Cleveland International Film Festival offering free movie screening – and special ticket discount code – at this year’s festival in honor of Cleveland Foundation’s centennial gift and longtime support of the event

RELEASE DATE: 3.5.2015

CLEVELAND –– The 39th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) will include a free movie screening on Monday, Mar. 23, in honor of last year’s record-breaking Cleveland Foundation Day at the Cleveland International Film Festival. The foundation’s March centennial gift to the community attracted 7,885 filmgoers, the largest Monday crowd and the first free day in CIFF’s history.

A free screening of the film, “The Homestretch,” will be offered at 4:10 p.m. on March 23 at the Festival’s main venue, Tower City Cinemas. The documentary chronicles the lives of homeless students in Chicago’s public school system and highlights the teachers devoted to the students’ success, against all odds. While tickets are free, online reservations are required and will begin when Film Festival tickets become available starting Friday, Mar. 6, at 11 a.m. at www.clevelandfilm.org.

In addition to the free film screening, the Film Festival is offering a special ticket discount code, also in honor of the Cleveland Foundation’s ongoing support. The code CLEFOUN will provide a $2 discount off tickets to all other movies during this year’s Festival, which runs March 18-29.

The Cleveland Foundation has provided more than $2 million in support to the Cleveland International Film Festival since 1981, helping to make it a marquee event in Northeast Ohio. A $95,000 grant awarded to the Festival in January will help expand this year’s Festival footprint by supporting new movie screening locations at Chagrin Cinemas and Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gartner Auditorium. 

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Established in 1914, the Cleveland Foundation is the world’s first community foundation and one of the largest today, with assets of $2.1 billion and 2014 grants of $98 million. Through the generosity of donors, the foundation improves the lives of Greater Clevelanders by building community endowment, addressing needs through grantmaking, and providing leadership on vital issues. The foundation tackles the community’s priority areas – economic transformation, public-school improvement, youth development, neighborhood revitalization, and arts advancement – and responds to the community’s needs.

For more information on the Cleveland Foundation, visit ClevelandFoundation.org/100Plus1 and follow us on Facebook.com/ClevelandFoundation, Twitter @CleveFoundation and Instagram @CleveFoundation.