Windie City Film Fest is an independent film festival hosted in Chicago, Illinois. We are dedicated to supporting and championing true indie filmmakers throughout Chicago, the Midwest, and across the country.

Creating independent films is very difficult, and too often filmmakers are denied opportunities to exhibit their art due to lack of budget. Our goal is to be as transparent and supportive to the filmmakers, and promise all Official Selections are screened in-person, at a quality movie theater.

We ONLY show films with budgets UNDER 1 million US dollars.

Awards & Prizes

Best Short Film Award
WINDIE INDIE Award

Other awards at Judges discretion based on submissions.

Rules & Terms

WCFF accepts films of any genre in the following categories:
SHORTS (Narrative, Documentary, Animation) (35 minutes or less, including credits)
FEATURES(Narrative, Documentary, Animation) (35 minutes or more, including credits)

All submissions must have been completed after January 1, 2025
-Works-in-progress are accepted
-Films must be submitted through an online screener.
-All films MUST be under 1,000,000 total budget

SELECTION:
Successful submissions will be notified at least 30 days before the event. Official Selection filmmakers receive festival laurels, invites to parties, and 2 free tickets to the event.

SCREENING:
A selected digital file must be received no later than 15 days prior to its scheduled screening date. We aspire to provide the best quality projection possible but will not be held liable for any failure in the technical quality of the projection, nor will fees be refunded in any such case.

While every effort will be made to adhere to the published schedule, we reserve the right to make changes at any time for any reason.

3 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Jenny Argyle Hogan

    I had such a great experience showcasing my short film, 'Snooze', at the Windie City Film Fest. The programming was thoughtful and impressive, and many of my non-filmmaker friends who came to support my work thoroughly enjoyed the experience from start to finish. The audience was incredibly engaged and so much fun to screen for, and I had the opportunity to meet and network with many talented filmmakers afterward. The team behind the festival was extremely organized and clearly passionate about independent film. I left feeling genuinely inspired by the work Chicago filmmakers are creating. This festival should absolutely be a priority for any local filmmaker.

    December 2025
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  • Larry Ziegelman

    For being just the first year of the festival, they did a lot right: a great venue, wonderful films and an amazing audience! The only thing wrong with it was...we want more! More wonderful blocks of films and amazing crowds next year please!

    November 2025
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  • Meezahn Senbetta

    So thankful to have been part of the first ever Windie City Film Festival, which, for the record, did NOT feel like an inaugural year -- communication before, during and after the festival was incredible, the event itself flowed beautifully (shoutout to a great post-screening Q&A moderated by the wonderful Jon Silver), all of the shorts were amazing and... we received a handmade award for our short film "Hand Job!" I'm so excited for Windie City to continue growing!

    November 2025
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