The Cleveland International Film Festival wrapped up its 35^th year last night with the annual closing ceremonies. Over 78,000 people attended the festival this year, which was over 7,000 more than in 2010. The 11-day festival raised more than $60,000 in donations, which like previous years, will be matched by The Skirball Foundation bringing the grand total to over $120,000 to go toward making the festival possible for yet another year. The big winners at the 35^th Cleveland International Film Festival were: - Best American Independent Film Award went to Opening Night film “Hamill” and included  a $5,000 cash prize. - Awarded the  Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award for Best Film was “Vincent Wants to Sea,” a comedy from Germany about a man suffering from Tourette Syndrome that longs for a trip to the sea. - The fantastic Finnish film “Steam of Life,” about men opening up their souls in saunas throughout Finland won the Nesnadny +  Schwartz Documentary Film Competition and was award $5,000. - The Central and Eastern European Film Competition winner was  the Romanian drama “If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle” which included a $10,000 prize. - Last but surely not least, the documentary “Dying to Do Letterman” was award with a $5,000 cash prize and the Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Film Competition award. The film, which was directed by Joke Fincioen and Parma-native Biagio Messina, follows comedian Steve Mazan, who is diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer, and makes up his mind he wants to pursue his dreaming of being on Letterman.   Among the favorites of Buzzbin Magazine were: Someone To Watch honoree David Boyle and his charming “Surrogate Valentine”,  the Nesnadny + Schwartz Documentary Film Competition winner “Steam of Life”, the fascinating French drama “The Hedgehog”, the darkly haunting German thriller “The Silence”, the beautifully mystifying “Uncle Boonmee Who Recalls His Past Lives” from Thailand and the closing night film preservation documentary “These Amazing Shadows”.