⁣⁣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.

⁣New Orleans International Film Awards’s mission is to bring international independent films to the widest possible audience in the region. The Festival aims to provide a cultural alternative to the commercial film experience, to support independent filmmakers, and promote the art of filmmaking.
New Orleans is part of an amazing worldwide community; a unique collaboration of multi-talented writers, film score composers and filmmakers. The festival mission is to entertain, inform, inspire, encourage and educate. We honor those artists who, through their creative work, actively increase awareness, provide multiple viewpoints, address complex social issues, and strengthen ties between international audiences. At the festvial, you can come together with other writers, directors and producers to create new opportunities, develop tools for success and forge new alliances within the international film and entertainment industry.

⁣⁣The Seattle Movie Awards is a festival that showcases the best independent films from around the world. Every season we award the best film makers, writers and producers by inviting them to our online competition hosted in Seattle, US. We showcase various genres from non-fiction to fiction films.
Not only do we grant prizes to the winners, but we also connect film makers to our network of professionals. Connecting filmmakers with our extensive database of agents, distributors and other industry professionals. Our festival is also globally orientated meaning we not only look for Western films but also films from Africa, Asia, South America and Australia.

⁣San Francisco International Film Awards is a newly established physical event taking place in San Francisco. The festival’s mission is to celebrate films and the art of filmmaking. We hope to provide a venue for filmmakers to exhibit their latest work, meet other filmmakers, and learn from industry professionals. We also hope to serve as a forum for discussion and debate about films and filmmaking. Our biggest dream is that our festival can also be a tool for marketing your movies; we hope to generate buzz and interest in your new releases. And be sure that we will do our best so that the festvial allows honest, objective feedback from audiences who don’t have any connection to you or your film. We hope to see your movie soon at the festvial!

⁣⁣Texas region possesses a rich heritage and a large film community. The region has often been a locale for Hollywood productions and television programming. With this in mind, 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.
The above program will be held seasonally. The festival believes that many artistic endeavors and projects are produced in today’s world, and many of these projects want to know of their outcome as soon as possible. Therefore, the seasonal structure allows the filmmaker to be informed of his work’s result in the shortest time possible and will enable him to provide a more suitable and timely platform for advertising and promoting the film. The 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. Once a year, few selected projects will be chosen from all selected movies and will be broadcast online.

⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣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.

⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣Phoenix Shorts is a monthly and yearly online IMDb qualified festival. We encourage the breadth and variety of views and supporting the best up-and-coming filmmakers from around the world. Each month, our jury selects the winners of each category through private screenings. Every submitted film has a chance to be a winner in the monthly competition. If they get selected by the programming team of the yearly event, the winners of each month may be then considered for the annual online competition. If this happens, they will be shown and compete with other films-winners at the yearly online event. It's an excellent opportunity to provide a platform and to introduce your work. We believe your talents must be showcased early to propel the filmmakers of the future into their feature film careers. We are here to recognize and spotlight creative and talented filmmakers like you. Winners will be announced on our website and social media pages every month. You can submit your works through FilmFreeway.

⁣⁣An IMDb qualified festvial , Rotterdam Independent Film Festival (Riff) is a brand new, up-and-coming online seasonal short film festival in Netherland, a country with great filmmakers like Johan van der Keuken and popular international film festivals. Riff is an exclusive online short film competition, and our main goal is to showcase the brilliant short projects for a diverse audience of cinephiles.
RIFF is more than just a Film event; it is a strong connection among all filmmakers worldwide. RIFF is a hub for international filmmakers to celebrate their premieres, thank their cast and crew, and meet their fans. Exposing young talented filmmakers to an environment of industry professionals with vast experience in their field is a priority for us. One of our top aims is to help first-time filmmakers promote their talent regardless of their age. The objective of RIFF is to provide support to indie filmmakers globally through reviewing, judging, marketing, and distribution networking. We aim to create networks that lead to further opportunities for filmmakers.
RIFF is an online award film festival. You have two steps in front to advance to the annual event. At first, each season, our jury selects the winners of each category through "private" screenings. Every submitted film has a chance to be a winner for each season. In the next step, we select few films from the winner projects for the annual event. If you get to the second stage, we will get in touch with you for the annual event (not getting a notification from us means that you are not a selected film for the second stage). If you advance to the yearly event, you need to send us materials for online screening.
Our judges consist of filmmakers and industry professionals from 5 different countries. We believe that having such a multicultural team behind our festival helps our festival thrive among Indie Festivals.

⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣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.

⁣⁣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.