37th Cleveland International Film Festival recap

The Cleveland International Film Festival once again did not disappoint.

As the festival came to a close, over 93,000 people attended the 12-day festival. Attendees blew the festivals annual Challenge match out of the water this year raising over $154,000 in donations, which will be matched for a grand total of over $300,000 and will help the staff bring films to Cleveland for years to come.

Favorites of the fest here at Akronlife Magazine included “Key of Life” from Japan, “The Almost Man” from Norway, “Little World” from Spain and, as usual, the multiple shorts programs throughout the Cleveland International Film Festival.

Below are some of the awards given out during the closing ceremony on Sunday, April 14:

- Freida Mock won the first-ever Reel Women Direct award and $10,000 for her Jesuit priest documentary "G-Dog."

- Ryan White's "Good Ol' Freda," depicting Beatles' longtime secretary Freda Kelly, won the Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award.

- This year two films were awarded the Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up competition. "Honor Flight," about aging World War II vets won the Standing Up “For” award, while “In the Shadow of the Sun” won the Standing Up “To” accolades.

- Canton native Doug Dearth came out the winner in the Local Heroes competition for his film "Underdogs," a football film which screened as part of the Akronlife sponsored Day and Night in Akron. The director also took home a $5,000 prize.

- Treva Wurmfeld's "Shepard & Dark" won the Nesnadny and Schwartz Documentary Film Competition and took home a $7,500 prize.

- "Bear Me" and “Kolona won Best Animated Short and Best Live Action Short prize, respectively, which made both eligible for Oscar nominations.

- "Mariachi Gringo" won the American Independents Competition and $5,000 for director Tom Gustafson.

- Goran Paskaljevic's "When Day Breaks" won the George Gund III Memorial Central and Eastern European Competition and a $10,000 prize.