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

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.