FESTIVAL 2025 WINNERS:
Best Short Film — Audience Award
FELT by Madeline Curless
Best Short Film — Jury Award
Fortune Tellers by Anna H Gelman
Best Short Film — Festival Director’s Award
My Sister by Dan Aho
Best Short Film — Spirit of Chicago Award
Cloud & Bunny by Mary Kethya Khuon
Best Thriller Short Film
Genesis Valley by Harry Watermeier
Best Experimental Short Film
Redline Prophecies by JD Collins
Best Experimental Short Film
Script Tease by Chad Thurman
Best Animation Short Film
The Fangs I’m After by Rebecca Chivers
Best Documentary Short Film
You Just Watch & See by Moya Bailey
Best Sci-Fi/Horror Short Film
Why Do The Turbines Glow? by Jadyn Proulx
Best LGBT+ Short Film
Mermaid by Jerry D. Ochoa
Best Music Video
Mother I by Teagan Earley & Isaac White
SCHEDULE 2025:
Friday Dec 5 at 6pm at Facets
Shorts Block 1: (Buy Tickets)
Ali’s Story by Benito Sinclair ((Preview Screening)
Why Do The Turbines Glow? by Jadyn Proulx
You Just Watch & See by Moya Bailey
My Sister by Dan Aho
Script Tease by Chad Thurman
Friday Dec 5 at 7:30pm at Facets
Shorts Block 2: (Buy Tickets)
Genesis Valley by Harry Watermeier
Out of the House by Brittani Ward
Burden by Yaroslav Savchak
Therapy by Kelly Lynn Warren
Mother I by Teagan Earley & Isaac White
Thrifting by Gunthar Charles Fleck
Saturday Dec 6 at 6pm at Facets
Shorts Block 3: (Buy Tickets)
Cloud & Bunny by Mary Kethya Khuon
Felt by Madeline Curless
The Pizan of Chicago by Samson Ziegelman
Alleyways by Craig J Hard
Sun Bleach by Romi Stralka
Redline Prophecies by JD Collins
Saturday Dec 6 at 7:30pm at Facets
Shorts Block 4: (Buy Tickets)
Fortune Tellers by Anna H Gelman
In Lieu of Us by Paul William Brennan
Illuminatus! by Chris Kalis
Mermaid by Jerry D. Ochoa
That Old Beautiful Love by Maggie Meiners
The Fangs I’m After by Rebecca Chivers
The Chicago Short Film Festival celebrates innovative storytelling and creativity in short-form cinema. With live screenings at one of the city’s favorite indie cinemas, CSFF will showcase a diverse range of films from emerging and established filmmakers both local and international. The festival provides a platform for artistic expression, networking, and recognition in the global film community.
The 2025 Chicago Short Film Festival will take place December 5–6 at the historic Facets Cinema in downtown Chicago. Facets Cinema is among the city’s longest-running and one of the few remaining independent cinemas in Chicago.
With space for dozens of films and networking events, the Chicago Short Film Festival is aiming to become a focal point of indie filmmaking in Chicago. Join us for the 2025 festival.
