CLEVELAND, Ohio -- When the Cleveland International Film Festival announced it was going online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the idea was to celebrate independent filmmakers while providing something of value for the community.

One week into CIFF44 Streams, the festival has been a hit.

“The response has been great. We’ve received a lot of feedback from many of our members about how they happy they have been to be able to see the films they were looking forward to seeing at the CIFF,” says artistic director Bill Guentzler. “We’ve been happy as well, it’s been great to know that we’ve helped create some excitement.”

The festival’s 125 feature-length films and 200 shorts have received 25,000 views through the first six days. The number is an impressive accomplishment when you consider CIFF only had three weeks to put the whole together.

“The entire full time staff has been on-call throughout CIFF44 Streams helping primarily with a few technical issues because there are so many combinations of computers, browsers, TVs and the connections between those,” Guentzler says. “Since the CIFF44 platform was built for us, it’s different than Netflix or Amazon Prime, so it was a learning experience for us and our audience.”

Some of most popular films so far include “Assholes: A Theory,” a cheeky, pun intended, documentary that looks at the rise of, well, assholery. There’s also “Heroinohio,” a sobering documentary about the devastating effects of opioid addiction in Springfield, Ohio. “Elephant Refugees" is a visually stunning look at the elephant migration crisis in Botswana.

The online festival lasts through April 28. Films cost $8 to stream or $75 for an all-access pass.

“We recommend watching something you otherwise wouldn’t have tried,” Guentzler says. "Be brave, experience the festival with an open mind. And of course, we always recommend checking out a numbered shorts program. You’ll be taken on a ride between dramas, comedies, animation, and documentaries.

“It’s the best way to take a taste of the festival.”

He says it’s too early to tell if streaming will become a component of future festivals, though “all options are on the table.” Planning for the 45th annual event, which moves to Playhouse Square in 2021, will resume at the conclusion of the online festival.