🍲 Cinema Soup Film Festival – Stirring Stories Since 2016! 🎬

Welcome to the Cinema Soup Film Festival, where short films are served fresh and creativity is always the main ingredient!

Since 2016, Cinema Soup has been spotlighting powerful, punchy, and passionate films from creators of all experience levels. Whether your story is bold, heartfelt, hilarious, haunting, experimental, strange, sweet, or genre-bending, if it moves us, we want a taste.

In 2027, Cinema Soup returns to Needful Things in historic Woodstock, Illinois for a three-day celebration of short films, indie voices, and cinematic variety. This unique and intimate venue creates the perfect atmosphere for unforgettable connections between filmmakers, audiences, and fellow lovers of the strange, creative, and unexpected.

đź“Ť Festival Details
Dates: Friday, April 16 – Sunday, April 18, 2027
Location: Needful Things Shop, 101 S Benton St, Woodstock, IL
Screening Room: Cozy, atmospheric, and perfect for real connection between creators and audiences

🎟️ Official Selections Receive:

Live screening with engaged, in-person audiences

Award recognition eligibility in multiple categories

Social media spotlights and promotional support

Coverage opportunities in Breaking Fate Magazine and the Cinema Soup Podcast, including possible features for films not selected for screening

🥄 We’re Looking For Short Films That Are:

30 minutes or less

From any year, because we care about impact, not timestamps

Any genre, including drama, comedy, animation, documentary, horror, experimental, music video, sci-fi, fantasy, and beyond

From any level of filmmaker, whether student, indie creator, first-time filmmaker, or seasoned pro

🍜 Why Submit?

Cinema Soup is a celebration of variety, voice, and vision. Our goal is to honor stories that stick with you, whatever form they take.

We believe short films can be tiny thunderclaps, weird little miracles, emotional sucker punches, midnight snacks, or full-course feasts in miniature. Every season, we stir together a lineup that reflects the wild range of independent filmmaking, from heartfelt human stories to oddball experiments and everything in between.

Even if your film isn’t selected, we often spotlight submissions that move us, because supporting indie film is at the heart of what we do.

Get a taste. Stir the pot. Join the Soup.

👉 www.CinemaSoupFilmFest.com

Awards & Prizes

Cinema Soup Film Festival is all about celebrating bold voices, fresh ideas, and unforgettable storytelling — and we believe recognition should be just as unique as the films themselves.

Each year, we serve up a carefully curated batch of awards to honor outstanding work across a variety of categories. From audience favorites to standout performances and technical brilliance, we’re cooking up new and exciting award categories for our 2026 return!

Selected films will be eligible for:

A Cinema Soup Award – trophy or certificate (depending on category)

Spotlight features across our social media, Breaking Fate Magazine, and the Cinema Soup Podcast

Audience recognition and bragging rights that go beyond the big screen

Our goal is to recognize creativity, effort, and originality - not just follow a recipe. Whether your film makes us laugh, cry, squirm, or think… we want to celebrate it.

The categories may change, but the honor is always served hot. 🍲

Rules & Terms

📜 Rules & Terms – The Fine Print (That’s Actually Not So Fine)
Cinema Soup Film Festival is open to all genres - comedy, horror, drama, animation, experimental, you name it! We love variety, flavor, and creativity in every form.

🎞 Vintage? Bring it on! There’s no production date requirement. We've screened films made yesterday, and even a few cooked up back in the 1920s. Whether it’s your latest masterpiece or something you made years ago - if you’re proud of it, we want a taste.

🔞 Content Note: Nudity is allowed, but sexually explicit content (i.e., anything showing sexual penetration) will not be accepted. Keep it spicy, not X-rated.

âś… What You're Agreeing To (in Plain English):
By submitting your film, you’re saying:

You've read and understood all the submission guidelines and you're good with everything listed here.

To the best of your knowledge, all info you’ve submitted is true and accurate.

Your film isn’t tangled up in legal issues, and you have full permission to submit it.

You have the rights to use all the music and content in your film.

You're cool with us promoting your film - including using stills, your film title, and a bit of info to help us hype it up on our website, social media, or printed materials.

If your film is selected, you’ll send us a vertical version of your movie poster (for that snazzy festival lineup look).

And most importantly, you’re giving us permission to screen your film at the festival - because that’s kind of the whole point!

Oh, and of course - we’ll treat your work with care, but you agree not to hold Cinema Soup or Breaking Fate Entertainment responsible for any damage to media during the submission or screening process. (We’ve never had that happen, but hey - the lawyers insist.)

We’re all about celebrating storytelling and supporting indie creators. These rules are here to keep things smooth, respectful, and fun for everyone.

Now that that’s out of the way…
Ready to stir the pot? Submit your film and join the Soup! 🍲
35 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Arnold Toole

    Thank you for selecting my film Inspired By Maria. It's nice to see that micro films are treated with the same respect as longer films.

    April 2026
    Helpful
  • Dennis Fuentes

    I had a fun day at Cinema Soup! I was very happy to have my music video, "Middle of Nowhere," selected for showing (the only music video selected this year!)... I enjoyed meeting my fellow film makers afterward. Thanks to everyone at CS for the opportunity...:)

    April 2026
    Helpful
  • Paul Shanahan

    Willy Adkins did a fantastic job at the Cinema Soup Film Festival. My movie Dice Dice Baby in Vegas was part of the Documentary Block and the Q&A afterward was very interesting and everyone asked good questions. I also watched the Showcase Block the day before and there were several good movies.

    April 2026
    Helpful
  • John Riddell

    Thank you again for selecting my two films. I will always admire festivals that don't put a time stamp on films and admire the art form for what it is. Very rare these days. Once again thank you and all the best for your wonderful festival.

    April 2026
    Helpful
  • Beka Jean

    Willy Adkins is excellent at communication and great at explaining the film judging process for awards! The Location it was held at was just so cool and unusual and added to the festival greatly! We are so happy to have had JUST ANOTHER DAY screened and what a lovely bonus to win BEST STORY! Anytime I have a film ready I'll definitely be re-submitting!

    April 2026
    Helpful