Illinois Film Festival (1)

Festival start: 08 August 2026      Festival end: 08 August 2026

Our mission is to showcase the best films from our future Directors, Writers, and Actors so they can inspire audiences to explore new stories and new perspectives.

Founded in 2025, IL Film Fest is poised to become one of the premier film festivals in the country, attracting filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts alike.

Our festival takes place in the iconic Wilmette theatre in the National Historic Landmarked downtown of Wilmette, IL. Established in 1913, the theater is the perfect location for artists and audiences.

Cash Prizes: 500$

$500 prize for Best Film, Best Writer, and Best Actor.

Additional awards for Best Live Action, Best Documentary, Best Animated.

Film Length

The Illinois Film Festival is for short films.

- Live Action Short
- Documentary Short
- Animated Short
- Run Time minimum 1 minute
- Run Time maximum 12 minutes


Eligibility

The Illinois Film Festival is open to young filmmakers, directors, writers and actors who are residents of the State of Illinois or students in the State of Illinois. A majority of the cast and crew must be below the age of 25.

Films must have been produced within the previous 18 months of the submission date for the festival.


Deadline

Deadline for submission is set by the Illinois Film Festival Board and subject to change without notice.


Format

Submission for consideration should be submitted in .MP4 or .MOV format.

Upon selection for the Festival, all films must be submitted as a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) which is the industry standard for cinemas.


Title Page, Credits, Stills

All films are expected to include a Title page at the beginning of the film and a credit page at the end. The credit page must list everyone who immediately contributed to the making of the film.

All submissions must include stills for promotional purposes. Choose Stills which best represent your movie and vision.


General Audience

Films are expected to be playable to a General Audience (see below).


Artificial Intelligence (Ai)

We want YOUR ideas, and we want your ideas and work to be ORIGINAL. This film festival is designed to showcase your talent, not that of artificial intelligence or a computer program. Original writing with real actors on actual sets.

Film makers MUST inform the festival if their movie contains or was created with the use of Ai, and how the Ai is utilized in the film. Failure to do so will automatically result in a disqualification from the festival.


Delivery Method

Submissions should be submitted on a drive and sent to:

Illinois Film Festival
607 9th Street
Wilmette, IL 60091


Agreement

By submitting the film and any additional artwork, you hereby agree to give the Illinois Film Festival a non-exclusive right to show, distribute, and display for the purposes of enhancing and promoting the Illinois Film Festival.


Content for viewers

Advise the Illinois Film Festival if the submitted film has any of the following:

Violence
Swearing
Smoking
Nudity
Drinking of alcohol
Drug use

Note: no film will be shown which depicts illegal activities.