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Celebrating Film, Life, and Culture since 2012
2026 #GCUFF September 17-25
Keep film alive and support us ✊🏿
“Beautifully Together”

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

We thank @clefilmfest @gcuffcleveland @wiftohio for being our co-sponsors for our 6th Annual Benefit and to celebrate @naygreen0308 as our keynote speaker.

We thank our wonderful host, @kierracotton_ , @edenmarryshow for coming all the way from NY to join us and we thank @michaeljhouser Everyone looked AMAZING in their Hollywood Glam!!

Stay tuned for more pics…

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🎬🎥🎞️🤩

If you snagged a ticket, you’re in for a treat!

We’re so excited to have @kierracotton_ host our 6th Annual Building Heights Benefit.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Kierra is a three-time Emmy Award-winning media professional and host. She began her professional career at WKYC Channel 3 before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers organization as an in-game host in 2021.

Most recently, she transitioned into corporate communications and currently serves as the Marketing and Communications Manager for the Port of Cleveland. She continues her work as an in-game host for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Charge, and Cleveland State Women’s Basketball. In her spare time, Kierra enjoys reading, traveling, and making memories with her loved ones.

#hmss #buildingheights216 #clevelandfilm

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Three weeks later… but better late than never! 😂

Still reflecting on what a special experience the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival was. To see The Space Between on the big screen, in the city where it all began, surrounded by people who continue to believe in this story, and those who were experiencing it for the very first time and connected with it, meant more to me than I can put into words.

As a filmmaker, you spend so much time creating something, hoping that one day it finds its way to the people it’s meant for. Moments like these remind me why I fell in love with storytelling in the first place.

To everyone who came out, showed love, shared a kind word, or simply took the time to experience our film, thank you. Your support never goes unnoticed.

And a special thank you to GCUFF for creating a space where stories like ours can be seen, heard, and celebrated.

Cleveland, thank you for showing up for The Space Between. Until next time. 🎬✌🏾

#TheSpaceBetweenFilm #GCUFF #ClevelandFilmmaker #IndependentFilm #BlackCinema

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You can still purchase a ticket by visiting www.buildingheights216.org or click the link in our bio

#heightsmiddleschoolshorts #hmss #clevelandfilm #buildingheights216

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🚨🎬 WHO SAID YOU HAVE TO LEAVE CLEVELAND TO MAKE HISTORY?! 🌟🔥 THE LAND IS FULL OF STARS! 🚀

🎥 15 YEARS OF BLACK EXCELLENCE, CINEMA & CREATIVITY! 🏆✨

🎬 THE MIDWEST TAKEOFF × GCUFF — OFFICIAL RECAP! 🚀

CLEVELAND, STAND UP! 🗣️🔥

What an incredible honor celebrating the 15TH ANNIVERSARY of the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival (GCUFF)! 🎉

For 15 years, GCUFF has elevated voices, created opportunities, and reminded the world that GREATNESS LIVES IN CLEVELAND! 🌎💎

🎤 The Midwest Takeoff had the privilege of interviewing amazing actors, filmmakers, producers, entrepreneurs, innovators, and visionaries who are shaping the future of entertainment!

💎 Every interview told a story.
🎬 Every filmmaker carried a vision.
🚀 Every conversation reminded us WHY WE DO THIS!

CLEVELAND DOESN’T JUST PRODUCE TALENT — WE PRODUCE LEGACY! 🏆🔥

To every dreamer: STOP WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED! Create opportunities, remain consistent, believe in yourself, and NEVER stop chasing your vision! 💯

🌟 SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO OUR ALL-STAR TEAM!

🎥 @logankyngston — Capturing the magic behind the lens!

🎤 @216hundo — My incredible co-star bringing the energy!

🚀 @troopnation — Your founder and host, continuing our mission to elevate rising stars!

❤️ HUGE THANK YOU to GCUFF, its leadership, volunteers, and everyone investing in Cleveland’s creative community! We’re honored to be part of this historic celebration! 🙏🏾

CLEVELAND, YOUR LIGHT IS TOO BRIGHT TO BE IGNORED! 🌟🏙️

👀🔥 And the stories we captured? YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THEM!

