Now in its fourth year, 20,000 Leagues Under the Industry Film Festival returns to the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland this August 16 through the 18th.

Filmmakers Matthew T. and Marcel DeJure founded 20,000 Leagues Under The Industry in 1999, with the intention of creating an underground film festival emphasizing DIY filmmaking, where brains and bravery are valued over the constraints and concerns of commercial films. 20,000 Leagues screens films that aren’t hindered by budget or easily labeled by genre or format; Works tha tare provocative, thoughtful and entertaining. Since its founding, the festival has been growing steadily, and given this year’s line-up of events, that growth shows no signs of abating.

Supplementing this year's screenings will be performances by rock bands Viva Caramel (Cleveland), The Perfect Guy (Cleveland), and The Centimeters (Los Angeles). DeJure’s puppet troupe, The Cinnamon Roll Gang (featured in his film, And…), will also present a new work developed for the festival.

Although 20,000 Leagues Under the Industry is primarily a festival of short film, each year includes the Cleveland premiere of one feature-length film. This year’s selection is Justin Mitchell’s documentary, Songs For Cassavetes. Shot in black-and-white 16mm film, Songs For Cassavetes documents underground bands making music in the wake of the "alternative" media explosion of the early nineties. Mitchell’s film includes performances and interviews with Sleater-Kinney, the Make-Up, Unwound, Dub Narcotic Sound System, and others.

Screenings for 20,000 Leagues Under The Industry are as follows:

Friday 8/16

8 pm doors open
9 pm Songs for Cassavetes, preceded by two short films TBA
11 pm The Perfect Guy
midnight Viva Caramel

Saturday 8/17

4 pm shorts program #1 (family-friendly)
7 pm shorts program #2
10 pm shorts program #3 (mature content)
11:30 pm The Cinnamon Roll Gang
midnight The Centimeters

Sunday 8/18

2 pm Songs for Cassavetes (repeat) preceeded by two short films TBA
4:30 pm shorts program #4

Note that all times and showings are subject to change. Specific program information and updates will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.

For media inquiries, contact Matthew T.

For directions to the Beachland Ballroom, hit their page.