This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Cleveland International Film Festival – five decades of showcasing the power of independent cinema. While the festival is celebrating a long-standing history, some of the talent on screen is just getting started. 

Two seniors in Cleveland State University’s film and media arts program, Malakee McGuire and Elliot Lanzer, are among the directors whose projects will be featured in the festival. Their student-produced shorts will show during the event, which runs April 9-18 across theaters at Playhouse Square, Cedar Lee Theater and CSU’s School of Film and Media Arts. 

It’s the first time either student has had work showcased in CIFF, a renowned festival founded in 1977 at Cleveland Heights’ Cedar Lee Theatre with eight films from seven countries. Since then CIFF has grown into one of Ohio’s largest and most influential cultural events, now presenting hundreds of features and shorts from dozens of countries.

Also featured this year from the Cleveland State community are 2025 graduate Andrew Easterling with his film “Love in The Lanes” and 2023 alumna Lainey Johnson with her film “Heisting.” Together, they represent the next generation of filmmakers bringing their creativity to the spotlight, and the impact of CSU’s film school on the surrounding community. 

Lanzer has attended CIFF each year since his move from Alliance to Cleveland for college. For him, it’s an exciting experience to see his second-year film in a festival he had only experienced as an audience member until now. 

“I’ve never shown a film in this festival and I’m very excited because I’ve gone every year since I’ve been here,” he said. “I’m incredibly excited to see my film, especially in Playhouse (Square).”

The 13-minute short, titled “Lucas + Claire,” centers around Lucas' mission to reinspire his musician girlfriend Claire, who has lost the passion she once had. Lucas is deaf, and while he can’t experience Claire’s music the same as the people around them, he sees the effect it has on their lives. 

“Even though he can’t really experience her music, everyone else can,” Lanzer said. “His mission is to make sure she doesn’t quit.” 

Lanzer wrote, directed and edited the film. He also created the score in collaboration with musicians at CSU, mainly consisting of original piano melodies by junior music student Cooper Sanders. The score’s not only heard, it’s also shown as Claire plays out the melodies herself on screen. 

“Lucas + Claire” is almost entirely in American Sign Language, which Lanzer had no experience with prior to filming. He worked alongside his cast and crew with an on-set coordinator who was partially deaf – and fluent in ASL –  to ensure the performance was both considerate and nuanced.

“The coordinator not only made sure that it was accurate and respectful, but also added new ideas that added to the character and performances based on ASL,” Lanzer said. 

The on-screen chemistry was assisted by Lucas and Claire’s real-life romantic relationship as Josie Wilka and Brayden Kuebler. When Lanzer witnessed the connection between the actors for the first time, he became confident they were making something special, something grounded in emotion that would resonate with an audience.

“I wanted to make a film that made people feel something,” he said. “The main theme is not to give up on your passions, you know? That’s kind of what the characters are going through.”
 

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“The chemistry is so incredibly important to romance,” Lanzer said. “I think sometimes if I did have any other actor come in as Lucas, that chemistry would not have come across as well.” (credit: Elliot Lanzer)

Lanzer also attributes the recognition to his knack for “figuring it out,” even when things seem impossible – like producing a film that’s primarily in a language he’s unacquainted with, or finding a pianist by word of mouth. 

“My favorite way to learn is to just throw yourself into it and figure it out,” Lanzer said. “It’s smart to write based on what’s available to you, but it’s exciting to go a little further. Even though you don’t know specifically how to do something yet, you’ll figure it out.”

“Lucas + Claire” first premiered at the student showcase last spring, which gives each selection a free submission to CIFF. Lanzer jumped on the opportunity in confidence – something he attributes to the cast and crew that helped him shape an idea into reality. 

“I was proud of it just because of the work everyone did and I wanted that to be seen,” Lanzer said. “It was a dream of mine just to begin with to just be in the student showcase. I just can’t believe I made it to CIFF. It’s really cool.”

Film and Media Arts Professor Maria Gigante, MFA, watched Lanzer and McGuire grow as students. She knows from experience how much work students put into every part of the process, from pulling together a cast and crew to shaping the script. 

