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9th Annual Study Abroad Film Festival

study abroad film festival audience watching

Join us in Chicago to Celebrate the Power of Student Stories!

This October,  we invite you to join our international community of alumni and friends to celebrate the power of student storytelling through film at our 9th annual Study Abroad Film Festival!

Over the past eight years, 500+ student films have put us on the edge of our seats, demonstrating the transformative power of study abroad and the creative abilities of IES Abroad students. 

Join us on October 12, 2023 for a screening of our Finalist films, a live announcement of the winner, and a fun post-event reception where you'll get the chance to meet the student filmmakers and mingle with study abroad lovers from around the country and world! 

Date: October 12th, 2023

Location: Venue SIX10
610 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605

Time: 6:30-10:30 p.m. CDT

  • 6:30 | Doors open - join us for drinks and snacks, and take some photos on our red carpet
  • 7:00 | Film screening begins
  • 8:30 | Join us for a celebratory reception with complimentary food and drinks

Dress code: Authentically you!

“The whole night encouraged us to keep traveling, share our adventures, and forge strong relationships along the way. And that's exactly the message I wanted to share through my film: get out of your comfort zone, say yes to adventure, capture your experience, and use it to inspire others.”
Penn H. • University of Texas at Austin • Barcelona – Liberal Arts & Business

Experience The Magic of Last Year's Festival

In 2022, for the first time in two years, we rolled out the red carpet for our Film Festival in-person at a brand new location, VenueSIX10 in downtown Chicago, on October 12th—all in benefit of IES Abroad scholarships. Zeke Winitsky (Penn State University • IES Abroad Berlin - Language & Culture, Summer 2022) took home the Grand Prize for the 8th annual Study Abroad Film Festival for his film Coming to Berlin.

About the Festival

Founded in 2014, the IES Abroad Study Abroad Film Festival was the first student-focused study abroad film festival in the industry. Celebrating its ninth anniversary in 2023, the IES Abroad Film Festival has provided students a platform to voice their global journey through their own words and video footage, capturing unique views into their life-changing study abroad experiences – showing what the experience meant to them and how it redefined their world. 

Originally, the entire Film Festival was hosted as on-demand content on Facebook. In 2017 it was hosted as a live event for the first time at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and emceed by Kate Flannery – best known for her 9 seasons as Meredith, on NBC’s hit show, The Office. The 2018 and 2019 Festivals were hosted by Richard Roeper, best known as the film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and for his 10 years as co-host of the television series, “At The Movies with Roger Ebert.”

The Film Festival event has raised more than $100,000 for IES Abroad Scholarships and more than 160+ colleges and universities have been represented through 500+ student film submissions!

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