Chicago International REEL Shorts Film Festival
Major legitimate festival with strong credentials
An annual short film competition and screening event featuring more than 150 films (all under 35 minutes) from around the world, put on by Project Chicago.
Last updated Aug 15, 2026
Legitimacy Analysis
Positive Indicators (+34 pts)
- 23 years of verifiable history
- Physical screenings at 2700 W Grand Ave Chicago, IL 60612 United States
- 3 verified pro signals
- Verified trusted status
Red Flags (-0 pts)
No red flags found
Trust Signals
Positive Signals
- FF_GOLD_BADGE
- FF_RATED
- Documented history with archived programs
Festival Details
Founded
2003
Venue
2700 W Grand Ave Chicago, IL 60612 United States
Screenings
Physical screenings confirmed
Award Categories
1
Related Festivals in United States
Research
Live web research is off to control API cost. This shows cached scheduled research when available, plus analysis from our database.
Hard research (cheap model + thorough prompt) runs on a cron for suspicious festivals; a biweekly job refreshes others. No live API calls from the site.
Quick Stats
How scoring works
Scores are calculated from structural indicators: accreditations, physical screenings, award category count, submission frequency, and acceptance rate. Higher scores reflect more verifiable legitimacy signals.
Filmmaker reviews
No community reviews yet. If you submitted here, your experience helps others avoid award mills.
Report a problem with this festivalGet Alerts
Get notified when Chicago International REEL Shorts Film Festival's tier changes or new reports are filed.