Hermione Malone Steps Down as Cleveland International Film Festival Director

After two years of helming the Cleveland International Film Festival, Hermione Malone is stepping down from her post as executive director and handing the reigns to her leadership team.

Malone announced that decision in a press release last week, which did not give a clear reason for her departure after a relatively short stint as CIFF’s chief.

Instead, she nodded to CIFF’s 50th anniversary fest earlier this year and a return of programming to the Cedar Lee Theatre in Cleveland Heights as recent successes.

“My tenure at CIFF was focused on helping the festival harken back to its history while also positioning for the future,” Malone wrote in a statement.

“I’m proud of the strategic work completed this year that provides a clear path forward for the festival to build toward CIFF 51 and beyond,” she said.

In 2024, Malone, a former journalist from Detroit, replaced director Marcie Goodman after a steady 23-year stretch helping grow the festival downtown form, first at Tower City and then at Playhouse Square.

The following year, Malone battled allegations from employees she was leading a “toxic” work environment with a “belittling” management style. CIFF, meanwhile, was struggling with post-pandemic funding uncertanties and skepticism from CIFF Board President Joe Marinucci that the fest could secure “a sustainable future.”

CIFF 50 seemed to go off without a hitch: 326 short films and features from 57 countries were shown this spring at both Playhouse Square’s theaters and Cedar Lee. A growing culture of experience—not just films on screens—played a huge part in rebounding from lower ticket sales during the pandemic.

Malone and Board President Marinucci didn’t respond to requests from Scene for further comment.

“Hermione’s leadership helped CIFF celebrate a milestone year while also looking toward the future,” Marinucci wrote in a statement. “CIFF 50 honored the Festival’s extraordinary legacy while beginning to lay the groundwork for what comes next.”

Paul Sloop, CIFF’s director of programming, will be figuring out the artistic direction for next year’s festival while the leadership figures out how “to define the most effective leadership structure,” that press release said.

Malone’s final day at CIFF is July 22.