The Cleveland Cinematheque was founded the same year that the U.S. Supreme Court essentially ruled that home video was legal. But Cinematheque director John Ewing has always preferred to see films on the big screen. The driving force behind the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque announced Friday that he will retire in June 2024.
“My hope was to show movies that wouldn't come to the region otherwise, and I really think we've done that—in spades," Ewing said in a statement. "Film history has been reduced to a short list of ‘greatest hits’ like ‘Gone with the Wind,’ ‘The Godfather’ and ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.’ But, film history is so much richer than those titles that will always be shown in multiplexes.”
His efforts have been recognized with a Cleveland Arts Prize and, in 2010, he was named a Chevalier (knight) in the Order of Arts and Letters of the Republic of France.
Ewing said it’s the “right time” to retire as Cinematheque audiences have returned to pre-COVID pandemic levels. He also cited health considerations and a desire to spend more time with his grandchildren. CIA plans to begin a national search for his successor in the coming weeks.
In his statement, Ewing acknowledged his co-founders, Ron Holloway and George Gund III, while saying their efforts have made Cleveland “a major American film city.” They co-founded the Cinematheque in 1984 and first started showing Cinematheque films in 1985 at Case Western Reserve University. A year later, the Cinematheque moved to the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Ewing previously ran film series at his alma mater, Denison University, and then was director of the Canton Film Society from 1975-83. From 1981-86, he was a contributing editor and regular film reviewer for Northern Ohio Live magazine.
