We're excited to announce the first-ever Cinemaclique Film Festival: Shot on Smartphone Edition! We’ll be screening the best short films shot exclusively on smartphone cameras from creators around the world at the Historic Liberty Theater in Murphysboro, Illinois. Our two-day event will feature screenings, guest judges, filmmaking panels, networking opportunities, and an awards show to top it all off.
WHAT IS CINEMACLIQUE?
Cinemaclique is a filmmaking club and not-for-profit organization formed in 2022 by a group of indie filmmakers, actors, and crew members from Southern Illinois. We are partnered with the Historic Liberty Theater in Murphysboro, Illinois, which serves as our base of operations. We hold regular meetings, private film screenings, events, and free workshops to help our members develop their filmmaking skills.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
We decided to start our own film festival after the success of our 48-hour film race, Summer 48, in 2023. We’re all filmmakers ourselves and have attended many film festivals throughout our careers. We know firsthand that film fests can be fun, rewarding, and even career-changing for indie filmmakers—but we also know they can sometimes be scammy, gatekeepy, and disappointing.
We wanted to create a festival that we’d love to attend as filmmakers: something affordable, accessible, and genuinely fun, with great screenings and valuable networking opportunities. After partnering with the Historic Liberty Theater in Murphysboro, Illinois, we knew we could finally host the festival of our dreams.
WHY SMARTPHONES?
We want this first Cinemaclique Fest to focus heavily on storytelling. Limitations breed creativity, and we want to celebrate filmmakers who can do a lot with a little. We’re not interested in simply rewarding those with the biggest budgets or the best gear. Smartphones today have incredibly capable cameras—and almost everyone has one.
While future festivals may focus more on cinematography or higher-budget productions, this one is for everyone.
THE VENUE
The Historic Liberty Theater in downtown Murphysboro, Illinois is our partner, host, and base of operations. This 112-year-old venue is a national historic site, an active arthouse theater, and a home for filmmakers in Southern Illinois. The theater boasts a 38' projection screen, state of the art sound system, and a 280 seat capacity. The Liberty is a perfect venue for the Cinemaclique Film Festival and is centrally located between the other venues that will house our networking events in Murphysboro and Carbondale, Illinois.
--- FESTIVAL SCHEDULE ---
APRIL 25TH, 2026
• 11:00am: Film Screenings at the Historic Liberty Theater in Murphysboro, Illinois.
• 7:00pm: Networking Dinner at 17th Street Barbecue in Murphysboro, Illinois.
• 9:00pm: After Party at TBD Location in Carbondale, Illinois.
APRIL 26TH, 2026
•1:00p: Feature Film Screenings at the Historic Liberty Theater in Murphysboro, Illinois.
•5:00p: Award Ceremony at the Historic Liberty Theater in Murphysboro, Illinois.
Participating filmmakers will compete for a chance to win a “Muddy", one of our coveted Big Muddy Monster–themed trophies. We offer multiple award categories for both short films and feature films, including an Audience Choice Award and a Best of Fest Award. We’ll also be announcing some exciting guest judges before the event, who will help us select the winners.
