Chicago International Children's Film Festival

We are now accepting submissions for FACETS 38th Annual Chicago International Children’s Film Festival (“CICFF”), running November 5 through 14, 2021. As the first Academy®-qualifying children’s film festival in the world, our festival presents the best, most innovative international films for kids and teens. We seek out films that both entertain audiences and challenge them to widen their perspectives. But more importantly, we invite film submissions that inspire and speak to the creative minds and hearts of young people. For almost 40 years CICFF has set the standard of excellence, celebrating films from around the world that break new ground in their approach to storytelling, offer unique or seldom-heard points of view, and demonstrate artistic and technical mastery. Our goal is to raise the bar of what films for children and teens can achieve. CICFF is an advocate for children, prioritizing their human rights and protecting their health and well-being. Films selected for the Festival are child- or teen-driven. The stories are culturally authentic and timely and are of universal appeal. The content speaks positively to people of different backgrounds, cultures, and orientations. We strongly believe that audiences should be engaged, entertained, and enlightened. Films should stimulate discussion and insight into new concepts and motivate active responses from children and teens. We seek and provide opportunities to connect filmmakers with our festival audiences. In addition to the Festival, CICFF provides year-round thematic programming that promotes media education in the community and the classroom. Through virtual Q&As, available to a worldwide audience, filmmakers have an incomparable opportunity to discuss their work with the widest possible array of viewers. NOTE for 2021: Per CDC guidelines for COVID-19, the CICFF may, in addition to virtual screenings, offer limited in-person screenings. ORGANIZATION: The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival is the first Academy®-qualifying children’s film festival in the world. Oscar®-qualifying film categories include Live-Action Short Film and Animated Short Film. Founded in 1984, the CICFF is the oldest children’s film festival in the country and the largest in the world, screening 262 films from 52 countries during the 37th season in 2020. The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival serves as a global hub for filmmakers and producers of films for young people, as an opportunity to connect with and elevate the aesthetic and production standards for youth cinema production. At in-person and virtual screening Q&A’s filmmakers have an incomparable opportunity to discuss their work with the widest possible array of viewers. MISSION: The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival aims to set an internationally recognized standard of excellence in film production for children and youth. We strive to support the work of talented and dedicated filmmakers by showcasing international films of the highest quality and awarding prizes in multiple categories of production formats and genres. The film experiences of young viewers are deepened through a broad range of programs which extend Festival film viewing into discussion and learning. The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival is produced and presented by FACETS. FACETS is a nonprofit that connects people to independent ideas through transformative film experiences. Since 1975, we have produced pioneering programs focused on film education, exhibition, and distribution. Most recently, we have developed two streaming platforms, FACETS Kids and FACETS Edge, to increase access to independent and art-house films for kids, teens, and adults. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION: Festival films reach unique audiences diverse in age, socioeconomic background, ability, and ethnic heritage, as well as a broad range of children and teens, educators, parents, and peers unduplicated in the youth film festival audience landscape worldwide. At post-screening discussions, filmmakers have an incomparable opportunity to connect with the widest possible array of viewers.