Established in 1993, the Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF) stands as the world's longest-running underground film festival. For over three decades, CUFF has been at the forefront of showcasing bold, innovative, and boundary-pushing cinema. As Roger Ebert once said, "What you get for your money is not just admission to the films but admission to a subculture."

Our Mission
CUFF is dedicated to spotlighting works that defy convention, championing filmmakers who challenge norms and pioneer fresh approaches. We curate films that transcend mainstream conventions, celebrating innovation, experimentation, subversion, and audacity. Our mission is to cultivate an audience for boundary-pushing media art, inviting creators who perceive their work as "underground" to participate.

Programming and Selection Process
Each year, CUFF receives over 2,000 submissions from around the globe. Our dedicated selection committee carefully reviews each submission. We select approximately 100 films for our competition program, which includes features, shorts, documentaries, animations, and experimental works.

2024 Award Winners
The 31st edition of CUFF, held from September 11-15, 2024, showcased over 100 premieres. The following films received awards:

NARRATIVE FEATURE: "Head Over Heels" by Nelly Danssen
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: "Just Above The Surface Of The Earth" by Marianna Milhorat
DOCUMENTARY SHORT: "These Fucking Kids" by Lucky Marvel
NARRATIVE SHORT: "Make Me A Pizza" by Talia Shea Levin
EXPERIMENTAL AWARD: "Desert Cruising" by Todd Verow and Charles Lum
CHICAGO AWARD: "Sing Our Song When The World Ends" by Tanner D Masseth and Andrea Florens
AUDIENCE AWARD: "No One Asked You" by Ruth Leitman

Honorable mentions were also given to several films, including "The Rainbow Bridge" by Dimitri Simakis, "Another Fuckin' War" by William Zimmer, "Welcome Space Brothers" by Jodie Wille, "Musical Television" by Jacob Gilbert Ciocci and David Andrew Wightman and "The Demoniacs" by Scott Clifford Evans

Beyond Film Screenings
CUFF is not just about the movies. We also offer panels and workshops and host epic parties and concerts featuring artists like RP Boo, Lady D, Pedestrian Deposit, Brett Nauke, Fire-Toolz, and The Handsome Family.

A Note on Categories
At CUFF, we celebrate the diversity and complexity of underground cinema. We understand that many films defy easy categorization, and we embrace this fluidity. Our categorization process is primarily used during programming to help us curate a balanced and diverse festival experience. Here are some guidelines to help you understand how we might classify your work:

Documentary and Animation: If your film clearly falls under either of these categories, please indicate this in your submission.
Narrative Works: For films with a narrative structure that are neither documentaries nor animations, we typically classify them as follows:

Narrative Feature: Works 40 minutes or longer
Narrative Short: Works under 40 minutes

Experimental: We use this term for non-narrative, non-documentary works. If your film lacks a traditional narrative structure and doesn't fit within the documentary category, it may be considered experimental.
Hybrid Forms: We recognize that many films blend multiple categories. For instance, if your work could be classified as both experimental and animation, we might prioritize the animation category for programming purposes.

Important Notes:

You are welcome and encouraged to submit your film under multiple categories if you feel it fits into more than one. This can help ensure your work is considered from various angles during our selection process.
Our categorization is flexible and primarily serves our programming needs. Don't worry too much about fitting your film into a specific box – we're interested in your unique vision, regardless of how it might be categorized.
If we feel your film might be better suited to a different category than the one(s) you've selected, we may recategorize it during our review process. This is simply to ensure your work is considered alongside similar pieces and doesn't affect its chances of selection.

Remember, at CUFF, we're looking for bold, innovative work that pushes boundaries. Your film's ability to challenge traditional categorization could be one of its strengths!

CUFF continues to be one of the most innovative and accessible platforms for those interested in making, experiencing, and discussing underground art. We invite creators and audiences alike to join us in celebrating cinema that pushes boundaries and forges new paths.

For more information, visit www.cuff.org.

Every year at the Chicago Underground Film Festival, we give out awards to recognize the best and most interesting films and videos. A jury will select six winners in various categories, and each of these filmmakers will receive a custom-made trophy. We'll also present "Made in Chicago" and Audience Choice awards. While making movies isn't a competition, these awards are a way to honor and celebrate the badass work of our filmmakers. The awards might change from year to year, depending on what the jury decides, but one thing stays the same: they're all about celebrating the underground vision of our talented filmmakers.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE WORK

• All foreign language films must be dubbed in English or have English subtitles.

• We only accept online screeners, so don't even bother sending DVDs. Vimeo is preferred.

ENTRY FEES

• We only accept entry fees in US dollars.

• If you've screened at our festival before, you don't have to pay an entry fee. You're one of us now.

• If paying the entry fee would be a financial burden for you, just hit us up at info@cuff.org and we'll see if we can work something out. But keep in mind, entry fees help us keep this whole operation running, so we can't waive them for just anyone.

SHIPPING

• You're responsible for getting your exhibition prints to us. Make sure to send them prepaid so we don't have to deal with any extra hassle.

• Label everything with the title of your entry, because we can't keep track of all this stuff without some kind of system.

• We'll cover the cost of returning your materials via FedEx or US Mail. If you want 'em shipped somewhere else, or if you need 'em fast, you gotta pay for it yourself.

• We can't be held responsible for any damage or loss of materials during shipping. Use plastic or bubble pack envelopes to protect your stuff.

NOTIFICATION

• Our selection committee makes all the decisions about what gets shown. If your film gets in, we'll let you know via email and phone. If it doesn't, you'll get an email.

• If your film gets accepted, make sure we have the exhibition print or presentation video by May 1, 2023. And don't forget to tell us the aspect ratio and any other special screening or presentation details (like language and subtitles).

• We only accept DCP files for video work, so don't even try sending anything else. If you've never made a DCP before, don't sweat it. We can help you out.

CATEGORIES

• Pick ONE category for your entry when you fill out the form.

• For us, a "feature" is 40 minutes or longer, and "experimental" means non-narrative, non-documentary stuff.

• We reserve the right to re-categorize your submission if we see fit.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Sabine Gruffat

    Long live the Underground!!! CUFF rocks.

    October 2024
  • Danièle Wilmouth

    We had a wonderful experience this year at CUFF! Everything was well organized, with beautiful projection & sound system! The staff was plentiful, with a knowledgeable DCP master as well as great questions during the Q&A. Thank you CUFF!

    October 2024
  • Jason Summers

    This festival has a dedicated bunch of great folks who make it happen and have a lot of fun while doing it. They have a wide selection of wild films on the fringes, and Bryan has been doing this a long time, so it's an institution worthy of being a superlative fest.

    September 2024
  • Scott Clifford Evans

    CUFF was fantastic in every way imaginable. Honored to have the US premiere of my feature film at the longest-running underground film festival in the world. Incredible, friendly, and helpful staff and organizers who show a true love for Underground cinema. The venue, Harper Theater, was superb. All communication and handling of my film was flawless. All events were filled with fun and enthusiasm. I attended the festival and met so many great people, I want to return as often as possible.

    September 2024
  • A really extraordinary festival, there's nothing else like it. Fosters amazing community among filmmakers with great events and excellent programming - you'll see things here you won't see anywhere else! We felt so supported by the CUFF team and the Chicago film community.

    September 2024