Chicago Luminary International Film Festival
Welcome to the Chicago Luminary International Film Festival
We organize an annual independent film festival in Chicago—a space where cinema is not just a stream of commercial content, but a way to talk about what matters most. We don't care about formats, but rather what stays with people after the credits roll.
Festival Awards
We are ready to highlight every bit of effort put into the films. We look forward to receiving your submissions.
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Main Awards
• Grand Prix Luminary Award — the festival's top prize, for a film that reflects a powerful authorial stance and emotional depth.
• Best Feature Film — for the best feature film, regardless of genre.
• Best Short Film — for the best short film. -
By genre
•Best Drama — for a profound and expressive dramatic story.
• Best Thriller — for a story that keeps the viewer in suspense.
• Best Horror Film — for a film that reveals not only fear, but also an idea.
• Best Comedy — for a smart, honest, or daring comedy.
• Best Melodrama — for a powerful emotional story about love and loss.
• Best Science Fiction — for science fiction that does not shy away from reality, but shows it through the prism of the future, technology, and hypotheses.
• Best Animation — for an animated film in which form and content are equally important. It doesn't matter whether it's for children or adults — what matters is the power of the image.
• Best Musical or Dance Film — for a film in which music or choreography is not decoration, but a language of storytelling. -
Documentary and Experimental Film
•Best Documentary Feature — for a feature-length documentary film that creates a new understanding of reality.
•Best Documentary Short — for a short documentary film in which the power of the voice is contained in a short format.
•Best Experimental Film — for a form that did not exist before — and a meaning that is revealed in a different way. -
Author's awards
Best Director — for directing that creates not just a film, but a space.
•Best Debut Film — for a first work in which the voice of a future master can already be heard.
•Best Visionary Filmmaking — for a special authorial vision of the frame and scene. -
Screenplay Awards
Best Feature Screenplay — for a feature-length screenplay with an original structure, dialogue, and internal logic.
•Best Short Screenplay — for a short screenplay that packs a punch. -
Actor Awards
Best Lead Actor — for male or non-binary acting in a leading role.
•Best Lead Actress — for a female performance in a leading role.
•Award for the best supporting role — for a supporting role that you won't forget. -
Technical awards
Best Cinematography — for visual aesthetics, frame language, and lighting that speaks for itself.
• Best Editing — for editing that gives structure meaning and narrative flow.
• Best Sound Design — for a soundscape woven from layers of sound intertwined with the film's narrative.
• Best Color & Post-Processing — for color work that enhances every frame.
• Best Production Design — for the atmosphere created through details: locations, props, costumes.
• Best Makeup & Styling — for the visual design of characters who speak without words. -
Special prizes
Special prizes
•Audience Choice Award — the choice of the festival audience.
•Best Social Impact Film — for films that raise acute social issues and are not afraid to talk about what others turn away from.
•Jury Mention — special mentions from jury members for unconventional or particularly moving works.
About
About
Chicago Luminary International is a festival where we don't look for perfect forms. We look for authenticity. Films that touch you. Films that reveal the human being behind them — with their doubts, their searches, their strength.
- This year, the festival will be near Morning Star Baptist Church. A space where faith traditionally resounds will temporarily become a place for another kind of confession — a visual one. We do not oppose one to the other. We simply believe that cinema can also be a form of light.
- We are open to any genre, format, and length, as long as the film has that inner light that we call “meaningful cinema.”
- At the heart of this festival is not competition, but honest conversation. And we believe that, like Maxim Gorky's hero Danko, light can be drawn from within oneself to illuminate the path for others. We promise an attentive jury, respect for each application, and an atmosphere in which you will want to share what you have filmed. We support both young authors and experienced directors, and we believe that dialogue is as important as selection.
- What matters to us is vision, style, theme, a sense of time, and timeless films.
- What doesn't matter is budget, location, or fame.
- Chicago Luminary IFF is an invitation to show what you believe in when you pick up a camera.
- We look forward to seeing your work!
Rules for participation
The festival is open to international participants. Works can be submitted from any country, regardless of language and budget.
The film must have been completed no earlier than January 2020. Earlier works will not be considered.
Categories by length: short films — up to 40 minutes, feature films — 41 minutes or longer.
One author may submit an unlimited number of films, but a separate application is required for each one. It is also possible to submit one film for several different award categories.
Applications are only accepted through the FilmFreeway platform.
If the film is not in English, English subtitles are required. Without subtitles, the film may be rejected.
Works that violate copyright (including music, visual materials, and screenplay) are not eligible for participation.
Films created with generative AI are only accepted if there is significant authorial intervention.
The film must not contain propaganda promoting violence, discrimination, racism, sexism, or homophobia.
The organizers reserve the right to use film clips (up to 30 seconds), stills and posters for the purpose of promoting the festival.
We do not refund registration fees. Withdrawal from participation, withdrawal of an application, or rejection of a film does not entitle the applicant to a refund.
If selected, the film must be submitted in its final form, in high quality, in accordance with the technical requirements.
Final screening format: .MP4 (H.264), with a resolution of at least 1080p.
Physical presence at the festival is not required but is welcome.
We reserve the right to change or adapt the format of the festival (online/offline) for organizational reasons.
The final decision on the participation of a film rests with the festival's program committee.
The festival is not responsible for technical failures when submitting applications through third-party platforms.
Directors are required to notify the festival if the film was made as part of an educational program or film course.
By submitting an application, the participant automatically agrees to all the rules of the festival.