Celebrating the Future of Cinema
When is the cutoff for submitting films?
Submission deadlines will be announced on this page and social media
How long can the film be?
The Illinois Film Festival is for short films made by young filmmakers.
A film must be at least 1 minute long.
A film should not be longer than 12 minutes.
Who can submit a film?
The Illinois Film Festival is for residents of Illinois or students attending school in Illinois. For example, if a resident of Illinois is attending college outside of Illinois, they would be eligible to submit to the Illinois Film Festival. Equally, a resident of another state (or country) who is attending school in Illinois (either at an institute of higher learning, or as an exchange student) would also be eligible to submit to the Illinois Film Festival.
So long as one member of the cast or crew meets the residency/student requirement, and all other criteria are met, the film can be submitted.
What is DCP format?
DCP stands for Digital Cinema Package. It is the industry standard for submitting films to theaters worldwide.
DCP is a way to combine the individual files (picture, audio, text, metadata, etc) into an easy to use file for theaters.
How do I convert to a DCP format?
There are numerous instructional videos out there on how to convert a film to DCP as well as many different software option you can use (some free some for a fee).
The Illinois Film Festival does not recommend any specific software. However, for your convenience, a video on the basics of converting to a DCP can be found by hitting the button below.
When is the festival?
Festival dates will be announced on this page and social media.
Where will the festival be held?
The Illinois Film Festival will be held at the Historic Wilmette Theatre in Wilmette, Illinois
Does the Wilmette Theatre have 4K projectors?
The Wilmette Theatre has 2K projectors which are capalble of playing 4K movies.
Are there awards?
Based on submissions, there will be a best film award for
Best Live Action Short
Best Documentary Short
Best Animated Short
How much does it cost to enter a film into the festival?
There is no cost for submission.