The Sound of Silent Film Festival takes place each year in Chicago's historic Music Box Theater. We screen each film in silence with original music by our composers performed live.

The deadline for submission for the 2026 festival is December 15.

The films we screen are either actual modern silent films with no sound whatsoever or films without dialogue with sound effects that can be recreated acoustically in the musical score.

In addition to films by up and comers we have also programmed and performed live music to well-known filmmakers such as Guy Maddin, Martin Scorsese, Alexander Payne, the Brothers Quay and others.

We're interested in short films, between 2 and 20 minutes long, in all styles and genres.

The event is well known in Chicago after so many years and routinely gets a lot of press and attracts younger audiences between 18 and 50. This will be our eighteenth year and the festival takes place on April 26th at 7:30 PM at the Music Box Theatre.

We don't give awards but we do have a laurel for every film chosen to be screened.

1. I, the representative of the project being submitted (the "Project"), acknowledge and agree as follows in connection with the Project's submittal to Access Contemporary Music (the "Company") for consideration for the Sound of Silent Film Festival (the "Competition").

2. I hereby represent and warrant to the Competition that (a) I am duly authorized, on my own behalf and on behalf of all other persons or entities who have any ownership rights in the Project, (b) the submission will not violate any law or any right or consent of any person or entity and (c) the Project is not subject to litigation nor is it threatened by any litigation.

3. I further represent and warrant that, to the best of my knowledge, the submission of the Project to the Competition will not violate or infringe any copyright, patent, privacy right, publicity right, trademark, service mark or any other personal or property right of any person or entity and that my Project does not constitute a defamation of any person or entity.

4. I agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the Competition, affiliate, subsidiary and parent entities of each, and the officers, directors, employees, sponsors, partners, attorneys, advisors and agents of each of the foregoing from and against any and all claims, losses, or liabilities (including reasonable attorneys' fees) that may be asserted against any of the foregoing or incurred by any of the foregoing at any time in connection with the Project or the Competition's use thereof, and/or arising from any breach or alleged breach of any representation made by me to the Company or the Competition. Offerings, awards and prizes may change or be eliminated at any time due to consequences beyond the Competition's control and the Competition will do its best to substitute a fair replacement, if possible.

5. By submitting my Project to the Competition I agree to allow the Competition to use the Project's title, cast, crew, synopsis and other information related to it to promote the Competition. I understand that the Project will be screened in silence at the festival with a new score performed live.

6. If selected, I hereby grant to the Company, the Competition, and their related entities (a) the right to use footage, trailers, stills and/or titles in which I own the rights to, and basic information from the Project for promotional purposes and (b) the right to issue and authorize publicity concerning the filmmakers and the Project and to use all associated names, likenesses and biographical information. I also agree to provide contact information for the director and producer(s) of the Project and grant the Competition the right to provide this information to film industry organizations partnering with the Competition at its discretion.

7. I represent that I am 18 years of age or older, or that if I am younger than the legal age to enter into contracts in my state, I have provided a written consent from my parent or legal guardian. I agree that any controversy arising out of or in connection with my Project and the Competition will be governed by the internal laws of the State of Nevada and conclusively determined by arbitration in the City of Las Vegas in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association before a single arbitrator mutually agreed upon by the parties. I hereby waive any and all rights and benefits which I might otherwise have or be entitled to litigate any such dispute in court, including without limitation a trial by jury.

8. I acknowledge that I have read and understood the rules and regulations explained herein for submitting to the Competition.

9. By submitting my Project I constitute my full and complete acceptance of the terms hereof. I acknowledge that no oral representations of any kind have been made by the Company or the Competition.

Overall Rating
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Networking
  • A special experience to have your film screened in the incredible Music Box Theatre, with freshly composed music, performed by a brilliant group of musicians. Exciting, innovative shorts across the entire program. One of a kind.

    April 2026
  • Wonderful festival organised by a fabulous team - thank you for selecting Out of the Peat for your 2025 program! <3

    April 2025
  • Jose Luis Saturno

    I think this is a wonderful concept for a film festival very well executed in a great venue. It’s worth it!

    April 2025
  • Todd Sullivan

    What an amazing idea for a festival, and what an honour to be part of it. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend the festival itself, but they were kind enough to provide a link to the films as well as audio that was recorded live from the fest, so I was able to watch their take on my film almost like I was actually there. Thanks to everyone who made this happen!

    April 2025
  • Meezahn Senbetta

    The Sound of Silent Film Festival is a truly one of a kind experience that my co-director (Davis Cameron Chu) and I are proud to have been a part of with our short film, "Hand Job," scored for this festival by Gene Pritsker. It is so rare to attend a festival and see/hear your film in a completely new way (that isn't because of AV issues haha). The live orchestra and compositions for all of the films created an amazing atmosphere -- not to mention, the lineup of films was incredible! Beyond the unique nature of the festival itself, screening at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago was a dream come true. Thank you Sound of Silent Film Festival and Access Contemporary Music!

    April 2025