!["California Typewriter" [photo: Cleveland International Film Festival]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1cca2e2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1878x1045+0+0/resize/840x468!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F2%2F16%2FCalifornia%20Typewriter.jpg)
Today The Cleveland International Film Festival announced it's opening night film for 2017 - California Typewriter.
The documentary film spotlights typewriter enthusiasts - including Tom Hanks - who persevere with their passion for the mechanical, despite life in the digital age.
The film festival's executive director Marcie Goodman was excited about the film from the start.
"I fell madly in love with it. I met the director Doug Nichol and invited him to be in our festival. Then I called Bill Guentzler our artistic director and I asked him, 'was I allowed to do that?' Bill said, 'Yes' and I said, 'OK let's keep it in mind for opening night and here it is," Goodman said.
It's been a long time since the opening night film was a documentary.
"It's been 15 years since we opened with a documentary and only the second time that we're opening with a documentary," Goodman said.
California Typewriter kicks off the film festival on Wednesday, March 29th at Tower City Cinemas.
It's an eleven-day festival, this year featuring 200 full-length films and 215 shorts.
This year's closing night film is The Hero starring Sam Elliott as a washed-up Western film icon.
California Typewriter Trailer from American Buffalo on Vimeo.
