⁣⁣⁣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.

⁣⁣⁣⁣Sydney Indie Short Festival is an online seasonal film festival. The Festival is dedicated to international short films of all genres, especially low or no-budget ones, plus student films. From the pool of official selection, which has a very competitive acceptance rate, Sydney Short chose the nominees and award winners of the season. Each season, our jury selects the winners of each category through "private" screenings. Every submitted film has a chance to be a winner in the competition. Suppose you're looking for an opportunity to showcase your film in the best possible way to spread the news about it and experience a joyful festival atmosphere. In that case, the Sydney indie short Festival is what you need.

⁣⁣⁣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.

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The Indianapolis Independent Film Festival warmly welcomes you to join our global community celebration of peace, love, and the art of filmmaking. We are a collaboration of multi-talented writers, film score composers, filmmakers, producers, and musicians, united in our mission to entertain, inform, inspire, encourage, and educate. Our goal is to recognize and honour artists who use their creative work to increase awareness, provide diverse perspectives, tackle complex social issues, and promote international connections. As an inspiring and intimate platform, the we offer writers, directors, and producers the opportunity to create new projects, develop tools for success, and establish new connections within the global film and entertainment industry.

Synopsis: ⁣Haunted by the vision of their deceased friend, Jesse and Drew must come to terms with their role in Sidney’s death in order to properly grieve.

Director: Dan To

⁣⁣⁣Oakland Film Festival is an online seasonal international film festival. It aims to be one of North America’s leading film festivals for international filmmakers. It is a unique platform for new talent and a celebration of cinematic creativity and innovation. The Festival attracts a broad selection of shorts and feature by filmmakers working in every genre and format and offers the people of Oakland and visitors an extraordinary chance to glimpse the future of cinema. The festival prides itself upon providing opportunities for talented directors, producers, writers, actors and crew members from all over the world to learn together and exhibit their work in a stimulating international environment. The festival is open to any film in any genre and especially prioritizes low-budget films of independent spirit and exciting new talent. The Festival aims to provide a cultural alternative to the commercial film experience, support independent filmmakers, and promote the art of filmmaking. It was established to utilize 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 season, films submitted to Oakland Awards are judged by our International Jury on their overall artistic and technical quality on a performance scale. Few of the finalist films will be selected for online screening and awards.

⁣Welcome to the Detroit Independent Film Festival, a celebration of the art of filmmaking and the power of storytelling. Join us for an online event of screenings, discussions, and networking opportunities with industry professionals and film enthusiasts.
Discover a diverse selection of films, ranging from indie gems to blockbusters, short films to documentaries, and everything in between. Our carefully curated program showcases the best of local and international cinema, with something for every taste and interest.
Immerse yourself in the magic of the movies, with state-of-the-art projection and sound systems that bring every frame to life. Learn more about the creative process of filmmaking. Meet fellow film lovers, where you can exchange ideas and make valuable connections. Whether you're an aspiring filmmaker or a seasoned pro, the Detroit Independent Film Festival is the perfect place to showcase your talents and expand your horizons.

⁣Welcome to the Austin International Art Festival page, a festival held in the beautiful city of Austin, US. This is a festival for both short and featured films. We accept films from all over the world, from American filmmakers and international ones. The main criterion for participating in the festival is artistic criteria and merits. Considering Austin's tremendous importance in the American cinematic environment and our professional platform, we hope to provide a suitable environment for the introduction of short films and feature films.
The festival believes that many films are produced in today's world, and many of these films want to know of their outcome as soon as possible. With this in mind, our program will be held monthly. The monthly festival is held in the form of an online award festival, which means that the works are reviewed and evaluated "privately" by the jury, and finally, the jury announces the best result. If they want, monthly winners can request a public online screening. We do also promote our winners through our social media and issue certificates for our winners. We do have an annual online l event as well. Once a year, few selected films will be chosen from all monthly winners and broadcast in an online platform. The jury of the above festival has been chosen from the expert members of cinema, from the university environment, from the working and professional background of cinema and the well-known cinema distributors.
We do believe our structure is the best answer to the reality of contemporary filmmaking. It allows the filmmaker to be informed of his work's result in the shortest time possible and enables them to provide a more suitable and timely platform for advertising and promoting the film.

⁣Cleveland Arthouse Film Awards ( CAFA) offers a high quality line-up of carefully selected fiction and documentary feature films, short films and media art. The festival’s focus is on recent work by talented new filmmakers. CAFA is a leading cultural platform accessible to all, that champions compelling cinema and audiovisual art. Through screenings, talks, exhibitions, and various networking opportunities, CAFA enables discovery, dialogue, learning and people coming together. We look where others don’t look, and through CAFA’s distinct programming, we open a space for ideas that captivate, engage and entertain, pushing creative boundaries that have the power to transform. CAFA supports independent storytellers and advances the impact of their work in the world.

⁣Santa Barbara Shorts is a short, online film competition festival. Its aim is to provide quality films to our festival audience with particular attention to the craft of performance, cinematography, sound and score, and editing.
We are seeking shorts in documentary, animation, live action and narrative films up to 50 mins there are no restrictions on when or where the film was made as long as the film itself can be classified into a general audience rating.
If you have an interesting live action or animated short film, we warmly welcome you to submit to our film section of our festival.