Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival will host their 10th annual festival at Chicago Filmmakers, located at 5720 N. Ridge Avenue in the Edgewater neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side. Entries in a wide variety of categories are now being accepted online through April 10, 2020. Above all else, the festival seeks strong, unique, character-driven stories.
The festival will exhibit over 30 films from around the globe that compete for a variety of awards that range in genre, production, performance, and audience categories. Each film selected for exhibition and competition will be screened in one auditorium from July 17-23, 2020.
During the festival’s week-long run, filmmakers are encouraged to attend and participate in live Q&A’s moderated by a festival judge, enjoy meals with pass holders, and partake in any potential panels. Each accepted feature filmmaker will receive two festival passes. Each accepted short and music video filmmaker will receive one festival pass.
“One of the things we do at BWiFF that is different than most other festivals,” said Executive Director and Founder Michael Noens, “our judges are in the theater with the audience and experience each film for the first time right then and there.” Judging panels are made up of industry professional writers, directors, cinematographers, editors, and production designers.
Discounted early bird entries are only $20 to submit through November 29, 2019. Categories include narrative short, narrative feature, documentary short, documentary feature, music video, and “Illinois Film.” All 2020 entries must have a completion date no earlier than January 2017.
Narrative short films must be a work of fiction with a running time of 44 minutes or less. Narrative feature films must be a work of fiction with a running time of 45 minutes or more. All narratives can be of any genre, shot in any style, and can be “based on true events”. The festival welcomes a variety of narratives including (but not limited to): live-action, animation, experimental, and more.
Documentary short films must be a work of non-fiction with a running time of 44 minutes or less. Documentary feature films must be a work of non-fiction with a running time of 45 minutes or more. Documentaries may contain some dramatization of actual events.
While there are no running time restrictions for music videos, submissions in this category may only feature one song per video. Films entered in the “Illinois Film” category must be works produced in the state of Illinois or made by an Illinois filmmaker. These films can be of any length, style, or genre. Selected films in the category will be eligible for the Best of Illinois Award, as well as other awards.
For a breakdown of all submission fees, entry deadlines, and eligible awards, visit our About Us page. To submit a film, visit filmfreeway.com/bluewhiskeyff. All 2020 film submissions must be submitted online to be eligible for acceptance. Any films received by mail will be returned or disregarded. Each submission is carefully considered solely on its own merit by the festival’s volunteer programming committee.
