Celebrating its 15th edition in 2019, CineYouth, presented by Cinema/Chicago, today announced the selection of 64 thrilling and diverse short films for a weekend of free screenings, discussions, and events.
The three-day film festival will be held April 26-28, 2019 at the Music Box Theatre (3733 N. Southport Ave.) and will screen work from filmmakers ages 8-22, shining a light on new work from the growing community of youth filmmakers from around the world, including many who call Chicago home. This year’s CineYouth selection represents 18 countries, and 59% of the directors are women. All events are free and open to the public with tickets available at www.chicagofilmfestival.com/cineyouth.
“Handpicked from over 400 submissions, these 64 short films show the astounding breadth of youth filmmaking.” said CineYouth Program Manager Ryan Saunders. “They boldly engage with such topics as growing up, gender identity, and the influence of older generations, demonstrating the power of their voices exhibited in remarkable visual language.”
“As a celebration of young and emerging artists, CineYouth is an essential part of our year-round programming,” added Cinema/Chicago Artistic Director Mimi Plauché. “We’re proud to showcase the next generation of moving image-makers as we celebrate CineYouth’s 15th anniversary with this diverse, inspiring collection of films.”
The weekend will culminate with the CineYouth Awards Ceremony (April 28, 6:00pm) where twelve awards will be given out in categories including the Rising Star Award, the Chicago Award, and Best Overall. These award-winning films will be screened at the 55th Chicago International Film Festival in October. Scholarships will be awarded by the Harold Ramis Film School and Prodigy Film Camp. WTTW will present one CineYouth documentary filmmaker with a summer 2019 production internship.
In addition to screening films throughout the weekend, the festival will host the CineYouth Film Pitch in which selected participants will present their works-in-progress to a panel of industry professionals. Filmmakers will get valuable feedback from film industry experts, and the winning project will receive a cash prize to support the production of film. The Film Pitch takes place April 28 at 10:00am in the Music Box Theatre Lounge and is open to the public to observe and support the participating filmmakers.
CineYouth is sponsored by Columbia College Chicago and Flashpoint Chicago, a Campus of Columbia College Hollywood, with additional support from WTTW, DCASE, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
CineYouth’s Opening Night film selection will be announced in the coming days. For more information on the CineYouth Festival, visit www.chicagofilmfestival.com/cineyouth. Free tickets to screenings and events are available now.
212 W Van Buren St., Suite 400
