📰CIFF #49 is Here!

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Wake Up, Cleveland! This is The 216 Scoop. Your monthly dose of local news, events, and hidden gems—because The Land never sleeps (even if we do love our coffee).☕🌆

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In today’s 216 Scoop Edition:

• CIFF #49: 300 movies, 60 countries, 10 days in Playhouse Square

• Three days away: Guardians make moves before Opening Day

• Are you experiential? Immersive space trip lands in Cleveland.

• Fast fashion pioneer Forever 21 goes to 11.

• Yo La Tengo hits Cleveland for concert, record store hang

• ’Severance’ season finale buzzes with questions, raves, ratings

  
  
  John Petkovic, Mark Espinosa, Victor Takakura

IN THE NEWS

CIFF #49: 300 movies, 60 countries, 10 days in Playhouse Square

Focus the camera on Playhouse Square. Roll out the red carpet. Say hurray for the Cleveland International Film Festival.

The 49th installment of Cannes on the Cuyahoga opens Thursday in Connor Palace Theater.

CIFF will showcase 300 feature-length and short films from 60 countries. Among them are 11 films making their world, North American, or U.S. premieres. It runs through April 5.

Thursday’s opener, "For Worse” -- a rom-com of errors by Amy Landecker – will be followed by a reception and post-party in Connor Palace Theater.

Other notable screenings include "Lost & Found in Cleveland,” a comedy featuring Martin Sheen and June Squibb, shot locally using Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credits. (It screens March 30.)

Short films have long been a strong spot for CIFF, which is an Academy Award-qualifying festival for shorts in live action, animated, and documentary categories.

It’s a far cry from its 1977 debut, when there was a grand total of eight films from seven countries screened over eight weeks.

For decades, the rise of independent cinema and need for alternative marketing platforms fueled exponential growth for film festivals. But a changing landscape in the wake of Covid and streaming have forced them to adapt.

As a result, CIFF will host a follow-on streaming series, CIFF Streams (April 6-13). For a complete schedule, tickets and times, go here. (And check back with us for more coverage during the festival.)

A MEESAGE FROM MALLEY’S CHOCOLATE 🍫

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Three days away: Guardians make moves before Opening Day

We’re three days away from Guardians opening the season in Kansas City against the Royals – and the off-season is ending the same way it began: with a trade.

Cleveland acquired outfielder Nolan Jones two years after trading him to Colorado Rockies in exchange for utility player Tyler Freeman. He was one of the team’s highest-ranked prospects and enjoyed a stellar rookie season in 2023 with the Rockies, followed by a disastrous, injury-riddled 2024.

The team is betting he’ll regain his health and ’23 form, when he hit 20 home runs and stole 20 bases.  He has a great arm and bats from the left. He’ll likely platoon in right field with right-handed hitter Jhonkensy Noel.

Will Brennan was expected to make the team see time in right. He’s now likely to start the season in minors. Freeman competed for second base, which is now likely to go to Gabriel Arias.

Quick notes:

• The Guardians seized on the chance to get Jones after losing highly rated but often-injured right field prospect Chase DeLauter to a sport hernia. He’s out for 8-12 weeks.

• Tanner Bibee, who was named Opening Day starter, signed a five-year, $48 million contract extension. It’s a discount deal for a potential Cy Young candidate. But the rise in Tommy John elbow surgery – it claimed Shane Bieber’s 2024 season and Yankee star Garrit Cole’s ’25 season – made Bibee opt for security.

• Bieber is targeting a July return. After Bibee, the starters are Gavin Williams, Luis Ortiz, Ben Lively and Logan Allen.

• The Guardians announced the April 8 home opener against the White Sox is sold out. It’s the 32nd straight home opener to sell out.

• The second phase of a renovation of Progressive Field is on track to be completed by opening day.

Are you experiential? Immersive space trip lands in Cleveland

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has drawn raves for the immersive transformation that accompanied its $150 million, decade-long renovation.

The New York Times calls it a leader in making science more accessible and experiential. National Geographic says it’s a big reason Cleveland is a top family-friendly vacation destination. Others have raved about the earthquake simulator.

Central to the renovation is the Shafran Planetarium. It has been transformed with the addition of a 40-foot diameter seamless dome and most advanced projection, audio and lighting systems.

“Stardust” will test experiential boundaries when it opens a five-day engagement on Tuesday. The touring show is a 4K-resolution journey through the cosmos accompanied by an improvised score performed in real time.

Whoa, sounds like a Pink Floyd show…

Not quite. John Allen, a Vegas-based touring musician, will use vocal loops and sonic effects to create a soundtrack to the rings of Saturn, the wastelands of Neptune and asteroids beyond the solar system.

There are two shows a day, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday. For tickets and info, go here.

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Fast fashion pioneer Forever 21 goes to 11

Drop 10 digits from Forever 21. The mall store that pioneered fast fashion has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

The retailer has already started going-out-of-business sales at more than 350 locations. It plans to close all stores in the U.S. -- including three area locations, in South Park Mall, Great Northern Mall and Beachwood Place.

