⁣The Chicago film industry was a central hub for motion picture production and exhibition before Hollywood became the undisputed capital of filmmaking. In the early 1900s, Chicago boasted the most significant number of production companies and filmmakers. This situation was partially preserved until 1920, when the Chicago film industry met decline for a combination of reasons, including the impact of the Great Depression. Not until the 1980s and early 21st century has Chicago experienced a film production revival. Movie production again entered Chicago in the 1980s, with the state of Illinois becoming a leader in money spent on film production. Blockbusters, such as Blues Brothers, Sixteen Candles, and The Dark Knight, have rejuvenated the Chicago film scene.
Inspired by this tradition, the mission of the Chicago Filmmaker Awards, aka Cifawards, is to recognize and reward independent filmmakers that are currently missing in mainstream Hollywood. Whether your talent is in front of the camera or behind it, we have a category for you. We are waiting to watch your films.
We are interested in professionally made independent works. Submissions are open for shorts, feature narratives, documentaries and animation, and even experimental films and music videos.
This will be a seasonal Awards event with yearly live screening. Each season, we will select the best-known movies and promote the winners through social media and the official website. Few of the winners of each season will be selected for our online event.

⁣Are you fed up with the politicization of art in contemporary society? Do you believe that you are an excellent filmmaker because of the inner artistic quality of your work and not because of the political layers of your film?. Do you find it irritating that festivals constantly ask you about your identities, your political views and make you fill interrogative forms in which you have to justify that you are a "good" morally correct artist for society? If you think any of this, welcome to the Hollywood International Golden Age Festival for ALL! We believe that an artist should be free to create her work, and no institutions for any reason should impose on her how her art should look. For us, a just and democratic cinema is a cinema that treats everybody the same and equally without imposing any artistic criteria to follow. This is the first principle of democracy. Each artist's "dignity" and free opinion is more important than the "assumptions" of intellectuals who feel they know what justice is and want to teach it to everybody. Every artist is equal, and every artist should be treated equally and with the same degree of respect. We have created this radical festival which this specific line of thoughts. This is the festival in which the only criteria to judge your work is its "artistic" quality and not any political demand of the current society. We judge films based on their inner qualities, and we don't care to be a politically correct festival. We want to prioritize once more the "art" of filmmaking.
The organizing and administrative team of Hollywood Golden Age started their activities in New York 2 years ago. This is a monthly New York-based film festival with a yearly event. Every month, our Jury will award the best films through private screenings. Monthly Award Winners will be chosen to compete in the online Award.

⁣⁣⁣Welcome to the Nashville Independent Filmmakers Festival.
This is an award ceremony that showcases the best independent films worldwide. Every season we award the best filmmakers, writers and producers. We showcase various genres, from non-fiction to fiction films, and we accept both short and featured movies. We get films from all over the world, from US filmmakers and international ones. The main criterion for participating in the festival is the artistic criteria and
merits. Considering our professional platform, we hope
to provide a suitable environment for the introduction
of short films and feature films.
This is a seasonal festival and all the works are reviewed and evaluated privately by the jury, and finally, the jury announces the best result. Filmmakers have the option to request an online screening.

⁣Brussels World Film Festival is a seasonal GOLD FilmFreeway competition to be celebrated at the Brussels city.
We are committed to promote new filmmakers projects and showcase their films to international audiences. Our mission is to screen independent films of all genres from all around the world.

⁣The IMDb qualified festvial of San Francisco Indie Short Festival is happy to welcome filmmakers from all over the world and short films of all genres. Our main goal is to showcase their brilliant projects in the beautiful city of San Francisco for a diverse audience of cinephiles. It is a world-class event committed to present the best of this beautiful art called 'Cinema' and dedicated to all generations of filmmakers. The festival has a monthly and yearly structure. First of all, through "private" screenings, a team of professional screeners will evaluate all the submitted short films during each month. All the highest scored films will be reviewed by at least three judges who will decide through "private" screenings the best of each season. All the seasonal winners will receive the Official Laurels and the winning-category certificate for each season. We will announce the winners of each month through our social media. In the second stage, we will hold an annual event. Here, the internal committee selects the candidates for the yearly event from each month's winners. The selected films will compete for the annual awards.

⁣⁣Inspired by cosmopolitan mentality, we encourage diversity and multi-cultural short films. We want to truly reflect the international filmmaking community and showcase fresh talent from all filmmakers - no matter the age or the subject matter. With this in mind, we encourage filmmakers from all backgrounds to submit their projects. Furthermore, we genuinely believe that good filmmaking is an actual result of a good story. We hope to find new voices and perspectives to celebrate the power of a good story.
Florida Shorts is a seasonal competition and an annual online festival dedicated to short films of all genres from the U.S. and international filmmakers. In the first step, our professional screeners will privately review your film each quarterly season, and the highest scored films will become the semi-finalist . The semi-finalist of the seasonal editions are screened privately to jury members of each edition in various categories. All the award winners are then considered for the annual online festival; if they get selected, they will compete with other films in our annual event.
Join us for Florida Short's events this year!

⁣Atlanta Movie Awards welcomes you to its 1st edition! An event organized for both independent filmmakers and cinema-goers who love to discover niche films and artists.
The festival’s judges and programmers come from different film backgrounds and are eager to put together an exciting and truly high-quality program of indie films. The festival’s aim is to discover new talent, films and filmmakers with potential, and to recognize the collaborative work this art form is funded on.
The program will focus on independent films of different genres, with no limitations on length, style or country of origin. The festival is open to everyone regardless of budget and experience.
The festival is run in association with a collection of international film festivals supporting indie filmmaking. By establishing a working network with filmmakers, producers and marketing professionals, we share one common goal: to forge productive and lasting relationships between independent filmmakers and audiences.

⁣Arthouse Festival of Beverly Hills, an IMDB qualifying festival, is a bi-monthly competitive Film Festival dedicated to short films. We accept all types of short films and offer awards for Best Us Film, Best Intl Film, Best male and female director, among others. We also accept all kinds of genre films, including Horror, Action, Crime, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction, Sports, Thriller, War and Western from all around the world. The festival has a seasonal structure, first, our programmes select the official selection of the festival, then the judges will privately review the selected films, and subsequently, they will announce the winners. The winner's projects will then have the option to be streamed online.

⁣The Shanghai Indie Film Festival (SIFF) is an online platform dedicated to showcasing bold and original voices in independent filmmaking. As one of Asia's most dynamic and culturally rich cities, Shanghai serves as the perfect backdrop for a festival that embraces diversity, innovation, and creativity. SIFF provides a global stage for both emerging and established filmmakers to present their unique narratives, styles, and visions to an international audience.
Leveraging the digital space, SIFF is committed to creating an inclusive environment where filmmakers from around the world can share their stories without borders. The festival features a wide array of films, from thought-provoking documentaries and experimental shorts to captivating animations and dramas. With interactive panels, virtual Q&As, and an extensive online screening program, SIFF offers a unique opportunity to explore the best in contemporary independent cinema from the comfort of your home.

⁣⁣⁣Madrid Arthouse film festival is an IMDb qualified bi-monthly online festival based in Madrid. The festival aims to provide a platform for short and long feature filmmakers to be seen and heard as best as possible.
The festival is very competitive: Each season, our jury selects each category's winners through private screenings (there will be no physical screening). The winners of each month may be then considered for the yearly online competition. If this happens, they will be shown and compete with other films-winners at the annual online event.