CIFF: 'Traficant' Offers a Portrait of an Unforgettable Character

James Traficant gets his due in director Eric Murphy's insightful and entertaining documentary (photo courtesy of Traficant: The Congressman of Crimetown).

Those who are not from Mahoning County, Ohio, may not fully understand how James Traficant became a fixture in the U.S. House of Representatives for 17 years. Eric Murphy's documentary Traficant: The Congressman of Crimetown gleefully examines the phenomenon that was the Youngstown area's charismatic, entertaining and embattled sheriff-turned-congressman.

Known for sporting bell-bottom pants and a long-on-the-sides, who-knows-what's-going-on-up-top hairstyle, Traficant rose to prominence in the Mahoning Valley first as a maverick high school quarterback and then as a candidate for sheriff. The son of a truck driver could easily identify with the region's blue-collar population and embodied a swagger that got their attention. 

Taking on the area's established Democratic machine, he won the job of sheriff but ran up against the Cleveland- and Pittsburgh-area mob families, which both had their hands in the industrial city located between them. That's just the opening salvo in this film, which makes wonderful use of historic footage of the charismatic and blustery Traficant to show off his larger-than-life persona. 

It's easy to see why voters were so drawn to Traficant. Even when he's spinning what seems the tallest of tall tales to get himself out of a jam, you want him to prevail. Even when he's making bad jokes on the floor of the House of Representatives, you snicker. Along the way, you find out that was a large part of his allure ... and his downfall. 

Traficant: The Congressman of Crimetown screens again at 11:55 a.m. on March 23. For more information and a full Cleveland International Film Festival schedule, visit clevelandfilm.org.

Action: Direct a Short Film to Win Tickets to CIFF's Get Shorty

Shorts often get overlooked at the Cleveland International Film Festival. There’s always a hot Sundance flick to see or a film with a cameo from a favorite cult star or an ultra-quirky indie that’s too intriguing to pass up.

But thanks to the Get Shorty Film Feast at 7 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Capitol Theatre, film buffs feed their appetite for shorts. Guests watch shorts exclusively all night and vote on which ones they’d like to see at CIFF. The top scorers join the more than 350 films screened at CIFF March 18-29 at Tower City Cinemas and off-site venues including Playhouse Square, Cedar Lee Theatre and new location, the Cleveland Art Museum. Get Shorty attendees can satisfy actual hunger with food and beverages from Culinary Occasions. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased at clevelandfilm.org. 

But aspiring short filmmakers can win tickets from Cleveland Magazine by making a 15-second short film on Instagram. We’ll send the best filmmaker and a guest to Get Shorty. Need some reel creative inspiration? Watch our short. 

Submit your film via Instagram tagging @Clevelandmagazine and @CLEFilmFest. Or Tweet us the link @ClevelandMag and @CIFF. Use the hashtag #clesupershort. We’re accepting films until Jan. 23 at noon. Winners will be notified that day. Action!