Ohio films in Cleveland International Film Festival

The Cleveland International Film Festival is known to show a wide variety of feature and short films. However, in recent years a special part of the festival has been its Local Heroes Competition, which festival Associate Director Patrick Shepherd described as being an annual celebration of films made about Ohio, in Ohio, or by Ohioans. While COVID-19 is still keeping audiences out of theaters, this year's CIFF45 Streams — taking place April 7 through 20 — is offering audiences the ability to stream its Local Heroes Competition films from the safety of their own homes. Based on audience vote, the winner of this competition — who will receive a $5,000 cash prize — will be announced at the CIFF Closing Awards Ceremony. Here's a look at films in the CIFF45 Streams Local Heroes Competition: "Apart" Directed by Jennifer Redfearn The number of women in U.S. prisons has increased 800 percent due to drug sentencing laws in the past 40 years. The state of Ohio, battling industrial decline and an opioid epidemic, has one of the nation's largest populations of incarcerated. The documentary focuses on the stories of Amanda, Lydia and Tomika, who are doing their best to raise their children from an Ohio prison while serving sentences for drug-related convictions. Said Shepherd: "The documentary follows women incarcerated at a minimum-security prison in Cleveland, their recovery from addiction and path to reentering society. It's pretty interesting." "The Big Scary 'S' Word" Directed by Yael Bridge Viewed as one of the most taboo words in American political speech, socialism is explored in the new documentary "The Big Scary 'S' Word." The bold film takes a deep dive into past and present socialism in America. "Bring it Home" Directed by Carl Kriss In and out of the headlines over the past few years, the Lordstown plant — which closed in 2018, resulting in massive layoffs — is explored in depth in the new documentary "Bring it Home." "'Bring it Home' is about how the community is reacting to what's happened in recent years," Shepherd said. "Holler" Directed by Nicole Riegel Director Nicole Riegel returned to her hometown of Jackson, Ohio, to shoot her raw, semi-autobiographical debut, "Holler," which finds high school senior Ruth (Jessica Barden) struggling to prioritize school and support her family while their mother (Pamela Adlon) is in jail. "Open Hearts" Directed by Travis Pollert and Jacob Kostelli Centered around Akron Children's Hospital, this documentary follows Dr. Jeff Kempft and a team of international doctors helping to revolutionize pediatric cardiac care in the developing country of Haiti. "The Place That Makes Us" Directed by Karla Murthy Highlighting a recipe for Rust Belt city success, new documentary "The Place That Makes Us" follows four individuals transforming their communities through neighborhood rehabilitation, vacant home renovation, expanding access to homeownership and involvement in local government. "This is a great neighborhood development story in Youngstown where this one community development corporation is kind of renovating neighborhoods house by house. It's pretty fascinating stuff," Shepherd said. "Swan Song" Directed by Todd Stephens Returning to CIFF after more than two decades, queer cinema pioneer Todd Stephens ("Edge of Seventeen" and "Gypsy 83") completes his Ohio trilogy with the bittersweet coming-of-age tale "Swan Song." Starring Udo Kier, the film follows a formerly flamboyant hairdresser stuck in a Sandusky nursing home. Shepherd said, "'Swansong' is made entirely in Sandusky by our Dreamcatcher Award recipient this year, Todd Stephens. This is our LGBGT+ filmmaker award. It's just a great homage to Sandusky." For more information on CIFF45 Streams' Local Heroes Competition, visit https://bit.ly/3sJKFWv. Contact John Benson at Ndiffrence@att.net.