👇🏾 TAG A CLEVELAND CREATIVE WHO DESERVES THE SPOTLIGHT! 🎬

❤️ LIKE | 💬 COMMENT | 🔁 SHARE

🚀 THE MIDWEST TAKEOFF
⭐ WHERE STARS COME TO SHINE! ⭐

#GCUFF #GreaterClevelandUrbanFilmFestival #TheMidwestTakeoff #TroopNation #ClevelandFilm

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🚨🎬 WE MET ON A MOVIE SET… YEARS LATER, LOOK AT US NOW! 😳🔥

FROM AKRON TO THE RED CARPET! 🎥✨

Sometimes life brings people back together just to remind you how far you’ve come! 💎

A few years ago, I connected with award-winning actress, producer, and casting associate Crystle Paynther (@ohcaligirl) while filming ONE FAITH in Akron, Ohio.

FAST-FORWARD TO 2026… 🚀

We’re reunited at the 15TH ANNUAL GREATER CLEVELAND URBAN FILM FESTIVAL (GCUFF) — but this time, she’s sitting across from me for an exclusive conversation with The Midwest Takeoff! 🎤⭐

🎬 ONE FAITH IS STILL STREAMING ON TUBI! 📺🔥

And we’re celebrating something even BIGGER…

🎉 15 YEARS OF BLACK FILM, BLACK EXCELLENCE, AND CLEVELAND MAKING HISTORY!

Shoutout to founder Donna Dabbs, President Shelley Tobias, and everyone helping create opportunities for independent filmmakers, actors, and storytellers!

Shout out to @angelelaye thank you for putting me in my first film 🎞️ 🙌🏾

💎 This isn’t just an anniversary. It’s a celebration of vision, consistency, relationships, and the POWER of believing in your dreams!

👇🏾 LET’S TALK!
Have you watched ONE FAITH on Tubi yet? 👀🎬

❤️ LIKE | 💬 COMMENT | 🔁 SHARE

🚀 THE MIDWEST TAKEOFF
Where Stars Come to Shine. ⭐

#GCUFF15 #TheMidwestTakeoff #CrystlePaynther #BlackCinema #ClevelandFilm

#OneFaith #GCUF #Filmmaking #Tubi #CreativeFounder #President #Festival #Experience #COVID #Akron

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🚨 STOP WAITING FOR YOUR BIG BREAK… CREATE YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITY! 🎬🔥

Crystle Paynther just dropped a GEM at the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival that every young creative needs to hear. 💎

When asked what advice she would give her younger self — or a young girl looking up to her — Crystle shared three powerful words:

“CREATE, DON'T WAIT.” 👏🏾🔥

Too many of us are waiting for somebody to discover us.
Waiting for the right connection.
Waiting for somebody to open the door.
Waiting for permission to start.

But what if the opportunity you've been waiting for is something YOU'RE supposed to create?

🎬 Bring your ideas together.
🤝🏾 Unify your community.
💡 Use the resources you already have.
🔥 Build with the people around you.

Crystle reminded us that when we come together, we can create something major — even things the world hasn't seen before.

UNITY ISN'T JUST ABOUT STANDING TOGETHER. IT'S ABOUT BUILDING TOGETHER. 🌎💯

Imagine what our communities could accomplish if we stopped competing against one another and started creating with one another!

🙏🏾 Thank you to GCUFF for helping The Midwest Takeoff capture these powerful conversations and shine a light on the creatives inspiring the next generation.

💬 QUESTION: What have you been waiting for that you could start creating TODAY?

Drop it in the comments! 👇🏾 Tag a creator who needs this reminder, and share this with someone waiting for their opportunity.

🚀 The Midwest Takeoff — Where Stars Come to Shine.

