This is it folks! Today’s the final day of the 34th Annual Cleveland International Film Festival.

Whether you have yet to go, have been a few times already this year, or all but slept at Tower City this past week, you face a crucial set of decisions: Which movies will you see? Which souvenirs will you nab before they run out? And will you finally have the nerve to flirt with that cute theater operations manager before the final film?

To help you navigate the end of this year’s CIFF, we’ve put together a handy guide to help you plan your day. The bottom line: Plan on arriving early and staying late. After all, a whole year is a long time to wait for the next film fest.

1. The standby situation has been pretty intense this year. If you are planning on seeing a film today for which you have yet to buy tickets, head to the fest waaaaay earlier than usual, checking the standby list before you leave and again when you get there. It’s actually not a bad idea to plan on spending most of the day at Tower City, as you won’t be the only one caught up in final day madness.

2. You have one more chance to see the Spangle-sponsored, City of Borders, at 7:40 p.m., in case you missed it the first time or need to see it again to satisfy your crush on Boody Qur’an, one of the films subjects.

3. However, if you are looking for something else, try Looking for Eric at 7 p.m., the official closing film of this year’s fest.




4. You won’t get the full CIFF experience without attending the Closing Night Reception after the final film airs. At about 9 p.m., head to the Skylight Concourse, near the dancing fountain, in Tower City for some yummy treats and to find out the winners of the following awards:

• Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Film Competition
• Nesnadny + Schwartz Documentary Film Competition
• Central and Eastern European Film Competition
• Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award (maybe your favorite film will win!)
• Cleveland International Film Festival Legacy Award

5. Night owls and die-hard fans who want to squeeze as much of the festival as they can should pop over to Tower 230 Bar and Grille for the Closing Night Reception Post-Party at 10:30 p.m. Say goodbye to this year’s festivities with drink specials and the festival staff as this year’s event fades to black.

And of course, later this year, stay tuned to Spangle and the CIFF site for information on the 35th annual Cleveland International Film Festival.

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