Chicago film festivals and events

Chicago has a long and illustrious cinematic history. In the early 1900s, Chicago was home to the famous Essanay Studios in the early 1900s, which produced silent films by the greatest stars of its day, including Charlie Chaplin.

The local movie industry just continued to grow, and Chicago’s iconic streets served as the backdrop for classic films like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Blues Brothers to modern day hits like The Dark Knight, Public Enemies, and beyond.

So it makes sense that our city is home to notable and groundbreaking film festivals throughout the year, including the illustrious Chicago International Film Festival — the longest-running competitive film festival in North America.

Here’s just a sampling of Chicago’s top film festivals, from international events to niche genre festivals that movie buffs won’t want to miss.

Chicago International Film Festival

The famed Chicago International Film Festival, an industry staple for more than six decades, is North America’s longest-running competitive film festival. The renowned fest showcases the very best of the latest cinematic excellence, with more than 100 feature films and 60 short films from over 50 countries. Attendees can also enjoy exclusive events like filmmaker and cast Q&As, red carpet events, tributes, panels, and, of course, the final awards ceremony.

International film festivals in Chciago

Chicago Latino Film Festival
For more than 40 years, the Chicago Latino Film Festival has been considered the largest, most comprehensive Latino film festival in the United States. The annual spring event presents over 100 films of cultural and social significance from Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and the United States.

Asian Pop-Up Cinema
Asian Pop-Up Cinema is a semi-annual film festival that features a series of specially curated films from across Asia, presented in their original languages with English subtitles. Screenings take place across the city, with special guests and live Q&As throughout the festival.

Annual Festival of Films from Iran
For more than 30 years, this Iranian film festival has been hosting Chicago premieres of new films from Iran and the Iranian diaspora, celebration the innovation, resilience, and humanism of contemporary Iranian filmmakers.

Chicago Irish Film Festival
The Chicago Irish Film Festival presents a selection of shorts, narrative features, and documentaries by Irish filmmakers and filmmakers of Irish heritage. The event has been shining a light on the depth and complexity of Irish life through film since 1999.

Chicago European Union Film Festival
North America’s largest showcase of European Union cinema, the Chicago European Union Film Festivalpresents exciting premieres from more than two dozen European nations, and features filmmaker appearances, discussions, and special events.

Explore more: Check out events and educational resources for film professionals from Filmscape Chicago.

The Annual Asian American Showcase
The annual Asian American Showcase is a unique festival that features the diverse voices of Asian American filmmakers through narrative features, documentaries, and shorts.

Chicago Palestine Film Festival
The Chicago Palestine Film Festival is an annual festival seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the Palestinian experience. A staple for over two decades, this is the longest-running Palestinian film festival of its kind in the world.

Chicago South Asian Film Festival
The Chicago South Asian Film Festival is one of the largest multicultural events in the Midwest, showcasing films from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet.

Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema
The Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema is one of only a handful of all-Israeli film programs in North America. Since 2005, the festival has showcased Israeli cinematic achievements and contemporary Israeli culture through film screenings.

Mostra: Brazilian Film Series Chicago
MOSTRA (meaning “exhibit” in Portuguese) is the largest Brazilian film festival in the Midwest. The event’s goal is to foster conversations about social issues through Brazilian films with a social conscience.

Chicago Polish Film Festival
After more than 35 years, the Chicago Polish Film Festival has grown into the world’s most extensive showcase of Polish film and the largest annual Polish cultural event outside of Poland.

Chi-Town Multicultural Film Festival
The Chi-Town Multicultural Film Festival provides nationwide exposure for thought-provoking, envelope-pushing films. It focuses on stories, people, and passions that are too often unexplored in mainstream filmmaking.

More annual film festivals and events

Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival
The Reeling Film Festival’s mission is to counteract the misrepresentation and stereotyping of LGBTQ+ people in mainstream media. The event, the second longest-running film festival of its kind in the world, showcases a diverse range of genres and queer experiences.

Chicago Underground Film Festival
The Chicago Underground Film Festival, the longest-running underground film festival in the world, exists to showcase the defiantly independent filmmaker. Expect a selection of documentary, experimental, and avant-garde narrative films and videos.

Black Harvest Film Festival
The Black Harvest Film Festival is a vibrant annual showcase of new work from the African diaspora. The acclaimed film festival has been giving a voice and platform to Black filmmakers for more than 30 years.

Doc10 Film Festival
A renowned documentary film festival, Doc10 screens the best documentaries from top-tier festivals around the country, including many that go on to be Academy Award nominees.

One Earth Film Festival
One Earth Film Festival is the premier environmental film festival in the Midwest, using compelling feature and short films and engaging programming to foster awareness about climate change, sustainability, and the power of people.

Architecture & Design Film Festival Chicago
The Architecture & Design Film Festival presented by the Chicago Architecture Center explores the intersection of architecture and creative vision, design innovation, and human relationships through short and feature-length films.

JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival
The JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival presents films that depict Jewish life, culture, history, with a mission of fostering an understanding of Jewish contributions to world culture. The fest showcases films that resonate across age groups for families, young adults, and seniors.

Onion City Experimental + Video Festival
Onion City is one of the few international festivals exclusively devoted to experimental film and video. The mission of Onion City is to provide local audiences with an opportunity to view a wide range of contemporary experimental works that represent differing styles, forms, and nationalities.

Sound of Silent Film Festival
The Sound of Silent Film Festival is a unique one-night-only event and a local favorite for more than 20 years. The audience is treated to short silent films across genres, accompanied by newly composed music scores performed live.

CineYouth Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival’s annual CineYouth Festival showcases short films made by filmmakers 22 years old and younger from around the world. CineYouth strives to encourage the talent of young artists and to provide them with a platform to tell their stories.

The Chicago Onscreen Local Film Showcase
The Chicago Onscreen Local Film Showcase allows local filmmakers to share their work with a citywide audience through free outdoor public screenings in local parks. Previous showcase films have included Chicago premieres and world premieres, as well as festival-circuit favorites.

Chicago Critics Film Festival
The Chicago Critics Film Festival lets moviegoers see some of the year’s most talked-about films. The schedule comprises recent festival favorites and as-yet-undistributed works curated by film critics, ranging from award winners to talented newcomers.

Millennium Park Summer Film Series
The Millennium Park Summer Film Series is a local favorite, with outdoor screenings of Chicago classics and new hits. Bring a blanket and a picnic basket and enjoy a movie under the stars.

Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival
The Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival seeks out bold and innovative filmmakers who utilize story elements in a new and exciting way, presenting character-driven independent cinema that’s fueled by the filmmaker’s passion for the art without large studio support.

Chicago International Reel Shorts Festival
Chicago International Reel Shorts Festival was created and designed to celebrate the art of the short film, featuring various themed categories.

Midwest Film Festival
This is the nation’s only film festival solely dedicated to Midwest filmmakers, the Midwest Independent Film Festival presents audiences with regionally produced independent cinema.

Explore more film festivals and events in Chicago throughout the year.