A Western Icon Shines in Closing Night Film

Western icon who's

grappling with his

mortality and

glancing in the

rearview mirror at

his acting career.

Hayden is

surrounded by an

eclectic and strong cast

of characters.

LEFT: Sam Elliott stars as Lee Hayden in "The Hero. " The film is "about a person looking back on his life, not only as an artist, as an actor, but as a father and a husband and a man, and asking, 'How will I be remembered?'" explains director Brett Haley. ABOVE: Filmmaker First­Brett Haley, right, with CIFF artistic director Bill Guentzler at 2015 Opening Night, is the only director to both open and close the CIFF.

"I wanted all the

women in this film

to be incredibly strong and successful,"

Haley says. "And

Ask director Brett Haley about the

inspiration for his new movie, "The Hero," and he has a rather

succinct response.

"We just wanted to give Sam Elliott his

own movie, basically," he says with a laugh, calling from Austin, Texas. "That's the short

answer."

Haley's long answer elaborates on his deep

respect for the veteran actor, who is also featured in the filmmaker's well-received 2015

romantic drama, and CIFF 39 Opening Night film, ' 'I'll See You In My Dreams."

"I was really inspired by him as not only

a person, but as an incredible actor," he says. "I found him to be, on one hand, a sort of

Western icon-but, on the other hand, slightly

underrated as an actor. While I think a lot of

other people in his generation had their

leading man moments, he was more of a

supporting guy. "I really wanted to give Sam an opportunity

to shine," he adds. " I wanted to give Sam a

performance vehicle to show off this side of him that I knew."

Luckily, Haley says Elliott "responded

immediately to the script" and agreed to play

the leading role of Lee Hayden, a fading

strong women who know what they want

and have done well for themselves. The men

are a little bit more of a mess in my movies, in general."

Still, in Haley's estimation, Elliott captured

the complexities of Lee Hayden-the flaws

but also his own unique strengths-beautifully.

"People joke that Sam Elliott could read the

dictionary, and they would watch," Haley says.

"He has this sort of engaging quality that's

pretty unique.

"I found myself shooting a lot of the film

in close-up, which I did not plan on doing,

because so much happens in his face without

saying anything," he continues. " In

post[-production], I ended up cutting lines

and let scenes live in silence a bit more, which

was an interesting thing for me. [Elliott] can communicate so much with so little."

The film closes the Cleveland International

Film Festival this year-a full circle moment for Haley, as ' 'I'll See You In My Dreams" was

chosen to open CIFF in 2015. -Annie Zaleski

ABOVE: Super volunteers Bill and Rose Decapite sport two different Festival T-shirts. THANK YOU to our over 1,000 volunteers! BELOW: From left: Linda Jakob, Nancy Winkelman, and Harriet Gannon collect ballots.

CLOSING NIGHT AWARDS

Everyone in attendance at any of the films showing in the last round is invited to join us for the Closing Night dessert reception and awards presentation program around The Fountain at Tower City Center. The reception will include a brief program announcing the winners of all the CIFF competitions.

Can't Make it? Closing Ceremonies to be Broadcast Live Can't make it to Tower City for Closing Night festivities? Watch it live remotely. This year, the video staff of the Festival 's G4 Studios will be working with BoxCast to cover the event. Those on site will see it in person. Those at home, or wherever, can view it on www.clevelandfilm.org or via Facebook Live at: www.facebook.com/ ClevelandlnternationalFilmFestival.

Festival Updates Added Screenings: Sunday April 9th The Unimaginable Journey of Peter Ertel 9:00 am

Late Additions:

Check for the latest festival updates on Twitter or Facebook. Or visit www.clevelandfilm.org/festival/updates

Challenge Match The Challenge Match is the CIFPs annual fundraising campaign, and the only time of the year that we ask for your support (we do not send out solicitation letters at any time). The challenge to you--0ur audience-is to raise $150,000, which will be matched by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture .

Help us exceed our goal of $150,000!

A $10 DONATION QUALIFIES YOU FOR ONE OF THESE FABULOUS PRIZES!

THE ROCKER: Spend a weekend downtown with tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame+ Museum, an overnight stay at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel , and an unforgettable meal at Pura Vida!

A NIGHT AT THE RITZ: Enjoy a night in the heart of the city at The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland, plus breakfast the next morning. To make your stay-cation even better, we' ll include dinner at Lago!

THE SOUND OF MUSIC: Whether you prefer a night under the stars at Jacobs Pavilion , or a performance by the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra, we have you covered. To make your musical evenings truly unforgettable, we'll also include gift cards for Luca and Nighttown for dinner before each show.

THE HUNGER GAMES - (MOSTLY) EAST: Indulge in a meal out each month with lunch or dinner at 12 area restaurants (including Fleming's Steakhouse, Edwins Restaurant, fire food and drink, Tommy's, and more!) and a subscription to EDIBLE CLEVELAND.

Stop by the Challenge Match table in the Tower City Cinemas lobby to donate.

UNITED Official Airline of the 41st CIFF

The Cleveland International Rim Festival receives public support with local tax dollars from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, to preserve and enrich our region's artistic and cultural heritage.

"' "'

Count 'Em: Movie References in Trailer Revealed

This scene from the Dollar Bank trailer references 1986's "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

I f you're a movie buff, you probably spotted a few film references in the Dollar Bank trailer showing before each

film during the Festival. We hope audience members had fun discussing and finding new ones each time they saw a new movie. Thanks to Dollar Bank for making us pay attention! Just how many "Easter Eggs" were there? Here they are:

1. "Star Wars": Star Wars logo type crawl.

2. "The Martian": We see the Earth zoom out, the location of the spaceship, and one little customer as a dot on Mars.

3. "Happy Gilmore": Golf ball lands on a giant man's foot.

4. "Harry Potter": Marauders map.

5. "Good Will Hunting": Math problem, answer is <160.

6. "Forrest Gump": Box of chocolates.

7. "Interstellar": Bookcase and clock scene.

8. "The Lego Movie": LEGOs build a building.

9. "Guardians of the Galaxy": Baby Groot growing.

10. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off": Museum scene.

How many did you find?

LEFT: After the screening of "Untouchable," attorney-turned-filmmaker David Feige discusses the tough and complicated issues of sexual abuse and the criminal justice system portrayed in his documentary. RIGHT: There's still time to help us meet our Challenge Match goal!

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ABOVE: FilmSlam students watched "The Illumination" with Beth Steele Radisek, GIFF ~ special programs director, front row, center, and the film 's subjects , Lulie and Gordon Gund. ::1

ILLUMINATE: What are you waiting for? Stop by the Perspectives space (Tower City, Level M2) to view interactive media and virtual reality from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.

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ABOVE: Each day, volunteer coordinator Charity Katz comes decked out in a film-themed hat. LEFT: GIFF Buttons!

Visit The Daily online edition at www.clevelandfilm.org!festivaVthe-daily.

TODAY'S ONLINE VERSION INCLUDES:

• Closing weekend events Exciting activities closing out the Festival.

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