Since 2010, the Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival has presented each season in the summer months – most commonly in July. The 14th season will mark a big change as the festival moves to mid-Spring.
“We have enjoyed presenting our last four festivals at Chicago Filmmakers,” said Executive Director Michael Noens. “They have been very flexible and accommodating through the challenges faced by all in-person events throughout the pandemic. While we look forward to collaborating with Chicago Filmmakers on upcoming events, we are excited to return to our 2017 venue, Music Box Theatre.”
The festival previously presented eight nights of screenings for its 8th season at the historic movie theater located in Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood. In 2024, BWiFF plans to move up the event up by three months for more programming flexibility. July is a tough time for cinemas to book festivals due to the summer blockbuster movie season. According to Noens, Spring will provide the festival more options and the ability to experiment with new formatting.
BWiFF 2024 will be presented at Music Box Theatre in the month of April 2024. Specific festival dates will be announced in January. “This next season could be our typical seven nights of official selections; it could also be more or less depending on entries,” continued Noens.
Call for entries opened on Tuesday, September 5 exclusively on FilmFreeway. Short and feature-length submissions are welcome from filmmakers that utilize story elements in a new and exciting way, presenting character-driven independent cinema that is fueled by the filmmaker’s passion for the art of storytelling. Through Friday, November 3, all documentary and narrative entry fees are $25 and music videos can be entered for only $20. Additional discounts are available for FilmFreeway Gold members.
Presently, the only official festival date on the calendar is the 2024 Blue Glass Awards presentation, which will be privately recorded and premiere on Sunday, April 28.
