Sundance Film Festival
Park City, United States
100
Tier AOscarScreenings
Festival dossier
Chicago Short Film Festival
Chicago, United States · Est. 2024 · Multiple structural red flags — exercise caution before submitting
WarningWatchlist
Chicago, United States
23
Legitimacy ScoreShould I submit?
Pause before you pay
Warning-tier means structural red flags in our data — not a confirmed scam, but submit only with eyes open.
- No physical screenings
- 2 documented risk signals
- On watchlist — negative reputation signals detected
Overview
The Chicago Short Film Festival is an independent short-form festival in Chicago that showcases films under 50 minutes, with programming that includes narrative, documentary, animated, experimental, horror, sci-fi, and music video work. It is notable for spotlighting emerging filmmakers, especially first- and second-time directors and low-budget independent productions, and for serving as a platform for local, national, and international short films at Facets Cinema. Its significance lies in its role as a discovery-oriented festival for new talent within Chicago’s short-film scene and the broader North American festival circuit.
This overview may contradict our structured venue and screening data. Prefer the Legitimacy Analysis section and structured fields below for social posts or citations.
Last updated Aug 27, 2026
Legitimacy Analysis
Positive Indicators (+2 pts)
- 1 verified pro signal
Red Flags (-29 pts)
- No physical screenings
- 2 documented risk signals
- On watchlist — negative reputation signals detected
Trust Signals
Risk Flags
- VERY_NEW
- Description contradicts structured venue/screening data
Positive Signals
- FilmFreeway Gold festival
Festival Details
Founded
2024
FilmFreeway communityGold festival
Avg. rating
3.6/ 5
Reviews
3
Synced 19 days ago
Rating synced from FilmFreeway; individual review text not pulled yet for this festival.
View on FilmFreewayFilmFreeway reviews are filmmaker opinions, not our score. Cross-check red flags before paying fees.
Related Festivals in United States
Tribeca Film Festival
New York, United States
100
Tier AOscarScreenings
Vegas Movie Awards
Las Vegas, United States
0
Warning35 categories
Hollywood Gold Awards
Los Angeles, United States
0
Warning55 categories
Animation Nights New York
New York, United States
79
Tier BScreenings
Atlanta Horror Film Fest
Atlanta, United States
79
Tier BScreenings
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.
At a glance
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.
Write a reviewOr report a problem →Write a review
Get Alerts
Get notified when Chicago Short Film Festival's tier changes or new reports are filed.
See something wrong?
Filmmakers and festival teams can propose listing corrections or submit verified evidence. Verified evidence can change a tier, but it is weighed alongside every other flag on this listing.
Request a correction