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.
Denver — The Mile High City — is where urban sophistication meets outdoor adventure. Denver is an outdoor city known for its art, culture, food, music and sports in the Rocky Mountain region. The town is natural for the silver screen with colourful cityscapes and a Rocky Mountain backdrop. Our Souls at Night (2017), Blades of Glory (2007), About Schmidt (2002), Vanishing Point (1971), Over the Edge (1979), and Waterworld (1995) are among the few notable movies shot in the region. The goal of the festival is to utilize this tradition and help independent filmmakers to promote their works. It aspires to promote, recognize and support independent filmmakers throughout the world by hosting a variety of awards in order to provide the best opportunities for filmmakers to get recognized in a very competitive industry. We hope to cultivate community and transform lives through film. Join us as we gather to recognize, promote, and celebrate independent filmmakers; continue to elevate Denver as a premier art destination, and have a good time doing it. Selections will be based entirely on artistic and technical merit, as decided by our judges and members. No restrictions are made on submissions outside of recency of completion and length; please see full submission guidelines for additional details.
Portland New Alternative Voices is a bi-monthly awards event. It is an online event. The world has changed and so have we. We are embracing the virtual future, showing our elite films exclusively and broadly online in a manner that supports each film’s individual path of exposure. The festvial will welcome any independent project from all genres. This is an independent event for all Feature, Shorts, Documentary, Experimental, Commercial, Music Video, Animations, Student Films, Series and TV. The award ceremony is looking for independent projects from all genres, particularly low or no-budget ones and all countries. Our mission is to promote films, and be another step up in the filmmakers' careers. The selection process has two parts. First, the submitted projects are judged through private screenings by our internal programming team, and they will select the Finalist films of each edition. Then the Festival’s jurors, who are a random team of invited experts mainly from the film industry, will privately review the films and award the best projects. All of the winners will receive the official laurel and an achievement certificate and can request an online screening. Winner’s announcements will be released through our social media to help promote the films.
Our festival was founded to support and promote independent short films from all around the world. We recognize how difficult it is to get your short film ’out there’, and find a platform where your film can reach the right audience. We aim to promote and provide exposure to these films and organize a fun and culturally diverse night of indie cinema for filmmakers and cinephiles alike. Our program will reflect the diversity and opportunities within the short film genre, and our goal is to show films that the audience would otherwise have not seen, and leave a lasting impact. We look forward to seeing your submissions and welcoming you to Stockholm Short Film Festival! Our submission window for our 1st edition is now open! For each season, the official selection will be carefully picked by our panel of expert judges and will consist of the films nominated for an award. The movie that got an award will have the option to be screened online during our annual event if they get into the next round; they will also be promoted on our social media platforms and website.
We are a young cinephile group inspired by French cinema; our first love and point of entry to cinema were through the French new wave. When we watch films by Goddard and other masters of the new wave, we realize how the language of cinema could be diverse and different. French cinema was a bomb for us and changed our mindset about the art of filmmaking wholly. This festival is our dedication to the French cinema. We prefer films with new /subversive looks. We hope to discover unheard voices and introduce them to the world. If you have a project ready, even a tiny one, don’t hesitate to submissions. We are here to promote your works and show your talent to the world. This will be the second year of the festival. We started quietly; we had little chance for a great exposure during Covid time. Still, we have managed to organize physical events and invite young filmmakers to share their voices. We hope you make our event bigger with your physical presence. We believe films are made for big theatres, and a festival must respect this.
Rome has had a special place in the art and beauty of the world from years ago. The Roman baths, the outstanding architecture created in this beautiful city throughout history, the sculptures, and the paintings all reflect the special place of Rome in the art of the world. Meanwhile, Rome has always been a unique city among Italian filmmakers. Directors like Pasolini, Fellini and Antonioni, and other contemporary filmmakers have always used the city of Rome and its beauties in their films and created unexpected cinematic moments for us. We hope to use Roman history and grandeur in favour of creating a unique festival atmosphere. This festival will be held seasonally in Rome, to show outstanding short films in this beautiful city each season. Roma short is dedicated to celebrating the works of independent filmmakers from around the world, and we pay special attention to ultra low-budget films by first and second-time directors. The festival hopes to provide a place for cinema lovers, independent filmmakers to get acquainted with the latest works in cinema. We hope to create a social space around cinema and promote new discourses about the future of cinema. The festival has a seasonal structure. First of all, our jury will review the nominated films. We award films in each season . Seasonal semi-finalist selections are screened privately for consideration. Among the winner movies, a limited number will be selected for online screening. Winners will receive laurels. Seasonal winners will be listed on our website and Instagram.
Denver — The Mile High City — is where urban sophistication meets outdoor adventure. Denver is an outdoor city known for its art, culture, food, music and sports in the Rocky Mountain region. The town is natural for the silver screen with colourful cityscapes and a Rocky Mountain backdrop. Our Souls at Night (2017), Blades of Glory (2007), About Schmidt (2002), Vanishing Point (1971), Over the Edge (1979), and Waterworld (1995) are among the few notable movies shot in the region. The goal of the festival is to utilize this tradition and help independent filmmakers to promote their works. It aspires to promote, recognize and support independent filmmakers throughout the world by hosting a variety of awards in order to provide the best opportunities for filmmakers to get recognized in a very competitive industry. We hope to cultivate community and transform lives through film. Join us as we gather to recognize, promote, and celebrate independent filmmakers; continue to elevate Denver as a premier art destination, and have a good time doing it. Selections will be based entirely on artistic and technical merit, as decided by our judges and members. No restrictions are made on submissions outside of recency of completion and length; please see full submission guidelines for additional details.
Portland New Alternative Voices is a bi-monthly awards event. It is an online event. The world has changed and so have we. We are embracing the virtual future, showing our elite films exclusively and broadly online in a manner that supports each film’s individual path of exposure. The festvial will welcome any independent project from all genres. This is an independent event for all Feature, Shorts, Documentary, Experimental, Commercial, Music Video, Animations, Student Films, Series and TV. The award ceremony is looking for independent projects from all genres, particularly low or no-budget ones and all countries. Our mission is to promote films, and be another step up in the filmmakers' careers. The selection process has two parts. First, the submitted projects are judged through private screenings by our internal programming team, and they will select the Finalist films of each edition. Then the Festival’s jurors, who are a random team of invited experts mainly from the film industry, will privately review the films and award the best projects. All of the winners will receive the official laurel and an achievement certificate and can request an online screening. Winner’s announcements will be released through our social media to help promote the films.
Tokyo shorts is an online award-based monthly festival. The mission of the festival is to bring international independent short film to the widest possible audience in Japan and beyond. The Festival aims to provide a cultural alternative to the commercial film experience, to support independent filmmakers, and promote the art of filmmaking and its related disciplines. The Tokyo Shorts was established to utilise the power of film to further the goal of inter-cultural understanding among nations and to assist in the building of a shared artistic experience. During each edition, our jury selects the winners of each category through private screenings. The winners of each edition may be then considered for the yearly online screening. If this happens, they will be shown online and compete with other films-winners at the yearly event.
An IMDB qualified festvial , Paris International Short Festival is an online-based bi-monthly award festival. During each edition, our jury selects the winners of each category through private screenings. The winners of each edition then are considered for the online screening. If this happens, they will be shown online and compete with other films-winners at the online event.