Personal stories.
Original ideas.
New work.
The mission of the Chain NYC Film Festival is to encourage the development of quality independent cinema in our burgeoning digital age. The Chain NYC Film Festival serves as a showcase to the NYC film community.
Although awards are given out in a number of categories our mission is to celebrate film and the process that brings out inspired creations. Our goal is to create a dialogue between the filmmakers and their audience.
About the Festival
The 5th Annual Chain NYC Film Festival (Chain NYC) is known for celebrating personal stories and original ideas in a buzzing metropolis that's rich with stories of its own. The festival has proven to be an emerging festival to watch out for – in 2016 the festival screened more than 100 films and doubled in submission size and tripled in audience size. With the goal of sparking exciting dialogue between filmmakers and their audiences, Chain NYC comes alive in New York City.
Chain NYC welcomes narrative and documentary submissions, whether in feature-length, short-form, or "super-short" format. The festival also warmly embraces web series submissions as part of a new wave of creative enterprise in an increasingly connected world. Over 30 awards are bestowed in numerous categories, including Best Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Animated Film, and Best Local Filmmaker. Special prizes may also be awarded, at the discretion of a jury of storytelling and filmmaking experts.
"Chain NYC has been the best experience I've had, thus far, at any festival....Thank you for restoring my faith in film festivals!"
Cidney Hue, writer-director of the award-winning narrative short Odessa
In addition to screening the best in recent filmmaking, the festival also hosts live film related events. Past events included a special screening of John Cassavetes’ 1959 film Shadows, followed by an engaging Q&A with actress Leila Goldoni in 2013. In 2014, a staged reading of Karen Black's work featuring Sean Young, Andrea McArdle, and Gail Brown was a festival highlight. Last year, screenwriter Richard Price gave an unforgettable talk back after the 30th Anniversary Screening of the Color of Money and also spoke about his HBO smash hit series The Night Of.
Chain NYC may be only four years old, but that hasn't stopped countless visitors from singing the festival's praises.
"I've participated in numerous film festivals, and the Chain NYC Film Festival stands out as one of the best. Not only [is] the selection of films superb, but the staff made a point of getting to know me and really supporting my film. All too often, small films can get lost in the shuffle of a festival. Not at Chain NYC."
Richard Uhlig, writer-director of award-winning documentary short My Kansas
Narratives, Docs and Web Series projects are welcome to submit – qualify your film today!