Chain NYC Film Festival

The 9th Annual Chain NYC Film Festival (Chain NYC) is known for celebrating personal stories and original ideas in the heart of midtown NYC. With the goal of sparking exciting dialogue between filmmakers and their audiences, Chain NYC comes alive in New York City. The venue couldn't be more convenient as it's located steps from Penn Station and blocks from Times Square. The festival is being planned for Aug 2021 as an in person event. Last year we were forced to transition to online and used Eventive to bring a secure and easy way for audiences and filmmakers to access our international selection of films. We will keep everyone posted on social media and here on FilmFreeway if we are going to do a hybrid: online and in person. (The 2020 online festival was an extremely successful event that included over 100 talkbacks with filmmakers.) Chain NYC welcomes narrative and documentary submissions, whether in feature-length, short-form, or "super-short" format. Audiences find one of the biggest strengths of the festival is the wide variety of types of programming selected. Past years have included genre busting Grindhouse Film Blocks to important Human Rights Documentaries. Film blocks are meticulously curated for films that belong together. The festival also warmly embraces webseries submissions as part of a new wave of creative enterprise in an increasingly connected world. Over 30 awards are bestowed in numerous categories, including Best Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Animated Film, and Best Local Filmmaker. Special prizes may also be awarded, at the discretion of a jury of storytelling and filmmaking experts. Even in our second year; official selection and award winner: "The Lady In Number 6: Music Saved My Life" went on to win Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film. Cidney Hue, writer-director of the award-winning narrative short, Odessa, concurs: "Chain NYC has been the best experience I've had, thus far, at any festival....Thank you for restoring my faith in film festivals!" In addition to screening the best in recent filmmaking the festival also hosts live film related events. Past events included a special screening of John Cassavetes’ 1959 film Shadows was followed by an engaging Q&A with actress Leila Goldoni in 2013 and in 2014 a staged reading of Karen Black's work featuring Sean Young, Andrea McArdle, and Gail Brown was a festival highlight. In 2016 screenwriter Richard Price gave an unforgettable talk back after the 30th Anniversary Screening of the Color of Money and also spoke about his HBO smash hit series The Night Of. In 2017 screenwriter Richard LaGravenese joined us for for an in depth look into The Fisher King. "I've participated in numerous film festivals, and the Chain NYC Film Festival stands out as one of the best," says Richard Uhlig, writer-director of the award-winning documentary short, My Kansas. "Not only [is] the selection of films superb, but the staff made a point of getting to know me and really supporting my film. All too often, small films can get lost in the shuffle of a festival. Not at Chain NYC." Narratives, Docs and Web Series projects are welcome to submit – qualify your film today!