Grab some popcorn because it’s time to settle in for almost two full weeks of incredible indie movies. The Mandel JCC Cleveland Jewish FilmFest, now in its ninth year, runs October 8 – 18. Meanwhile, the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, which is turning six, opens today and runs through October 11. The Maltz Museum supports (and attends) both festivals. Here’s what Mary Ann Quinn Ponce told us about the Chagrin Falls festival she founded.
Founding a film festival is huge. What inspired you to undertake such a big project?
It came from very unexpected and unwanted loss. That was the loss of my son, a documentary filmmaker. When I took his film to festivals I really experienced what it meant to these passionate filmmakers to have their work seen and appreciated. They are so passionate about the stories they’re telling, so it means the world to them to have an engaged audience.
Were you always a documentary film fan?
I wasn’t initially a devotee of documentary films, but I tell you—now it is all I want to watch. It is addictive. These are real people and real stories that, in many cases, you couldn’t even imagine.
What do you think sets the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival apart?
I feel there really is something very special that happens here in Chagrin Falls. It is beyond description, really. There’s a special spirit. Our audience goes out of their way to make them feel welcome. They really embrace these filmmakers.
How has it grown over the years?
As you said, starting a film festival takes an extraordinary amount of time and effort. We accepted the challenge with every intention of growing it into a national and an international destination. I think it is evolving in that direction. We can tell from the quality and number of submissions we’ve received that we’re becoming a major part of the documentary circuit. Our submissions have quadrupled since we started. For three years running now we’ve been on the list of MovieMaker Magazine’s top 50 film festivals.
Do you think some of that has to do with the Oscar-winning films you’ve shown?
We had the U.S. premiere of what became and Academy Award-winning film. The next year, we had the U.S. premiere of what became an Academy Award nominee. We had two nominated films and one winner in two years. We’re extremely proud of that, but it is extremely unusual for an indie filmmaker to go that distance. It’s a bit like lightning striking. There are so many documentaries out there.
So, talk a little about what fest-goers will see this year.
We are always interested in presenting a wide range of topics and this year is no different. We’re showing 66 films from 28 countries. Those movies include everything from a documentary about the comedy scene in Cleveland to a film about the situation in the Middle East. The breadth of topics is enormous.
What are some of the highly anticipated screenings?
There are several films that have a lot of buzz. For example, there’s the U.S. premiere of Two Barns that is part of the Violins of Hope Cleveland programming. It’s by Haim Hecht who directed The Return of the Violin. This is his next documentary. It’s about events that went on in Poland. It’s a very difficult topic, but one that needs to be brought to light and discussed. People are also excited by another U.S. premiere, Queen Mimi. The director Yaniv Rokah is coming to the festival. The film is about a very unique woman who has inspired others in a very unlikely way.
The Museum is supporting the showing of Landfill Harmonic (October 8 & 9, 7:30pm), which also ties into the themes around music and hope that are part of our Violins of Hope exhibition.
That film is about children living on a landfill that find a way to create their own instruments and to make beautiful music. It illustrates how something really beautiful can come out of something really bad. We’re also showing Touch of an Angel, which is a personal Auschwitz story about how even the smallest gesture can save a life. That film actually has a lot of hope in it too.
Do you have a tip for first-time fest-goers?
Go online, pick a film you don’t think you’ll necessarily be interested in and let yourself be surprised. Also, take advantage of the daytime discounts if you can. Weekday films before 5pm are just $5.
–Sam Fryberger
