The 48th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF48) will showcase the documentary Shari & Lamb Chop as the festival’s Centerpiece Screening on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.
Directed by Lisa D’Apolito, the film is a comprehensive bio-doc on Shari Lewis, who went from a young Jewish girl from the Bronx to the country’s most famous ventriloquist as she blazed a trail for American children’s television long before Mr. Rogers appeared on our screens.
Debuting on “Captain Kangaroo” in 1956, a sock puppet named Lamb Chop provided a voice for Shari that gave her the ability to say things that a young woman in the 1950s couldn’t. Over their decades-long career, Shari and Lamb Chop garnered 13 Emmys, a Peabody, and countless accolades from children and parents alike. With big aspirations, the duo achieved cultural icon status in the U.S. by the end of the 20th century. Shari & Lamb Chop is a tribute to the impact one woman and her faithful sock puppet made on children’s television and across multiple generations.
The festival named Sav Rodgers – award-winning filmmaker, director, and co-producer of the CIFF48 film Chasing Chasing Amy as sixth recipient of the DReam Maker Award.
Originally from Kansas, Sav Rodgers is a filmmaker and screenwriter whose feature directorial debut, Chasing Chasing Amy, is about the complicated legacy of “Chasing Amy” (1997) and its profound impression on his life. The TED Talk he gave in 2018 kickstarted this filmmaking journey and spurred the writing of scripts that center on highly specific, surprising stories about queer people. His screenplays have been recognized by GLAAD, Outfest, and ScreenCraft, among others. An alumnus of the Producers Guild of America’s inaugural PGA Create program, Sav is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Transgender Film Center, a nonprofit aiming to help trans creators bring finished films to audiences around the world. Sav is a proud University of Kansas graduate and still sports KU baseball caps wherever he goes.
Sav will spend his time in Cleveland meeting with organizations in Northeast Ohio whose missions support the LGBTQ+ community. The DReam Maker Award, which is accompanied by $5,000 to support future work, will be presented to Sav at a screening of his film during CIFF48.
The film Chasing Chasing Amy explores the transformational impact of a ‘90s rom-com on a 12-year-old kid from Kansas, coming of age and contending with queer identity. For young Sav Rodgers, the Kevin Smith cult classic, “Chasing Amy,” became a life raft. As Rodgers examines the film and its making as a cornerstone of LGBTQ+ cinema, he finds himself at a complicated crossroads.
DReam Maker was established in 2019 to honor the life and memory of David K. Ream (1949–2017), a beloved CIFF trustee. An indexer by profession, a master of puns by choice, and a true Renaissance man at heart, Dave loved Cleveland and everything about it. The DReam Maker Program and Award celebrates LGBTQ+ artists through the recognition of an LGBTQ+ filmmaker and that person’s work – as well as the presentation of a slate of films made by LGBTQ+ directors and featuring LGBTQ+ themes.
The Cleveland International Film Festival will host the world premieres of 12 extraordinary films as part of the CIFF48 lineup. Hailing from the U.S., Ukraine, Japan, and Argentina, filmmakers from all 12 films will be among this year’s roster of more than 300 guest filmmakers who will be on-hand for post-film Q&As.
AMERICAN DELIVERY
Directed by Carolyn Jones
Produced by Lisa Frank
USA
ATHLETES OF WAR
Directed by Gabriel Veras
Produced by Mykola Ponych, Gabriel Veras
USA, UKRAINE
COUNTED OUT
Directed by Vicki Abeles
Produced by Vicki Abeles, Amy Ferraris, Nancy Blachman, Doug Blush, Lisa Fruchtman
USA
FALSE POSITIVE
Directed by Ismail Al-Amin
Produced by Ismail Al-Amin, Philip Aromando, Marquis Daisy
USA
THE PITCH: PATIENT SAFETY’S NEXT GENERATION
Directed by Mike Eisenberg
Produced by Kailey Brackett
USA
RYAN’S WORLD THE MOVIE: TITAN UNIVERSE ADVENTURE
Directed by Albie Hecht
Produced by Albie Hecht, Shion Kaji, Loann Kaji
USA, JAPAN
SMALL TOWN UNIVERSE
Directed by Katie Dellamaggiore
Produced by Katie Dellamaggiore, Nelson Dellamaggiore, Tracie Holder
USA
SOFA, SO GOOD
Directed by Kyle Thiele, Eli Thiele, Cole Thiele
Produced by Eli Thiele, Andrew Swisher
USA
THE STAR I LOST
(La Estrella que Perdí)
Directed by Luz Orlando Brennan
Produced by Diego Amson, Luz Orlando Brennan, Fernando Salem
Argentina
TRUE BELIEVER
Directed by Kristen Irving
Produced by Kristen Irving, Julian Cautherley
USA
TRUST IN BLACK AND WHITE
Directed by Deborah L. Plummer
Produced by Deborah L. Plummer, Lori Stevic Rust
USA
WHAT’S NEXT?
Directed by Taylor Taglianetti
Produced by Taylor Taglianetti, Austin Tucker, Stephanie Troise Walter
USA
CIFF’s annual “Shorts in Focus” program celebrates a filmmaker or organization for their work in the field of short films. This year the festival will honor the Louisiana Film Prize and its founder and Executive Director, Gregory Kallenberg. An award-winning filmmaker himself, Gregory created this extraordinary event, which awards a $50,000 cash prize to the winning short film each year – and many of them have gone on to play and win awards at CIFF.
The program will also feature some CIFF alum films that were handcrafted for the Louisiana Film Prize, including three that took home the coveted $50,000 prize. Stay with us after the screening of these award-winning films while we speak with Gregory Kallenberg about the creation of the event and the magical impact the Louisiana Film Prize continues to deliver.
The CIFF48 Shorts in Focus: Louisiana Film Prize is an 87-minute program of seven short films that will screen on Friday, April 12th at 4:55 pm in the Allen Theatre.
CIFF48 will take place April 3-13, 2024 at Playhouse Square, followed by CIFF48 Streams, sponsored by PNC, which will take place April 14-21, 2024 online.