Chicago Illumination IFF
“Where stories ignite and cinema becomes light.”
Welcome to Chicago Illumination IFF, a festival where every frame is a flash of insight, where art is exposed to its essence and the screen becomes an altar for the pure light of authorial expression.
Born in the heart of America - in the city of wind, jazz and movement - Chicago Illumination doesn't just show movies. We ignite them. Here we bring together those who are not afraid to illuminate the darkness: directors, writers, actors and artists from around the world. Those who are ready to look into the deepest layers of the human soul and pull out the light.
This is not a festival for the crowd - it is a place of power for those who feel cinema at the level of nerve endings. It's a home for audiences who seek meaning between the lines, light in the darkness and shadows in the glow. It's about art that doesn't bend to the industry, but creates its own gravity.
Chicago Illumination IFF is a platform for the bold, the different, the obsessed. It's not just screens that are illuminated here, but destinies as well.
No formulas are needed here - just your pulse, your voice, your courage.
Be ready for our next event at 1541 W Belmont Ave in Studio Momentum on 1st of August. We will be showcasing only best films of the season with Q&A from authors.
This year, we're particularly excited to introduce our 'Luminary Visions' spotlight, celebrating emerging filmmakers who wield light as their primary language. Prepare to be mesmerized by experimental narratives, stunning animated features that glow with imagination, and documentaries that shed light on untold stories.
Beyond the screenings, immerse yourselves in our expanded 'Illumination Labs' – interactive conversations that explore the science and art of light in filmmaking. Engage with artists, participate in workshops, and witness firsthand the magic behind the moving image.

Awards & Prizes

Chicago Illumination IFF Awards

Major Awards
✦ The Grand Illumination Award
The Grand Illumination Award is for a film that shook the entire jury to the core. A true cinematic epiphany, a synthesis of form and content that cannot be forgotten.
✦ Radiant Frame Award (Best Feature Film)
Best Feature Film - for a powerful, mature and integral statement in a form where every scene counts. A story that doesn't let go until the end credits.
✦ Firelight Award (Best Director)
For directing that is impossible to look away from. Where the author's hand is evident - bold, precise and free.
✦ Lightmind Award (Best Screenplay)
For Best Screenplay - powerful, layered, alive. For the architecture of the story, for dialog that hooks and silences that make sense. For something that stays in your mind and heart long after the finale.
✦ Cinematic Pulse Award (Best Cinematography)
For the magic of light and shadow. For a visual poetic language that speaks louder than words and reveals a theme without a dictionary.
✦ Light & Form Award (Best Editing)
For editing that is like a dance - rhythmic, meaningful, pulsating. Where each stitching is the essence, not a transition.
✦ Frame by Frame Award (Best Production Design)
For the visual space in which the story breathes. The sets, costumes, and objects are like an archaeology of the characters' souls.
✦ Voice & Silence Award (Best Sound Design)
For the sound architecture of the movie: the way silence sounds, and the way space screams. For a movie whose power can be heard with eyes closed.
✦ The Color Story Award (Best Color Grading)
For a color that leads the viewer. For gradation, mood, tone - not cosmetics, but the soul of the frame.
✦ Screen Alchemy Award (Best Visual Effects)
For the integration of visual effects that enhance rather than shout. For craft that has become art.

Performance Excellence
✦ Vivid Soul Award (Best Lead Performance)
For acting that makes you want to stand up and applaud. Or cry. Or be silent for a long time. When the hero is you, but on the screen.
✦ Inner Flame Award (Best Supporting Performance)
For a supporting role that becomes the key to the movie. A subtle presence that is full of life.

Debuts and Experimentation
✦ First Spark Award (Best Debut Film)
For the first film after which you realize, “This director is going to change the industry.” For fearlessness and purity of intention.
✦ Unseen Worlds Award (Best Experimental Film)
For work that cannot be described in words. Only with feelings and shivers. The format is destroyed, what remains is the impact.

Documentary and social cinema
✦ Reflection Award (Best Documentary)
A documentary that doesn't just tell - it reveals. Sincerity, depth and authorial truth.
✦ Lighthouse Award (Best Social Impact Film)
For a film that can change perceptions, start a dialog, inspire action. Art as a social gesture.

Short meter and international competition
✦ Nightlight Shorts Award (Best Short Film)
The best short film capable of leaving a mark forever in a short meter. Concentrated Cinema.

Jury and Audience Choice
✦ Audience Beam Award (Audience Choice)
Audience Choice is a movie that has ignited the hearts of the audience. We hold their voice sacred.
✦ Visionary Voice (Special Jury Mention)
An award for a special vision that didn't fit into any category - but changed us. Because movies aren't just about rules.

If you like light through the cracks, if you believe that movies are an insight, not a product, then we're on our way.

Rules & Terms

Chicago Illumination IFF Rules of Participation
(we don't like bureaucracy, but we love clarity)

1. We accept films from all over the world - language, country, budget, style - no limit, as long as there is an inner energy.
2. Length of categories:
-Shorts: up to 40 minutes
-Features: from 41 minutes
-Experimental / Art films: up to 90 minutes (flexible, as long as there is a justifiable format)
3. Premieres are a plus, but not required. We are not looking for “firsts” but “real”.
4. Film must be completed no earlier than January 2022.
5. One director/production may submit an unlimited number of films.
6. All work must be original. Plagiarism, use of AI without author's finalized context or creative interference is prohibited.
7. The film must be fully finalized. Drafts, rough cuts and working versions will not be accepted.
8. Subtitles in English are mandatory if the original track is in another language. Absence of subs is an automatic rejection.
9. All rights to music, sound and images must be cleared. We may ask for confirmation.
10. Visual quality: although we accept low-budget movies, the image quality must be acceptable for the screen.
11. Formats: we only accept digital copies. DCP is not required, but will be a plus at the offline screening stage.
12. The recommended aspect ratio is 16:9 or 2.39:1, but if your movie is shot on VHS or quad-camera, just convince us that it's not random.
13. The sound needs to be balanced. If the viewer can't hear dialog or is drowned out by the soundtrack - we suffer.
14.The movie must not contain discriminatory content, advocacy of violence, racism, sexism, sexism, homophobia or any form of hatred.
15. We reserve the right to use up to 30 seconds from your movie and poster in festival promos and social media.
16. All submissions are made exclusively through the FilmFreeway platform.
17.We do not refund payment even if the film is not selected.
18. The final decision on film selection is made by the curatorial team. It is not subject to appeal.
19.Not all selected films make it to the offline screening. This is limited by the screening grid and technical possibilities.
20. However, all selected films receive written feedback from our team.
21. Physical presence at the festival is optional, but welcome.
22. A movie can be shot on any technique - from RED to a phone - as long as it holds artistic tension.
23.We love radical statements and honest stories. The format is secondary. The power is in the message.