Now in our 28th year, The Chicago Underground Film Festival, the longest-running underground film festival in the world, is an internationally recognized program providing a venue for documentary, experimental and avant-garde narrative film and video. The festival mission is to select and screen film, video and related works presenting a diverse line up of moving image programming focusing on filmmakers working to reinvent and explore new approaches to established practices, to foster new forms of media art and to build an audience for such work. Our goal is to achieve these aims by presenting a fun, user-friendly and accessible event..if you suspect your film is underground, it probably is.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

A completed entry form and an entry fee must accompany each film or video submitted.

Preview copies must be secure online screener (Vimeo, Film Freeway, Withoutabox, etc.). We no longer accept DVDs as a submission format. Foreign language work must be dubbed or subtitled in English. Please do not send elaborate presentation materials, press kits, binders, etc. with your entry. All that is necessary to send is a clearly identified screener and, if you like, a synopsis or contextual statement about your work. These are the only items that the programmers will see when they evaluate your submission. We don’t want you to pay for unnecessary materials, and they generate a lot of waste. If your film is selected for the festival we will contact you about images and press kits. Or better yet: put these materials online and type the URL into your entry form.

DEADLINES & ENTRY FEES

• Early Deadline: July 15, 2021 Entry Fee: Features $35 (Students $25); Shorts $30 (Students $20)
• Regular Deadline: August 26, 2021 Entry Fee: Features $45 (Students $35); Shorts $35 (Student $25)
• Late Deadline: September 15, 2021 Entry Fee: Features $55 (Students $45); Shorts $40 (Student $30).

Entry fees must be in U.S. funds only. Pay through Film Freeway, Withoutabox or with this form through Paypal, check or money order. Checks and money orders should be made out to IFP Chicago (DO NOT make checks out to Chicago Underground Film Festival).

ENTRY FEE EXCEPTIONSEntry Fees are not required from filmmakers who have screened at CUFF in the past. If you are working in a part of the world where an entry fee would prohibit you from submitting your film, contact us at [email protected] to request a fee waiver. Please understand that we rely on entry fees for the operation of the festival and only request waivers when necessary.

SHIPPINGCost of shipping exhibition prints to the festival is the responsibility of the entrant. Exhibition copies must be sent to the festival prepaid. All film reels, cans, videotapes and cases must be labeled with the title of the entry. The festival will cover return shipping via FedEx or US Mail. The entrant or the recipient must pay additional charges for express shipping or transshipments to foreign film festivals. The festival cannot accept responsibility for damage or loss of materials while in transit. Please use only plastic or bubble pack envelopes when shipping entries.

MAILING ADDRESSCHICAGO UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL1658 N. Milwaukee Ave.PMB #125Chicago, IL 60647United States

NOTIFICATIONThe festival selection committee makes all programming decisions. If accepted we will notify filmmakers by email and phone by March 1, 2017. Films not selected will receive notification by email. If accepted, the print of your film or presentation video will need to be in our office by May 1, 2017. Be sure to indicate aspect ratio of your film/video as well as any other special screening/presentation information we might need to know, such as language/subtitles, file type, etc. CUFF prefers high quality digital files for exhibition of video work.

CATEGORIESPlease select only ONE category for your entry when completing your entry form. For our purposes ‘feature’ refers to films 40 minutes and over. ‘Experimental’ refers exclusively for non-narrative, non-documentary works. We reserve the right to re-categorize submissions as we deem appropriate.

AWARDSAlthough the art of filmmaking is not competitive, The Chicago Underground Film Festival does give awards. The festival jury will present several awards to films and videos selected as best or most interesting in whatever categories they see fit. Additionally “Made in Chicago” and Audience Choice awards will also be presented.

HOW TO CONTACT USFor more information email us at info “at” cuff “dot” org