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.
Washington Film Awards is a unique seasonal virtual film competitions. Attracting both powerhouse companies as well as talented new filmmakers, it is an unparalleled, truly international awards competition, not a traditional film festival – which allows filmmakers from around the world to enter their films in this prestigious competition. The festival gives talented directors, producers, actors, creative teams the positive exposure they deserve. It discovers and honors the achievements of filmmakers who produce high quality projects. The festvial promotes award winners through press releases to filmmakers and industry contacts. Above all, we truly value and honor our filmmaking family. The festival accept screenplays (up to 40 pages) and short films (up to 40 minutes long). It offers a seasonal competition. Each season, our jury selects the winners through private screenings. The seasonal winners will qualify for the online screening. Furthermore, all seasonal winners receive a free digital certificate (in JPG), ready for print.
The San Francisco Women Film Festival is an online celebration dedicated to promoting the work of talented women filmmakers from around the globe. This dynamic event showcases a diverse range of both short and feature-length films, highlighting stories by and about women. Our mission is to amplify female voices in cinema, offering a platform not only to women filmmakers but also to male filmmakers who create films with a strong focus on women's experiences and perspectives. The festival aims to inspire, educate, and entertain audiences by presenting a curated selection of films that challenge, provoke, and uplift. With a variety of categories, the festival encourages submissions from all genres, offering a unique opportunity for both emerging and established filmmakers to share their work with a global audience. Whether you're an aspiring director, an experienced filmmaker, or an enthusiast of cinema, the San Francisco Women Film Festival invites you to join this vibrant celebration of stories that matter.
Welcome to the heart of cinematic innovation and artistic exploration – the Edinburgh Independent Film Festival. Our festival is a celebration of independent filmmakers who fearlessly push the boundaries of storytelling, offering a platform for their bold visions to shine. Nestled in the midst of Edinburgh's rich artistic tradition, our event promises to be a captivating journey into the world of cinema like never before. At the Edinburgh Independent Film Festival, we take pride in showcasing the works of visionary filmmakers who dare to challenge conventions. Our carefully curated selection features an array of captivating short and feature films that captivate, provoke, and inspire. From the avant-garde to the thought-provoking, our lineup celebrates the diversity of voices in independent cinema. But our festival is more than just screenings; it's a vibrant convergence of filmmakers, passionate audiences, and potential investors. We aim to bridge the gap between creativity and support, providing a space where filmmakers can connect with their audience and find the resources they need to bring their visions to life. Immerse yourself in this immersive cinematic experience and be part of a community that values artistic courage and cinematic excellence. Whether you're a filmmaker, film enthusiast, or an investor seeking the next big project, the Edinburgh Independent Film Festival invites you to join us on this remarkable journey. Come, be part of a cinematic tradition that embraces the future of storytelling. Together, we'll celebrate the power of independent film and ignite new horizons in the world of cinema.
Philadelphia World Film Festival is an online based bi-monthly festival. PWFF is looking for independent projects from all genres, particularly low or no-budget ones, as well as from all countries, especially from those traditionally underrepresented in the global film industry. The submitted projects are judged through private screenings by a random team of invited experts from academia and film industry from the region. From the pool of official selection, which has a very competitive acceptance rate, PWFF chose the nominees and award winners of the edition.
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 Munich Short Film Awards is an online festival and competition dedicated to low-budget short indie film and script projects. Every edition, the festival selects and promotes the winners of each category through private screenings and evaluations by our team of dedicated professionals. The festival seeks all genres. The event selects international projects and is devoted to short filmmaking, independent cinema, arthouse projects and short cinema. The short film festival aims to find talented short filmmakers and help them promote their work. Short films will be reviewed by our screeners team and the highest scored ones will be selected as Official Selection receiving corresponding Laurels. Then, our international jury will choose the winners in each category and they will receive the Official Laurels and Certificates.
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.
Hamburg Indie Fest is an international online film institution and competition, celebrating the language of cinema, indie filmmaking and film projects of all genres from all over the world. The committee consists of filmmakers and authors based from all over the world. Our monthly festival seeks to promote and award filmmakers and create online networking and events for filmmakers and screenwriters in order to promote film projects. The festival stands with independent filmmaking and believes in the power of cinema. It is our pleasure to consider film and script projects of all genres for various categories of the festival. Our festival will also award acting, writing, cinematography, editing and composing for film music in each monthly edition of the festival as well.
Vienna Indie Short Festival is an online seasonal film festival. Vienna, Austria’s capital, lies in the east on the Danube River. Its artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for its Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ summer residence. An enticing place for art & culture. Vienna Indie Short Film Festival will welcome any independent project from all genres. During each edition, our jury selects the winners of each category through private screenings. Our judges consist of industry professionals from 5 different countries. Such a multicultural team behind our festival helps make our festival thrive amongst Independent Festivals. After private screenings, the jurors will announce the name of the winners and we will reveal them through our social medias. If you become a winner project, your project will consider officially selected films of the festival deemed for online screening upon the request.