IF/Then Shorts American Midwest 2019

In partnership with the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) five projects focused on the American Midwest were selected to present at the IF/Then Shorts pitch competition at CIFF on April 7, 2019.

The winner was selected by a professional jury consisting of:

Mridu Chandra, TFI
Donna Dabbs, Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival
Ellen Robinson, Gravitas Ventures
Lucas Harger, Bruton/Stroube
Alexis McCrimmon, Independent Filmmaker

The jury chose THE SESSION, directed by Chris Webb and Conrad Miles, as the competition winner to receive $25,000 in project funding and the opportunity to participate in TFI’s IF/Then Shorts program, which provides year-round mentorship and career development opportunities.

ADDITIONAL AWARDS:

Bruton Stroube is a proud partner of Tribeca Film Institute and will provide a Festival Finishing Package for this year's IF/Then Shorts American Midwest pitch competition winner at CIFF. The short film package is comprised of picture, sound, and deliverables from their award-winning talent.

The winner was selected from the following five projects:

SELECTED PROJECTS:

THE SESSION
Director: Chris Webb
Co-Director: Conrad Miles
Location: Ohio 
In some of Cleveland Ohio’s most dangerous, trauma-laden neighborhoods, a unique subculture of dancers use the powerful expression of Krump to find mental, and emotional support by frequenting therapeutic dance meetings that are aptly named "The Sessions."​

360 NATION
Director: Cai Thomas
Consulting Producer: Yvonne Welbon
Location: Illinois

For the past 3 years, W. D. Floyd has been in the lives of a group of dynamic, animated, and curious black students that attend a Chicago public school, raising competence and confidence, and promoting self determination in the black community. "360 Nation" follows participants through their last year in the program, as holistic education, reclamation of an abandoned lot, and lil’ miracles transform the lives of black students on Chicago’s divested West Side.

BREWER (working title)
Director/Producer: Erika Valenciana
Producer: Anuradha Rana
Location: Minnesota

“Brewer” (working title) is a poetic documentary illustrating the physicality and grit of two female brewers in their male dominated work environment. The film conveys the everyday perseverance it takes to counter the pushback to women’s very existence in the allegedly progressive craft brewing industry, juxtaposing imagery showcasing their abilities against recounted audio and text doubting their aptitude.

BRING IT HOME
Director: Carl Kriss
Producer: Margie Glick
Location: Ohio

When General Motors decides to idle Lordstown Assembly, its main auto plant in Ohio, Tiffany Davis, a fifth grade teacher, and her husband Tom, a line worker at GM, must decide if they should continue to raise their children in Lordstown, where they have lived their whole lives, or accept GM’s offer to transfer to a plant in another state, without an opportunity to return.

LAKE ARROWHEAD
Writer/Director/Producer: Kati Rehbeck
Director/Editor/DP: Robert Orlowski
Location: Wisconsin

Neglected wounds of a Wisconsin family come to light after their beloved cabin is suddenly destroyed in a flood. The filmmaker documents the slow process of rebuilding the cabin while reflecting on uncertain reconciliations between members of her family.

Please see our CIFF Pitch Page for more information about the event.