Festival Data:

• Established: 1993
• Genre: Experimental - New Media (click to see)

Festival Website:

Festival Description:

Founded in 1993, The Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF) is a year-round organization dedicated to the work of film and video makers with defiantly independent visions. Unlike many other “independent” film events our goal is not to imitate old guard, market-driven events but instead to focus on the artistic, aesthetic and fun side of independent filmmaking. CUFF promotes works that dissent radically in form, content and technique from both the tired conventions of Hollywood and the increasingly stagnant IndieWood mainstream.

While the acclaimed annual international film and video festival remains our primary activity, CUFF has expanded to include a post-production grant and year-round screenings and events.

This year’s festival at the Music Box will offer a complementary mix of independent features, shorts, documentaries and experimental films augmented by panels, workshops and nightly parties and concerts. The programming is innovative and unique, ranging from the lowbrow entertainment of John Waters, Doris Wishman and Coffin Joe to fine art films/videos of the current avant-garde. With an exponential growth each year in both attendance and film submissions, the Chicago Underground Film Festival is an undeniable success.