Chicagoland Shorts is Full Spectrum Features' annual filmmaker showcase that celebrates the vastness and artistic innovation of the Windy City’s filmmaking community, while also creating opportunities for professional growth and career sustainability. The series celebrates fresh storytellers that use the power of short form cinema to tell compelling stories that open minds, unpack the deeply personal, and strengthen communities.
The filmmakers featured in this series have screened internationally at museums, galleries, and over 100 film festivals (including Cannes, Tribeca, and Sundance), and includes an Emmy winner, a Fulbright fellow, a finalist for the Student Academy Award, and the recipient of a Human Rights Award from Nielsen Reviews.
The Chicagoland Shorts Vol. 8 showcase will exhibit short works and build meaningful professional development opportunities for emerging voices in filmmaking, with a focus on uplifting BIPOC, LGTBQ+, and female-identifying artists. In addition to exhibition opportunities, the selected filmmakers will participate in a variety of professional development sessions focused on funding, creative development, and film distribution.
In line with Full Spectrum Features’ mission of driving equity into the independent media landscape, selected filmmakers must also display a commitment to equitable filmmaking. Equitable filmmaking improves the economic mobility and upends traditional power dynamics for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), LGBTQ+, differently-abled, and female filmmakers by placing them in decision-making positions on set and reflecting the diversity of their experiences on screen.
Chicagoland Shorts filmmakers:
- are based in the Chicagoland area
- have a narrative, documentary, experimental, or animated short film
- possess a long-term interest in pursuing narrative storytelling
- have an original cinematic vision and aesthetic
- are committed to equitable filmmaking
All accepted filmmakers will enter into a distribution agreement with Full Spectrum Features NFP. In addition to the premiere, all participating films will be featured in a series of screenings at theaters, micro-cinemas, galleries, and alternative screening venues throughout Chicago. The program will also be available for purchase as DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD, distributed exclusively through Full Spectrum Features NFP for a period of one year, and non-exclusively for an additional period of four years.
Participating filmmakers are invited to attend any and all screenings to promote their work and help cultivate the growing community of alternative media makers and their supporters.
Although filmmakers do not receive screening fees, residuals, or other guaranteed payment for participation in Chicagoland Shorts Vol. 8, a small honorarium may be paid at particular screenings if and when funds become available.