The Cleveland International Film Festival Gives The Audience An Emotional Experience

I love going to film festivals because I don't know what to expect. The films are different from the ones playing in the local movie theaters. This year, the Cleveland international Film Festival (CIFF) celebrates its 40th year and I've been there at least 15 of those years.

With theater movies, our experience can be more entertainment without too much emotional afterthought. With the festival films, they can leave you with an emotional jolt that tugs at your heart. On Saturday afternoon, an audience and I had an emotional tug at our hearts with a documentary called Jim Brown's Amer-I-Can Dream

The film focuses on former Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown and his Amer-I-Can program which helps curb gang violence. The film tells about the program which has chapters in Los Angeles, Cleveland and various other cities in the United States.

The documentary film was directed and edited by Aurora Ferlin. She did an excellent job with the film. As it told how Brown put the program together and its impact on the community.

One person who was interviewed was Ronnie Barron, who was a former gang banger who did time in one of the toughest prisons in California. With Brown's help, he turned his life around. Ronnie became a huge part of the Amer-I-Can program.

The film showed Ronnie's commitment to reducing gang violence by going into schools and talking with kids. The film included Ronnie’s family: his kids, brother and his mother. She had gone through seeing Ronnie go to prison and the impact it had on her. The scenes were very emotional and moving.

A documentary shows real-life, real people and real emotions. Jim Brown's Amer-I-Can Dream showed the positive effect that the program was having with the reduction of gang violence, but then it took a tragic twist as a news report came on the screen. The news reporter said that Ronnie Barron was shot and killed.

I could hear the hush sounds as the audience's heart broke as we saw and heard what happened to Ronnie. Later, we found out that Ronnie was trying to steer someone from writing graffiti on a wall. The shooter was 16 years old.

This is one of the reasons that festival films are a rare experience for an audience.

Another experience was after the film finished with the Q&A with filmmaker Frelin. As audience members asked her questions about the film and Ronnie.

 Then with a slight surprise, she said that Ronnie's brother and some family members were in the audience with us. She brought up the brother who talked about the film, his brother and his legacy. As he spoke it was very emotional for the audience.

 Jim Brown's Amer-I-Can Dream showed the positive effects of starting a program geared towards the reduction of gang violence and the unfortunate role that senseless violence still plays in our society.

Jim Brown's Amer-I-Can Dream is definitely a film to seek out to see.

 The Cleveland international Film Festival continues this week and concludes on Sunday, April 10.  For the schedule of films go to the website at www.clevelandfilm.org.