Forever 21 was a trend-setter – or, at least, fast to follow trends. It would quickly roll out knock-off trendy styles. It lost dominance when fast-fashion e-tailers Temu and Shein entered the fray and has blamed both for its demise.

But there are other issues. Covid lockdowns, online shopping and a weakening consumer have conspired to deal devastating blows to many retailers, including Macy’s, Kohl’s, JC Penney and Express.

The 216 Rundown

Sonido Gallo Negro, Hello 3D bring dance party to Grog Shop

Sonido Gallo Negro summons the past, er, rather, a variety of pasts and integrates them into a big bold dance party. The nine-piece outfit from Mexico City absorbs Peruvian cumbia, psych rock, spaghetti western and Latin percussion and grooves. At 8 p.m. Tuesday, the band hits the Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Boulevard, Cleveland Heights. Opening is Cleveland faves Hello 3D Band. For tickets and info, go here.

Yo La Tengo hits Cleveland for concert, record store hang

Yo La Tengo has come to Cleveland countless times since the 1980s. When it does, the beloved indie-rock usually stops by Blue Arrow Records, 16001 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. Band co-founders Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley have even DJed at the used vinyl shop – one of the best in anywhere.

At 7:30 tonight, Yo La Tengo will perform at the Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road. The show is sold out.

But you could still see them (even if they won’t be playing or singing)… YLT will appear at Blue Arrow today 2-3 p.m. to hang out with fans and listen to records. Bonus: Check out the album racks while you’re there.

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NOTES ON A COCKTAIL NAPKIN

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

’Severance’ season finale buzzes with questions, raves, ratings

Regardless of your thoughts on the season-ending finale of ‘Severance,’ one thing can be debated: The sci-fi thriller series is the most watched show on Apple TV+ -- breaking records that have belonged to “Ted Lasso,” the soccer comedy starring Jason Sudeikis.

“Severance” scored a 97% favorable rating for Friday’s ending to Season Two. The dystopian workplace drama about workers who submit to a memory-dividing operation inspires hundreds of blogs and videos that interpret and divine the details of each episode.

News that it and “Ted Lasso” will return for new seasons is good news for Apple TV+. The service has 45 million subscribers and is reliant on such shows to keep them.

Apple reportedly loses around $1 billion a year on its streaming service. It features all-original programming that is expensive to produce – including “Severance,” which costs $20 million per episode.

VINTAGE CLEVELAND

Looks like Vegas, but, nope, it was Cleveland. It’s 1966 at the Sahara Motor Hotel, at 3201 Euclid Avenue. The long-gone hotel featured 150 rooms and appeared on a few episodes of the CBS TV series “Route 66” in the early-1960s.

Ooh and don’t forget! Tag @The216Scoop & @216Scoop to get your photos in the Scoop!

Extra Sprinkles

Sleep Like You Mean It 😴

We see you there, doom-scrolling at 1 AM (and 2 AM… and, well, you know the rest). No shame—we’re all guilty of “one more episode” syndrome. But if your sleep schedule looks more like a horror story than a dream sequence, Swanwick Sleep has your back. Our blue light blocking glasses keep those sneaky screen rays from messing with your melatonin, so you can binge-watch guilt-free and still wake up feeling like a functioning human.

Think of them as tiny superheroes for your sleep cycle—helping you go from permanently exhausted to actually refreshed. Ready to stop looking like a raccoon in the morning? Check out Swanwick Sleep and let’s get you snoozing like a pro! 💤✨

For the Love of Books 📚

We know how it goes—"just one more chapter" turns into 3 AM and a dangerously long TBR list. (No regrets, right?) At Books-A-Million, we get it. We’re your go-to spot for everything from heart-fluttering romances and jaw-dropping thrillers to non-fiction deep dives that make you the most interesting person at trivia night. Basically, if you love getting lost in a good book, we’re your new best friend.

So go ahead, treat yourself to a new read (or five)—because book buying totally counts as self-care. Shop Books-A-Million now and make your bookshelf the happiest it's ever been! 📖✨

WEATHER

Monday - 03/24
47 🌡️ 37 | 🌧️ | 60% | 💨 SW 21 mph (18 knots)

Tuesday - 03/25
42 🌡️ 35 | ☁️ | 20% | 💨 W 14 mph (12 knots)

Wednesday - 03/26
40 🌡️ 34 | ❄️ | 46% | 💨 NW 7 mph (6 knots)

Source: weather.com

Live Shows in the 216

Monday - 03/24

Beachland Ballroom | Yo La Tengo | 7:30 PM

Tuesday - 03/25

Mahall's 20 Lanes | Freak Slug + Huron John | 7 PM

Wednesday - 03/26

House of Blues Cleveland | Poppy: They're All Around Us Tour | 7 PM

Music Box Supper Club | Zepparella | 7:30 PM

Grog Shop | Sonido Gallo Negro | Time TBD

The 216 Sports Area

Upcoming Games

Cavaliers

Away vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 10 p.m., Tuesday, March 25

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