John Ewing Chats About the Museum’s Film Program

The Cleveland Museum of Art's film program functions like a year-round film festival. Art house and indie film fans have the opportunity to see unique and beautiful films from around the world each week. The September-October film schedule brings movies from Portugal, France, Britain, Poland, China, Belgium, Germany, Japan, and the United States.

We recently talked to John Ewing [1], our associate director of film, about what you have to look forward to in the upcoming schedule.

Q: You're bringing back a film by popular demand this month. A film about Ohio?
A: Yes, 45365 [2] shows on Wednesday, September 15, at 5:30 and 7:15 p.m. This is our third showing of this film. It's an audience favorite and anybody who lives in Ohio and has a fondness for small- town life will appreciate it. It shows a lot of fall rituals, such as county fairs and high school football games.

Q: We're also bringing a filmmaker in person this month. Why is this a special opportunity?
A: Hilari Scarl will join us to discuss her film See What I'm Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary [3] on September 17 and September 19.

It's a groundbreaking documentary that follows four accomplished entertainers with hearing impairments. The film opened in New York and got good reviews. For anyone who has a question about the film, or for students who want to understand how to put movies together, there's not a better person to whom to address these concerns than the filmmaker.

Q: You're showing a film [4] about two legendary French filmmakers on September 8. Does this have anything to do with the prestigious award you recently received from the Republic of France?
A: Not really. That award has a longer history. Someone nominated me about three years ago for my service in arts and culture, and I just found out that I've been named Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters of the Republic of France [5]. I'm pretty excited about it.

When the letter came to my house in a colorful envelope, I thought it was just an invitation to subscribe to a French culture magazine. My wife and I translated it and figured out that I won the award [6]. But no trips to Paris are involved. Instead, I'll receive a sort of diploma and recognition at a local ceremony.

Q: Many of the films that you bring to the museum are Cleveland premieres. Why do you think it is so important for people to take the time to see them?
A: To be engaged in movies is to be engaged in the world.

Get the upcoming film schedule [7] on our web site.

If you have suggestions for films that we should consider, e-mail John [8].