CineYouth Festival
Created in 2005, Cinema/Chicago’s CineYouth Film 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 three-day festival celebrating and fostering the creativity of filmmakers 22 years old and younger by screening officially selected work and encouraging their creative endeavors by presenting a filmmaking workshop, discussions and panels.
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CineYouth 2021
While the 2020 edition of CineYouth was postponed, the slated films will be featured in 2021 and join a new selection of work from the past year for a week-long virtual event from May 6-13, 2021.
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 peers. CineYouth 2021 will offer free film screenings, virtual filmmaking workshops, live filmmaker Q&A’s, and more!
Submissions for the 2021 CineYouth festival are now closed.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Deadlines
- Early bird deadline: February 22, 2021
- Regular deadline: March 5, 2021
- Final deadline: March 19, 2021
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 us at cineyouth@chicagofilmfestival.com
SUBMIT NOW
For full submission details and to submit your film for consideration, please use the FilmFreeway link below:
CineYouth 2019
Select Chicago Films
Please enjoy this selection of Chicago-made films from the 2019 CineYouth Festival that are free to watch online.
HEAR HER VOICE: HIDDEN VICTIMS OF GUN VIOLENCE
Director: India Harris, Jaliyah Thompson, Gina Navarrete, Maya Thompson
An emotional exposé on female victims of gun violence in Chicago, Hear Her Voice is told with a powerful sense of urgency by the victims themselves as they reflect on the state of their community.
I AM AFRAID OF THE LIGHTS
Director: Kiernan Francis
A montage of the day in the life of a high school student, where over-stimulating classroom and social environments lead to feelings of dissociation.
SWING DREAMS
Director: Samuel Johnson
This magical pop music video delves into the anxieties and delusions of a hard breakup, following a pathetically dramatic boyfriend on the road to closure.
PILSEN NOT FOR SALE
Director: Natalie Braye, Liliana Bravo
The state of Chicago’s historic Pilsen neighborhood, undergoing a change in identity amidst gentrification, told through the eyes of Pilsen’s local artists and the historic murals that have defined the community.
PANZóN
Director: Emilio Nieto
Formally ambitious and deeply vulnerable, PANZóN follows a Mexican-American teen in Chicago as he struggles with body image and self-acceptance.
GOOSE TOWN
Director: Nikki Milan Houston
Despondently driving around an industrial foreign town, a single mother posing as a customer service representative makes calls from different pay phones, attempting to reach the father of her child.
CineYouth Programs
CineYouth Film Challenge
Students ages 13-18 at the CineYouth Film Challenge complete a short film with their assigned team under the thrill of a deadline.
CineYouth Supporters
Want to help support the next generation of filmmakers? Become a CineYouth Sponsor today…
2019 Sponsors
2019 Additional Support
2019 Award Partners
Charles Droege and Julie Wroblewski • Byron and Judy Pollock • Brenda Robinson • Steven Kwate • Dr. Jennifer Kim
2019 Donors
Brian Dailey • Adrienne Davis • Corbin Horn • Tom Kehoe • Rick Nicita • Cynthia Olson • Judy Pollock
Joe Swanberg • Kathleen Turner • Paula Wagner • Mamie J Walton
212 W Van Buren St., Suite 400
