After living and studying in Italy, Joyce Mariani, director of the Italian Film Festival, arrived in Cleveland on a mission to introduce award-winning Italian films to Northeast Ohio. Something she thought was lacking here unlike in other large cities.

“After living in Italy and coming to Cleveland, I questioned why all the major cities in the U.S. had an Italian Film Festival, and Cleveland, a film town, did not, said Mariani. “I founded the Cleveland Italian Film Festival in 2006 and it was immediately a hit with the public.”