The Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, will be held Oct. 5- 9 in Chagrin Falls. Founded in 2010 to honor the filmmaking spirit of local filmmaker David Ponce, the Festival is designed to create a family-friendly and educational environment within the backdrop of beautiful Chagrin Falls. 

Global Cleveland is the proud sponsor of the short film, Kansuksa, Directed by Bryce Cyrier. Join us Thursday, October 6th at 1:30 pm or Sunday, October 9th at 11:00 am at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre to see this film. Below is a brief summary:

Kansuksa

Directed by Bryce Cyrier

USA, Laos, 18 minutes

Deep in the mountains of northern Laos, children travel far from home to get an education. One woman works tirelessly to help these kids gain access to school and get an education. She is stymied by a lack of support.  

The Festival program guide and online schedule include information on all films, programs and events. Festival ticket options include: Individual tickets $10; Festival Opening event $20; Closing Event $10; Havana Nights $30; and an All-Fest Pass, including five days of films, for $75. Festival membership packages are also available at www.chagrinfilmfest.org.

Here  are a few special film related events:

Dinner at Swingos  – World Premiere

Radius Restaurant at South Franklin Circle will host a “Dinner at Swingos” for the world premiere of the documentary, The Swingos Celebrity Inn, directed by Andrew Marquard on Tuesday, Oct. 5 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at South Franklin Circle. Dinner is $45, reservations to be made at 440-247-1300. Film follows at 7:00pm – $10.

Film ticket and dinner are separate.

Film Background: From Elvis to Led Zeppelin, Swingos Celebrity Inn served as the stomping ground for many famous celebrities and musical acts in Cleveland, Ohio. From the odd requests to the crazy parties, Jim Swingos reflects on a long legacy of providing great food and rooms to some of the most famous people of all time. 

 

Havana Nights

Step into a night in old Havana with the film Craving Cuba, Cuban food, rum drinks and music by the Foreigners Three. Friday, October 7 at 6:00 pm Chagrin Falls Township Hall, 87 N. Main St. An outdoor cigar tasting curated by JoVann’s Tobacco Shop

Film Background: Excitement over Cuba is at an all-time high, with this forbidden paradise on everyone’s mind. As beautiful, passionate and alluring as Cuba is, it is also very complicated. The film shares a powerful story about the American Dream and yearning – for freedom, for country, and for identity across four generations on both sides of the Florida Straits.

 

Hungarian Film and Food

Enjoy Hungarian refreshments courtesy of the Northeast Ohio Hungarian community following to the screening of Condemned to Live, directed by by Noemi Veronika Szakonyi and Mate Artur Vincze. The screening is Friday, Oct. 9 at 7:00 PM at  the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre River Room. 

Film Background: Imagine being sentenced to death for what you think. Following the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1956, scores of innocent people who didn’t see eye to eye with the Soviet-backed government were sentenced to death or thrown in jail. The film offers a shocking portrait of the impossibility of processing this trauma and the survivors’ incessant compulsion for remembrance. 

To learn more about the Festival, see full schedule and tickets, visit www.chagrinfilmfest.org, call the Festival office at 440-247-1591 or look for us on Facebook and Twitter.