Cleveland 2018: Documentary Overview

Festival:
The 42nd Cleveland International Film Festival

Dates:
April 4-15

About:
This popular regional event presents more than 200 features, including nearly 80 documentaries.

Among the world premieres at this year’s festival are: Shasha Nakhai’s TAKE LIGHT, a close up look at Nigeria’s electricity crisis; Sam Rega’s BREAKING THE BEE, a look at Indian Americans hoping to win the National Spelling Bee; Dan Habib’s INTELLIGENT LIVES, a reassessment of the capabilities of people with intellectual disabilities; Isaac Kerlow’s HAZE, IT’S COMPLICATED…, on the impact of palm oil farming in Southeast Asia; Laura Watilo Blake’s TRIPPED UP, following the activities of an adventure travel agency; and Adam Mazo and Ben Pender-Cudlip’s DAWNLAND, about a truth and reconciliation commission created to address the forced removal of Native children from their homes by the US government.

Among the other docs in the lineup are: Tjardus Greidanus’ BURDEN OF GENIUS, about the physician who completed the first successful organ transplant; Lisa Klein’s THE S WORD, a confrontation with the stigma of suicide by survivors; Iara Lee’s BURKINABÈ RISING: THE ART OF RESISTANCE IN BURKINA FASO, which explores an artist-driven nonviolent resistance movement in the small African nation; and Lisa Ades’ GI JEWS: JEWISH AMERICANS IN WWII, on American Jews who fought both the Axis powers and American Anti-Semitism.