⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣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.

⁣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 Niagara Falls International Short Festival is a seasonal online film festival dedicated to showcasing short films. With an emphasis on brevity and creativity, the festival offers filmmakers a platform to share their work with a global audience. The festival's next online event is scheduled for April 15, 2024, promising a diverse selection of compelling short films from talented creators around the world. Stay tuned for an immersive cinematic experience that celebrates storytelling in its most concise and impactful form.

⁣⁣⁣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.

⁣⁣⁣Berlin Short Awards is a bi-monthly IMDb qualified online short awards event. We are happy to welcome filmmakers from all genres, particularly low or no-budget ones, and all countries, especially from those traditionally underrepresented in the global film industry. Our main goal is to showcase their brilliant projects in Berlin's beautiful city for a diverse audience of cinephiles. Berlin, as a city dates to the 13th century. Reminders of the city's turbulent 20th-century history can be seen in the parts of city. The city's also known for its art scene and modern landmarks like the gold-coloured, swoop-roofed Berliner Philharmonic, built in 1963. We encourage you to submit your work to this online event.
The selected projects are privately judged by a random team of invited experts from academia and the film industry worldwide, against a high standard of merit. From the official selection pool, which has a very competitive acceptance rate, Berlin Shorts Award chose the nominees and award winners of the month. All the Winners will receive the Official Laurels and the winning-category certificate.

⁣⁣⁣Santa Monica Film Awards is an International online seasonal movie award. This is a new film festival, and it is run by a group of young filmmakers who studied filmmaking. The aim is to promote and encourage short, feature, and documentary films worldwide by allowing them to showcase such films, promote movies, and be another step up in the filmmakers' careers. Each season we will award a few films. The winners will receive a laurel and a customized certificate. A selection of the winner
films will be screened online every season. Don’t wait to submit your beautiful projects. Our audience is waiting for your outstanding projects. We are happy to invite your projects.

⁣⁣⁣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.

⁣Dublin World Film Festival champions new film talent by providing a seasonal showcase and meeting point for new and established filmmakers, industry delegates and the local audience.
The festival is a friendly and inclusive festival in which the work of emerging filmmakers is presented in the context of an international programme. We believe that international collaboration is vital for filmmakers. The festival not only advocates the importance of short films in progressing future generations of filmmakers but provides a meeting place where the partnership can begin. 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 semi-finals films of each edition. Then the Festival's jurors, 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. The winner's announcements will be released through our social media to help promote the films.

⁣The organizing and administrative team of the IMDb qualified Vancouver Independent Film Festival started their activities ten years ago, in the form of a successful collaboration between Vancouver-based Pacific United Production and 24 frames company in Canada. Since this cooperation's commencement, countless events, from screenings and stage performances to appreciation nights, galas and cruise trips on opening and closing ceremonies, have been successfully executed in Vancouver. Our focus at the beginning was middle Eastern cinema, especially the Iranian cinema. During the past years, we had a series of monthly film screenings between Vancouver Cinematheque and Pacific United on Iranian Cinema. We also organized several of our past events during the past years at the prestigious location of Kay Meek Centre.
Following the remarkable success in Vancouver's organizing events, the need and demand for a Festival in Vancouver became prominent. With specific attention to the diverse population in Vancouver, the decision was made to organize and execute a genuine international film festival to cover all the nationalities and communities in Vancouver and, to a greater extent, in Northern America.
The Vancouver Independent Film Festival was created with both a seasonal and yearly structure with online and physical screenings. At the end of each season, the jury selects the winners of each category through private screenings. The winners of each season "might" be then considered for yearly competition; if they get chosen by the programming committee, they will be shown and compete with other films-winners at the annual event. The location of the festival is Kay Meek Art Centre.