of Wrath) from Verdi’s Requiem Mass. Performed by the Chagrin Falls Studio Orchestra and local chorus groups. Defiant Requiem is the winner of the 2013 Ponce Award for Best of the Fest at the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival.

Tickets and information here

Blinky & Me (October 4th and 6th at the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival)

[BLINKY & ME screens Friday October 4th at 5:00 pm and Sunday October 6th at 2:00 pm at the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

I had heard of Australian animator Yoram Gross for some time. I knew he was a big deal Down Under, and I had even seen a few of his family-oriented animated features, such as DOT AND THE KOALA and LEGEND: IN THE DAYS OF THE DINOSAURS - major hits in Aussie cinemas but just hidden-treasure small-scale releases on kidvid in the days when VHS VCRs roamed the Earth (days I miss dearly).

His cartoon work made him a household name in Down Under cinema and his koala-bear character "Blinky Bill" bids to be the Antipode's cultural equivalent of Mickey Mouse. But I really had no idea of Gross' remarkable backstory until I saw BLINKY & ME. It is much less a showbiz bio than a reflection of the 83-year-old Gross, a Holocaust survivor, looking back upon his roots in the Polish Jewish community, his struggles under Nazism, immigration to Israel, and ultimately his large, loving, farm-dwelling family in Australia (where teen granddaughters still regard Yoram as a youngster in the family).

31 Days of Halloween 2013: Legion of Terror (October 4th at the Chagrin Documenrary Film Festival)

[LEGION OF TERROR screens Friday October 4th at 9:30 pm at the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival.]


Review by Bob Ignizio

Since 1985 The Legion of Terror have been working hard to scare and disturb northeast Ohio thrill seekers at various “haunted attractions”, mainly the Bloodview Haunted House. Rather than the assortment of pimple-faced teens wearing decked out in cheap rubber masks and fake blood you might expect, the Legion come from a wide range of backgrounds. Their common bond is a desire to take their performance and make-up skills to a higher level, creating genuine characters and scenarios rather than just jumping out and shouting, “boogity, boogity, boogity!” Members are not paid for their efforts, yet most stay for many years due to the camaraderie and, in many cases, the opportunity to engage in a little venting of pent-up frustrations in a controlled environment. Given how tightly knit the group has become over the course of its existence, it's no surprise that a fair amount of behind the scenes drama takes place as well.

Repost: Dear Mr. Watterson (October 2nd, 3rd, and 5th at the Chagrin Documentary Film Fest)

[DEAR MR. WATTERSON screens Wednesday October 2nd at 7:00 pm, Thursday October 3rd at 7:00 pm and Saturday October 5th at 3:30 pm at the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

In every medium there are a handful of undisputed masters, people whose talent cannot be denied. When it comes to comic strips, one name that immediately comes to mind in that light is Chragrin Falls cartoonist Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes. The strip, about a mischievous six year old boy and his stuffed (or is he real?) tiger, began in November of 1985 and quickly became a huge hit. Watterson could have easily given in to the forces of crass commercialism, but he refused to license his characters for merchandising. And when he felt he had done all he could with the strip, Watterson walked away from it in December of 1995. Since then the artist has largely shunned the public eye, becoming to some degree the comic strip equivalent of J.D. Salinger, as well known for his reclusiveness as he is for his work. And yet, like Salinger, that work continues to inspire new generations of readers.

Honest, No Fooling, the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival returns, Oct. 2-6.

Event preview by Charles Cassady, Jr.

Ever since LeBron left, the only thing significant about Cleveland, we can all agree, is its close proximity to Chagrin Falls, hometown of Tim Conway, National Lampoon eminence Doug Kenny, and "Calvin & Hobbes" cartoonist Bill Watterson. 

And for four years now, Chagrin Falls has also been host to the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, the region's only film festival uniquely devoted to nonfiction features and shorts. It's a must on any local film fans' itinerary.

The CDFF takes place from Wednesday, Oct. 2, through Sunday, Oct. 6, at venues throughout the famously postcard-pretty village of Chagrin Falls on the eastern side of Cuyahoga County. Screening sites range from the venerable old Township Hall on Main Street to the Chagrin Valley Little Theater and the Federated Church.

A Fighting Heart (October 5th at the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival)

[A FIGHTING HEART screens Saturday October 5th at 7:00 pm at the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival.] 

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

The definitive, magisterial Encyclopedia of Cleveland History tells us that local athlete-turned-politician John Patrick Kilbane (1889-1957), though a featherweight boxing champ of some renown, “was not a very popular titleholder” out of town. Owww! I’d hate to read what the new edition has to say about LeBron. About me, for that matter. Thanks, big, thick Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. I’m sure readers outside of town often mistake you for a joke book too.

Repost: Dislecksia: The Movie (October 4th at the Chagrin Documentary Film Fest)

[DISLECKSIA: THE MOVIE screens Thursday October 4th at 5:00 pm at the Chagrin Documentary Film Fest.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

I’ve got a pretty sweet deal at the Cleveland Movie Blog insofar as editor/founder Bob Ignizio doesn’t edit my writing much. At the most he maybe just tones down my penchant for racism, homophobia and gratuitous nudity. I haven’t been so fortunate with a lot of my other editors who, ineptly playing Edward Scissorhands of the newsroom, macheted my prose apart – sometime to the better, sometime making it into verbal confetti and word salads (one of them almost invariably turned “Gallic” into “Gaelic”; must’ve been some Ohio Freedom Fries thing). When you read me at the Movie Blog I’m all here, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Perhaps my former editors were all dyslexic, hobbled by an inability to read. Or they operate under a mandate to publish material suitable for a dyslexic readership. That would sure explain the state of the American media. In any case, given these no-responsibility days, when kids and adults are practically standing in line to be diagnosed with autism and Aspberger's – and I'm given to understand that labeling yourself "special needs" guarantees quite a few nice perks and privileges - I could well believe that newspapers, magazines and website would hire a dyslexic over someone who can read without difficulty. “Diversity” and all that.

Chagrin Documentary Film Festival inaugurates special free spring series

Reporting by Charles Cassady, Jr.

As we all know, ever since LeBron left the only significant thing about Cleveland is that it’s geographically close to Chagrin Falls, home to the two-year-old Chagrin Falls Documentary Film Festival.

The area’s only festival uniquely devoted to nonfiction features and shorts, the CFDF normally takes place in October, but director Mary Ann Ponce is beginning 2012 with a special roaming series, reviving past hits from the fest in alternative venues, sometimes with special tie-in guests. All the screenings are free and open to the public.

True facts about the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival 2011 (October11 to October 16)

Article by Charles Cassady, Jr.

The Thomas Kinkade-painting town of Chagrin Falls may be on the show-business map for being an occasional movie-shooting location (THE GATHERING, HOUSE ARREST) and producing Tim Conway and National Lampoon writer Doug Kenney. In the last few years, it's also become eponymous home to the Chagrin Falls Documentary Film Fest, taking place from Tuesday, October 11 through Sunday, October 16.

The festival has two notable distinctions, the first being that it is the only all-documentary film festival in the region. Secondly, it happens a la Sundance, all over town at different flavored small venues, not at the resident Cleveland Cinemas multiplex. Screening localities include several town churches, the school auditorium on Philomethian Street, the Township Hall, even inside Umami Asian Restaurant.