The 19th Ohio Independent Film Festival opens May 17 in Cleveland's Waterloo arts district.
The four-day event, organized by Independent Pictures and its artistic director Bernadette Gillotta, will screen eight feature-length films and dozens of short films by directors from the United States, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom, Bangladesh and Australia.
The opening night film is ''Boom Varietal,'' a documentary detailing the history of Malbec wine production in Argentina. It will be preceded by a wine tasting at the Arts Collinwood Cafe.
Other films include: ''From Hollywood to Dollywood,'' a documentary about two gay twin brothers who make a pilgrimage to Tennessee to meet their idol Dolly Parton; ''Gibsonburg,'' a film about a high school baseball team on an inexplicable winning streak; and ''The Custom Mary,'' a drama about an effort to clone Jesus.
All films will be shown at Arts Collinwood, 15606 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, except for the closing night feature, ''For the Love of Music: The Club 47 Folk Revival,'' which will be shown at 7:30 p.m. May 20 at the Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road. ''Club 47'' is a documentary directed and produced by Cleveland filmmakers Todd Kwait about the legendary Cambridge, Mass., folk club and features interviews with Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Tom Rush, Taj Mahal and others.
Tickets for each feature or shorts program is $10 and can be purchased in advance through www.ticketweb.com or at the door. A complete lineup of films can be found at www.ohiofilms.com.