Lost & Found in Cleveland Screens at the Cleveland International Film Festival

CLEVELAND, OH - Few stories have captured the emotional resonance of our city like the premiere of the movie "Lost & Found in Cleveland", a film that doesn’t just take place in the city—it treats Cleveland as a living, breathing character.

Directed and co-written by filmmakers Keith Gerchak and Marisa Guterman, Lost & Found in Cleveland is a love letter to the city and the dreams that unfold within it. The film took shape over more than a decade, born not in a production office, but in a casting waiting room, where Guterman first spotted Gerchak. What started as a would-be romantic connection quickly evolved into a creative partnership when Guterman pitched a movie idea involving Antiques Roadshow. Gerchak’s response? “You’ve got my attention.”

That moment sparked a vision grounded in Guterman’s long-held dream to tell a story about the American heartland. For Gerchak, a Cleveland native, there was no better setting. “We say emphatically that the American dream still exists, and that Cleveland is the microcosm,” he said.

Over ten years, the duo developed the script, drawing support from a community that believed in their vision from day one. Among their earliest and most loyal backers was the Fowler Family, whose belief in entrepreneurship and civic pride helped propel the project forward. Gerchak described them as “unicorns in the city” for their enduring support.

A turning point came at a wedding at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where the filmmakers ran into Char Fowler, who offered a bold suggestion: direct the film themselves. So they did. In another surprising twist, a local women’s book club also became one of the project’s biggest financial and emotional supporters, attending the shoot and wrap party alike.

Corporate support came from major Cleveland-rooted names including Sherwin-Williams, KeyBank, and Discount Drug Mart—companies that shared the filmmakers’ desire to celebrate the city.

The cast assembled for this independent film reads like a dream lineup: Martin Sheen, Dennis Haysbert, June Squibb, Stacy Keach, Liza Weil, Santino Fontana, Jon Lovitz, Loretta Devine, Dot-Marie Jones, and Mark L. Walberg. Gerchak and Guterman, who served as their own casting directors, wrote key roles with Haysbert and Squibb in mind. When their original actor for Haysbert’s role had to step down just 48 hours before filming, a chance connection led to Haysbert reading the script on a plane and accepting the role. “This is a role I’ve dreamed of doing,” Haysbert said on set. “Why was it not offered to me?” The answer, as Gerchak explained, was simple—they were told he wouldn’t do it. But fate, it seems, had other plans.

June Squibb’s role was similarly tailored for her, and her longtime co-star Stacy Keach agreed to join the cast only on the condition that Squibb would once again play his on-screen wife. Once the duo signed on, the rest of the ensemble quickly followed.

While neither Gerchak nor Guterman appear in the film, Gerchak lent his voice to the animatronic President William McKinley—a moment Guterman says gets some of the film’s biggest laughs. Guterman’s husband also makes a brief cameo as one of the characters’ spouses.

Lost & Found in Cleveland follows five storylines tied together by a fictional antique appraisal TV show—aptly titled Lost & Found. The characters span generations and backgrounds: Charlie, a boy living beneath the Hope Memorial Bridge; Marty, a mailman from the Hough neighborhood (Haysbert); Will, a retired steelworker in Slavic Village (Keach); a psychology professor from Case Western (Fontana); and Sophie, a wealthy socialite from Hunting Valley (Weil). Each character is on a journey of purpose, identity, and reconnection.

The film was edited by Tricia Holmes, known for her work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Based in New York and never having set foot in Cleveland during the edit, Holmes relied heavily on the directors’ insights to present the city through fresh eyes. “It actually showed me the city through the eyes of a tourist,” she said. Yet her work helped Cleveland emerge not just as scenery, but as a central, emotional force in the narrative.

Lost & Found in Cleveland premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival, where both screenings sold out. Now, the film is coming home. It will screen at the Cleveland International Film Festival on Sunday, March 30, at 4:45 p.m. at the KeyBank State Theatre. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at clevelandfilm.org. A broader theatrical release is expected later this year in over 800 theaters, followed by a streaming debut.

As Guterman put it: “There were a lot of critics along the way, but the idea of sharing this with the Cleveland audience on March 30 makes me feel like a little kid counting down to Hanukkah. It’s really exciting.”

TO READ/SEE/LEARN MORE, VISIT www.Cleveland13News.com