CineYouth
CineYouth is the Chicago International Film Festival’s annual film festival that showcases short films made by filmmakers 22 years old and younger from around the world. CineYouth encourages the talent of young filmmakers and supports diverse youth voices by providing opportunities to have their work showcased, to learn about filmmaking from industry experts, and to network with their peers. CineYouth offers both in-theatre and online film screenings, filmmaking workshops, live Q&A’s, and more! All events at CineYouth are FREE and open to the public.
Select award-winning CineYouth films will be screened at the 59th Chicago International Film Festival at the CineYouth “Best of the Fest” screening in October 2023.
CineYouth Festival 2023
CineYouth 2023 will be held in Chicago from April 21-23 and will include screenings of Officially Selected films, hands-on workshops, and special events.
Full program and free tickets will be available April 5. All in-person screenings, Q&As, and events will take place at Facets, a Chicago-based is a nonprofit that connects people to independent ideas through transformative cinema.
CineYouth Festival 2023
Submissions are now open for CineYouth 2023! CineYouth 2023 will be held in Chicago from April 21-23 and will include screenings of Officially Selected films, hands-on workshops, and special events.
Full program and free tickets will be available April 5. All in-person screenings, Q&As, and events will take place at Facets, a Chicago-based is a nonprofit that connects people to independent ideas through transformative cinema.
Submission Guidelines
Deadlines
- Early Bird Deadline: January 23, 2023
- Regular Deadline: February 13, 2023
- Final Deadline: March 6, 2023
Eligibility
- Filmmakers must be 22 years old or younger at the time of the film’s completion. (Can currently be 23 if the film was finished while 22.)
- Films must be 15 minutes or less.
- All entries must be submitted through FilmFreeway.
- We accept the following genres: drama, comedy, animation, horror, thriller, music video and experimental.
Questions? Email: cineyouth@chicagofilmfestival.com
Our Commitment to Diversity
As a step towards a more inclusive and accessible festival that addresses the systemic inequity and underrepresentation in film, CineYouth is offering a 50% discount to all films submitted by BIPOC filmmakers, as well as filmmakers with disabilities and/or films featuring performers with disabilities using the following codes:
BIPOCVOICES2023
DISABILITYVOICES2023
Submit Now
For full submission details and to submit your film for consideration, please use the FilmFreeway link below:
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CineYouth Festival 2022
In-Person Screenings & Events: April 22-24, 2022 | Streaming globally: April 25 – May 1, 2022
CineYouth 2022 presented 71 international short films across 10 programming blocks featuring everything from mind-bending animation to nuanced portraits of finding home to our Opening Night program of new filmmaking voices from the Chicagoland area. Plus, CineYouth presented workshops, live filmmaker Q&As, and more! Tickets and all events were free and open to the public.
Download CineYouth Program BookLearn about CineYouth workshopsAward Winners
CineYouth Festival 2022
See the next generation of filmmakers. CineYouth 2022 presents 71 international short films across 10 programming blocks featuring everything from mind-bending animation to nuanced portraits of finding home to our Opening Night program of new filmmaking voices from the Chicagoland area. Plus, CineYouth presents workshops, live filmmaker Q&As, and more! Tickets and all events are free and open to the public.
Download CineYouth Program BookLearn about CineYouth workshopsAward Winners
Streaming globally: April 25 – May 1
CineYouth 2022 film programs will be available to stream globally on the Chicago International Film Festival streaming platform from Monday, April 25 at 12:00pm CT until Sunday, May 1 at 11:59pm CT unless otherwise noted on the film program’s webpage. Once you press play, you’ll have 72 hours to finish watching the program.
To watch, please visit the program details pages available below.
In-Person Screenings & Events: April 22-24
All in-person screenings, Q&As, and events took place at Facets, a Chicago-based is a nonprofit that connects people to independent ideas through transformative cinema.
2022 Short Film Programs
Chicagoland
A multitude of artistic approaches give voice to the vibrant cinematic cultures of the Chicagoland area, celebrating the diversity of experience found in our city.*
Late Night Thrills
Strap yourselves in for a hair-raising evening featuring a smorgasbord of darkly comic surprises, sinister thrills, and shocking twists!*
Playtime: Animation
Pack your bags and load up your spaceship! You’ll want to bring the whole family along for these colorful creations from around the world.
Speak, Memory: Documentary
Covering subjects from small business owners to rural activists, these documentaries engage us with the personal histories and values of individuals and groups.
Give Me Strength
Using the film medium itself as a form of healing, these narratives and documentaries tackle mental health concerns and personal traumas through the restorative process and power of art.*
A Family Affair
Paying tribute to the endurance and adaptability of family, these portraits of parents and grandparents acknowledge their strength and resilience over time.
You Havin’ a Laugh?
Come get a bellyful of laughs (perhaps some turkey, chips, and hotdogs, too) in these quirky and all around hysterical shorts.*
Searching for Home
These shorts illustrate the emotional challenges and complexities of the immigrant experience and what it takes to call a new country “home.”*
Living Your Truth
In the face of society’s confining norms, the individuals in these films persevere and celebrate their queerness, gender fluidity, and identities.
Learn more
Project a World: Experimental
Claymation, digital collage, 16mm photography, and triptych displays are but a few of the formal devices out to use in these exciting explorations of our evolving world.
CineYouth Awards Ceremony
Celebrate the winners from this year’s CineYouth Festival at the Awards Ceremony. Categories include Animation, Chicago, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, International, Rising Star, and Social Impact awards.
*Films in this program contain themes or language that may not be suitable for all ages.
About the CineYouth Festival
Created in 2005, Cinema/Chicago’s CineYouth Festival is designed to encourage youth filmmakers in their creative endeavors. CineYouth provides opportunities for young filmmakers to articulate themselves artistically, and have their voice heard. Held annually in Chicago, CineYouth is a festival celebrating and fostering the creativity of filmmakers 22 years old and younger by screening officially selected work and encouraging their creative endeavors with workshops, discussions, and panels. CineYouth encourages the talent of young filmmakers and supports diverse youth voices by providing opportunities to have their work showcased, to learn from industry experts, and to network with peers.
2022 CineYouth Supporters
Want to help support the next generation of filmmakers? Become a CineYouth Sponsor today…
Major Sponsor
Additional Support
Event Partner
Partner Venue
Official Agency
Community Partners
CineYouth is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.
212 W Van Buren St., Suite 400