#CrystlePaynther #GCUFF #TheMidwestTakeoff #CreateDontWait #Cleveland #ClevelandCreatives #OhioCreatives #BlackCreatives #BlackHollywood #Filmmaker #Entrepreneur #CommunityUnity #Collaboration #CreativeCommunity #Motivation #DropGems #TroopNation #CreateDontWait #Motivation #CommunityBuilding #Unity #Inspiration #Entrepreneurship #Empowerment #ReelsInspiration

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9 days until the benefit.

You ready?

You got your Hollywood Glam formal attire ready?

Limited tickets are available. Come through.

Tickets not sold at the door.

Visit www.buildingheights216.org or click the link in our bio to purchase your tickets.

#hmss #buildingheights216 #clevelandfilm #heightscte #heightsmiddleschoolshorts

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🚨 THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE IT AREN’T ALWAYS THE MOST TALENTED… SOMETIMES THEY JUST REFUSED TO QUIT. 🔥🎥

That right there is the GEM. 💎

Randy Buffington dropped a powerful reminder during his conversation with The Midwest Takeoff at GCUFF:

“The people that make it… more times than not, they just decided not to give up.”

Everybody encounters those moments when things get tight.
Everybody gets discouraged.
Everybody questions the vision.
Everybody has moments when walking away feels easier.
But if you still have that drive…
If you still believe in what you're building…

KEEP GOING.
Because sometimes the difference between the person who makes it and the person who walks away isn't talent.
It's simply the decision to keep keeping on. 🔥
And the best part?
When you watch somebody else accomplish what they once dreamed about, it becomes proof that YOU CAN DO IT TOO.

The proof is in the pudding. 👀
🎬 The Midwest Takeoff was honored to capture this conversation at GCUFF.
🙏🏾 Thank you to The Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival for creating a platform where filmmakers, storytellers and creatives can share their voices and drop gems like this.

💬 WHAT'S SOMETHING YOU REFUSE TO GIVE UP ON?
Drop it below. 👇🏾

Someone reading your comment might need that reminder today.

🚀 The Midwest Takeoff — Where Stars Come to Shine.

#TheMidwestTakeoff #RandyBuffington #RandyIsIce #GCUFF #Cleveland #ClevelandOhio #Motivation #NeverGiveUp #KeepGoing #Perseverance #SuccessMindset #EntrepreneurMindset #CreativeMindset #Filmmaker #Storytelling #ClevelandCreatives #BlackCreatives #OhioCreatives #DropGems #MotivationDaily #TroopNation#NeverGiveUp #Motivation #Resilience #FilmmakerLife #KeepGoing #Inspiration #MindsetMatters #FilmFestival

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🚨 HE GOT LAID OFF… SO HE BOUGHT A CAMERA AND IT CHANGED HIS LIFE. 🎥🔥

What do you do when the job you thought was your path suddenly disappears?

For Randy Buffington, getting laid off became the moment that pushed him to bet on himself.

Randy shared with The Midwest Takeoff that he had been a sports reporter, covering stories through the lens of sports. But eventually, he realized something bigger:

Storytelling was his lane.
It didn't matter whether the person in front of his camera was an All-Star or an everyday person. If they had a story worth telling, Randy wanted to be the person behind the camera.

After getting laid off, he decided he had to better himself. He bought a camera — an FX3 — and got to work.
And he started cooking. 🎥🔥

Today, his mission is simple: tell the stories of everyday people.
And even more powerful?
He doesn't see the people he covers as strangers.

“Everybody that I try to cover these days is family.”
That's the kind of storytelling we believe in at The Midwest Takeoff — real people, real journeys, real Cleveland stories.

It was an honor to sit down with Randy during GCUFF and give another storyteller his flowers.
🙏🏾 Thank you to GCUFF for creating a space where filmmakers, storytellers and creatives can connect, create and be seen.

💬 What would you do if you lost your job tomorrow? Would you play it safe… or finally bet on yourself?