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see my students’ work recognized at an Oscar-qualifying film festival like the Cleveland International Film Festival,” Gigante said. “What makes it especially meaningful is filmmaking is never a solo achievement, this recognition belongs to the entire cast and crew who helped bring the vision to life.”
 

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McGuire attributes the success of “Stone Birds” to a dedicated cast and crew that made his vision a reality. (credit: Malakee McGuire)

Gigante sees not just the final project, but also of the process and people that are integral in taking an idea and making it a reality. 

“I’m proud not just of the final result, but of the full journey – taking an idea from imagination to page, building a team around it, navigating production and post and ultimately seeing it on screen,” she said. 

“That process is an enormous undertaking, and in many ways, a small miracle.”

For Gigante, both Lanzer and McGuire’s films stand out because they explore complex relationships, from the romance between differently-abled Lucas and Claire, to the problematic friendship in McGuire’s film "Stone Birds." 

While “Stone Birds” and “Lucas + Claire” are both produced by CSU students, they exist on different sides of the genre spectrum. “Lucas + Claire" is a lighthearted romance, while McGuire describes “Stone Birds” as a violent drama, centered around high school dropouts Peyton and Morgan. The main setting is a beige mini van that shelters the two main characters as they sell drugs around town. 

The 16-minute short starts with the energy of a “stoner comedy,” but McGuire said the energy quickly shifts. Peyton, played by CSU student Wyatt Woods, and Morgan, portrayed by Isaiah Hale, have a tumultuous friendship that takes a turn after their involvement in the death of a teenage girl named Aubrey. 

Through rising tension and unresolved feelings, Peyton and Morgan are tested as they navigate the repercussions of their actions, giving an unfettered look into the realities of destructive relationships.
 

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The minivan serves as the heart of “Stone Birds,” where most of the scenes were shot. (credit: Malakee McGuire)
 

McGuire first had the idea for "Stone Birds" in a freshman year math class, starting with simple words jotted in the margins of an assignment, unaware it would come to life years later. The themes are inspired by things he’s experienced in his own life, like unhealthy relationships and the tendency to tolerate more than someone should.

This theme comes to a head in the last scene, which McGuire describes as violent but necessary to make the short land with an audience in an impactful and memorable way. 

“It’s an extreme way to do it, but it’s about knowing when to let people go. I think it’s jarring in the way that I wanted,” he said. “I started with what I wanted to come across to the audience and I was like, ‘I’m gonna just turn this all the way up, so I know that it lands.’”

It landed well enough to get into CIFF, an outcome that despite McGuire’s pride in the efforts of himself and his cast and crew, he wasn’t expecting. 

“There’s a lot of violence and swearing and drugs,” he said. “I was hesitant because I wasn’t sure if it was the right vibe for the student section.”

Despite the chaos and grit packed into 16 minutes, it was chosen – an accomplishment that he attributes to the performances from the cast and raw emotions they were able to bring to life on screen. McGuire also attributes a great deal of the success to strong work from a small but mighty crew, small enough to pack tight inside a mini van. 

“Everyone on the crew was incredible,” McGuire said. “We had a pretty small crew because a lot of it, especially when we were shooting in the van, it was like ‘How are people supposed to fit in here?’”

Much of the story takes place inside the van as its occupants travel from one place to the next. McGuire said that this movement helped portray life on screen, while it did make the actual shooting a bit more difficult. 

“We’re never in the same place for too long, especially because they’re moving around in the van,” McGuire said. “So being all over the place like that, I think it helps make the movie feel lively.”

The film’s nature isn’t just based on McGuire’s real-life experience with complicated relationships, but inspired by many facets of his life, including his love for music and appreciation of the visuals of filmmaker Harmony Korine.

“It’s a lot of pieces and parts of things,” McGuire said. “And especially feelings that I want to replicate.” 

Notes

"Lucas + Claire" will show in Local Heroes Shorts Program 1, on April 14 from 7:25 to 9:19 p.m. "Stone Birds" is included in Local Heroes Shorts Program 3 of student films, April 16 from 6:45 to 8:27 p.m.

Visitors can find more information about these films and more at CIFF’s website.