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About festival

Chicago Underground Film Festival

Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF) is the longest-running underground film festival in the world. Founded in 1993, CUFF champions unruly, risk-taking cinema that breaks rules and refuses safe options. As Roger Ebert wrote, “What you get…is not just admission to the films but admission to a subculture.” From roughly 2,000 submissions, we select about 100 films—experimental, narrative, documentary, hybrid, and animated—that challenge conventions and stay with you.

Festival Amenities

Filmmaker EventsHotel DiscountsFilmmaker LoungeAfter PartiesAll Access BadgesComplimentary TicketsIndustry PanelsQ&A SessionsSwag BagsFestival CatalogSocial Media Spotlight

Submission Categories

Narrative Short Film

Fiction-driven work ≤ 40 minutes (formally experimental welcome). If it’s primarily scripted/staged, choose this.

Fee: $50·Deadline: April 30, 2026

Type: Film

Narrative Feature Film

Fiction-driven work 40+ minutes (formally experimental welcome). If the film is primarily scripted/staged, choose this.

Fee: $80·Deadline: April 30, 2026

Type: Film

Documentary Feature Film

Nonfiction, hybrid, or essay films over 40 minutes. If the work is primarily rooted in real subjects/events, choose this.

Fee: $80·Deadline: April 30, 2026

Type: Film

Documentary Short Film

Nonfiction or hybrid work ≤ 40 minutes. If it’s rooted in real subjects/events, choose this.

Fee: $50·Deadline: April 30, 2026

Type: Film

Experimental Short Film

Form-first work ≤ 40 minutes (personal, structural, collage, found-footage, video art, expanded cinema)

Fee: $45·Deadline: April 30, 2026

Type: Film

Experimental Feature Film

Form-first, experimental/avant-garde work over 40 minutes (personal, structural, collage, found-footage, video art, expanded cinema).

Fee: $80·Deadline: April 30, 2026

Type: Film

Animated Short Film

Animated or primarily animated work ≤ 40 minutes (2D/3D, stop-motion, rotoscope, cut-out, mixed media).

Fee: $50·Deadline: April 30, 2026

Type: Film

Animation Feature Film

Animated or primarily animated work ≤ 40 minutes (2D/3D, stop-motion, rotoscope, cut-out, mixed media).

Fee: $80·Deadline: April 30, 2026

Type: Film

Music Video

Short-form works set to music, under 40 minutes (typically 2–10). Live-action, animation, or mixed media welcome. Longer pieces should enter Music Film / Visual Album (Feature).

Fee: $50·Deadline: April 30, 2026

Type: Film

Music Film / Visual Album (Feature)

Music-driven, feature-length works 40 minutes or longer (visual albums, concert/performance films, music narratives, hybrids).

Fee: $80·Deadline: April 30, 2026

Type: Film

Festival Rules

Screeners:

Vimeo links are preferred (password-protected). YouTube private links are fine.

Foreign-Language Films:

If your film isn’t in English, it must include English subtitles.

Premieres:

All submissions are considered on merit. That said, a Chicago premiere strengthens a feature’s chances—our audience values discovering new work. If your film has screened in Chicago before, please disclose where/when. Shorts have more flexibility; we understand that great shorts often benefit from multiple showings.

Technical Specs (Exhibition & Delivery):

Exhibition format: DCP required for screening (we can connect you with an affordable vendor if needed). Backup file: ProRes 422 HQ (48 kHz audio) strongly preferred. Resolution: 2K or 4K accepted. Audio: stereo or 5.1 supported. Frame rate: 24 fps preferred; 25 fps accepted with advance notice. Aspect ratio: Any ratio supported; CUFF will letterbox/pillarbox as needed. Stills: high-quality film stills preferred over set photos.

Film Prints:

16mm is supported. 35mm is possible only at the Gene Siskel Film Center, subject to schedule and availability. A DCP backup is strongly recommended for all prints.

Categories & Fees:

We know categories can be limiting—but Hiike requires one per submission. Choose the best fit for how the work primarily operates. Boundary-crossers welcome.Narrative — from classical storytelling to loose, character-driven experiments.Experimental — avant-garde, personal, punk, found footage, video art, expanded cinema.Animation — hand-drawn, CGI, stop-motion, clay, cut-out, hybrids.Documentary — re-enactments, collage, hybrids—if it’s rooted in the real, it counts. If you straddle doc/fiction, just flag it for us.

Length Guidelines:

Feature: over 40 minutes; Short: 40 minutes or less (Academy standard)

Waivers:

Alumni: If you’ve screened with CUFF before, you’re family—email info@cuff.org with your last CUFF title for an alumni waiver/discount. Financial hardship: Write us; we try to help—usually with a discount rather than a full waiver. Sanctions/conflict regions: CUFF considers case-by-case waivers for filmmakers facing significant barriers.

Material Security:

Your submission stays between you and CUFF. Only the programming team accesses your screener and info. We don’t share links or contact details with sponsors, donors, or third parties without consent.

Schedule Changes & Updates:

If a schedule or venue change becomes necessary, CUFF will notify filmmakers promptly and update public listings. Technical issues are rare—but if they occur, we’ll communicate and resolve them as quickly as possible.

Chicago Underground Film Festival

Deadlines

About festival