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Our #BWiFF2025 Features competition official selections are stories that have a runtime of 45 minutes or more and will consist of 6 films (3 documentaries and 3 narratives):

• An Autumn Summer
• Battersea
• Dawn Dusk
• Never Not Yours
• The Pantone Guy
• Segal

Learn more about each of these titles and when they will be screening at @classiccinemas this Spring using the link in our bio.

Our #BWiFF2025 Shorts competition official selections are stories that have a runtime of 44 minutes or less and will consist of 20 films (14 narratives, 4 music videos, and 2 documentaries):

• Allure
• Audio Description
• Back of the Net
• Cascades
• The Deep Rolling: Magma
• Flush
• Get Your Line In & Pray
• Gillyfish
• Triskaidekaphobe
• Just Be Awesome
• Nothing Safer
• Sally, Get the Potatoes
• The Seas Between Us
• Shouting at the Sea
• Smoothie
• The Therapy Room
• Telekinetik
• Water Baby
• When Everything Was Blue
• Why

Learn more about each of these titles and when they will be screening at @classiccinemas this Spring using the link in our bio.

Our #BWiFF2025 Beyond official selections are part of a special competition that extends the festival beyond its 6 scheduled nights of screenings at a variety of venues throughout the Chicagoland area.

There are 6 films in this year’s Beyond competition (4 narratives and 2 documentaries):

• Discovering Catharine
• Eugene O’Neill’s The First Man
• Shiners: Voices from Owsley County
• Stampila
• Taste the Revolution
• Traumnovelle

Learn more about each of these titles and when they will be screening using the link in our bio.

Our call for documentaries is now open! Submit your short or feature documentary to #BWiFFdocs2026 using the link in our bio.

BWiFF welcomes submissions 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 visual storytelling.

#FilmFestival #Documentary #Cinema #Movies #Filmmakers #Competition #Storytelling

Our friends at @harpercollege have a great lineup of films scheduled for this fall!

The Harper Film Series begins September 9 with ‘The Nice Guys’ and returns in October and November with selections such as the Chicago-set firefighter drama ‘Backdraft,’ the lurid revenge story ‘Desperado’ and the sci-fi apartheid parable ‘District 9.’

It’s time to take a beat and focus on characters who drive real-life stories. #BWiFFdocs

Coming April 2026. Call for entries open September 8.

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A yearly Christmas party turns into a serious coming of age tale for a young girl as she is carted into the adult lives of her family members.

Once again this year, the judges were amazed by several outstanding performances by young actors. One in particular made us laugh, cry, and grow up a little bit ourselves.

In addition to the film winning Best Narrative Short Drama, Kynlee Heiman’s performance as Sally has earned her the award for Best Achievement by a Young Actor in ‘Sally, Get the Potatoes.’

A yearly Christmas party turns into a serious coming of age tale for a young girl as she is carted into the adult lives of her family members.

Once again this year, the judges were amazed by several outstanding performances by young actors. One in particular made us laugh, cry, and grow up a little bit ourselves.

In addition to the film winning Best Narrative Short Drama, Kynlee Heiman’s performance as Sally has earned her the award for Best Achievement by a Young Actor in ‘Sally, Get the Potatoes.’

We value your feedback! Take a few moments to complete our brief survey using the link in our bio for a chance to win a one year @imbibecinema membership!

“Pop quiz, Hot Shot!” Imbibe Cinema is hosting a screening of the 1994 action film, ‘Speed,’ at @pollyannabrewingroselle on Monday, June 2. “What do you do?”

Tickets are $6. Get $2 off your ticket instantly when you use the promo code “roselare” (link in bio). Imbibe Cinema and Optimist members will be admitted for free.

We’re always proud and thrilled to feature a wide range of films that are shot in #Illinois or created by Illinois filmmakers. ‘Dawn Dusk’ beautifully showcased Chicago’s architecture, themes, people, and culture — capturing the city not just as a backdrop but as a character.

Learn more about ‘Dawn Dusk’ by following the film on Instagram or by visiting dawnduskfilm.com. View the complete list of 2025 Blue Glass Award winners using the link in our bio.

Parts 1 & 2 of Characters Drive Stories with #BWiFF2010 official selection ‘Driver’s Ed Mutiny’ are now available to watch on YouTube (link in bio).

In this series, we take the production draft of screenplays from previous festival seasons and bring them to life with actors in a table read setting. Using visual references from the film, watch how things are exactly as written or how they may have significantly changed.

Look for part 3 coming on May 22 at 7pm/c!