👇🏾 Tell us in the comments.
🎬 The Midwest Takeoff — Where Stars Come to Shine. 🚀🌎

#TheMidwestTakeoff #RandyBuffington #RandyIsIce #GCUFF #Cleveland #ClevelandOhio #ClevelandFilmmaker #Filmmaker #FilmDirector #Storytelling #DocumentaryFilmmaker #Videographer #ContentCreator #CreativeEntrepreneur #BlackFilmmakers #BlackCreatives #ClevelandCreatives #OhioCreatives #ClevelandCulture #FilmCommunity #TroopNation #StackTheFilm #Storyteller #FamilyFirst #PassionProject #NewBeginnings #LifeAfterLayoff #Photography #Filmmaker #Reels

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🚨 WHAT IF THE RELATIONSHIP DIDN’T END BECAUSE THE LOVE DISAPPEARED… BUT BECAUSE THE COMMUNICATION DID? 💔🎬

DeVon Lamont Thomas dropped a line during our GCUFF conversation that hits DIFFERENT:

Sometimes what goes unsaid speaks louder than anything you could actually say.

While breaking down scenes and themes from his short film The Space Between, DeVon talked about something many couples experience but rarely discuss — growing with someone for years, only to realize you may be growing in two different directions.

The conversations get shorter.
The distance gets bigger.
And eventually… the silence becomes the conversation.

😳 That’s when this stopped feeling like just a movie discussion.

This is about marriage. Growth. Communication. Love. Loss. And what happens when two people still have history together but can no longer hear each other.

🎬 Tap into our full conversation with DeVon Lamont Thomas and discover the deeper meaning behind The Space Between.

Special thank you to the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival (GCUFF) for continuing to create a platform for Black filmmakers and stories that deserve to be seen.

🚀 The Midwest Takeoff — Where Stars Come to Shine.

👇🏾 REAL QUESTION:
Can a relationship survive when communication disappears?

#TheSpaceBetween #DeVonLamont #GCUFF #TheMidwestTakeoff #BlackCinema #BlackFilmmakers #Marriage #Relationships #RelationshipTalk #Communication #LoveAndMarriage #IndependentFilm #ClevelandFilm #BlackActors #FilmTok #WhereStarsComeToShine

#Marriage #Communication #Relationships #PersonalGrowth #Love #Connection #UnsaidWords #LifeLessons

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🚨 “HOW AM I ABOUT TO RAISE A MAN… WHEN I’M STILL FIGURING OUT HOW TO BE ONE?” 🎬💎

That statement stopped us.

Actor, filmmaker and writer DeVon Lamont Thomas opened up with The Midwest Takeoff about his upcoming film Neat No Chaser — a story rooted in generational trauma, father wounds and his own experience becoming a father.

DeVon shared that when his first son was being born, he found himself asking a question many men may be afraid to say out loud:

How do you give your son what you’re still learning how to give yourself?

Instead of running from that experience, he turned it into a SCRIPT. 🎥

This is bigger than film. This is storytelling becoming healing.

💎 Watch the full conversation for the story behind the movie, his personal journey and the gems he dropped for the next generation.

🎬 Special thank you to the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival (GCUFF) for creating a space where Black filmmakers and powerful stories can be seen, heard and celebrated.

🚀 The Midwest Takeoff is an award-winning broadcasting company dedicated to giving rising stars, creators and established voices a platform to tell the story behind the success.

Where Stars Come to Shine. ⭐

👇🏾 MEN/FATHERS: Did becoming a parent ever make you question things from your own childhood?

#DeVonLamontThomas #NeatNoChaser #GCUFF #GreaterClevelandUrbanFilmFestival #TheMidwestTakeoff #BlackFilmmakers #BlackCinema #BlackFathers #Fatherhood #GenerationalTrauma #BreakingGenerationalCycles #MensMentalHealth #IndependentFilm #ClevelandFilm #BlackActors #Filmmaking #Storytelling #FilmInterview #ClevelandCreators #WhereStarsComeToShine

#Fatherhood #GenerationalTrauma #Filmmaking #PersonalGrowth #MentalHealthAwareness #RaisingMen #Storytelling #Authenticity

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