📽️ Our 2024 Study Abroad Film Festival Finalists Are Here! Vote for Your Favorite!

Each year, the IES Abroad Study Abroad Film Festival provides a platform for our students to share their transformative study abroad experiences through film. For our 10th anniversary of the Film Festival, we are pleased to share that this year's selection of Finalists includes creatively crafted short films that are likely to leave you speechless, energized, and possibly even moved to tears.

Through these visual journeys, the Film Festival helps increase the awareness of the benefits of studying abroad to new audiences, and it benefits IES Abroad Scholarships, making study abroad possible for future students.

Drum roll, please! The 2024 Film Festival Finalists are ...

The Journey is the Dream | Connor Sorg (University of Wisconsin - Madison) | IES Abroad Milan | Spring 2024
In The Heart of the Motherland | Walezka Abdala (University of Richmond) | IES Abroad Cape Town | Spring 2024
Proxycontin | Alex Carlon (Grinnell College), Carly Fein (Penn State University), Ariela Leventhal (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill) | IES Abroad Amsterdam | Spring 2024

Watch the Films and Vote For Your Favorite!

Attend the Film Festival on October 17th in Chicago

Grab friends and family and join us for our 10th anniversary of the Film Festival as we watch this year's top study abroad films on the big screen, witness the live announcement of the winning film, and celebrate study abroad at our Film Festival reception where attendees can meet the student filmmakers and mingle with study abroad lovers from around the world!

Get Your Tickets

How to Vote for Your Favorite Film

You can vote now through October 9th at noon CT. Rankings will be confidential until the winner is announced at the IES Abroad Film Festival awards ceremony in Chicago on Wednesday, October 17th at Venue SIX10. We hope you can join us!

Vote Now

Film Festival Fun Facts

It's Our 10th Anniversary

This year's Film Festival celebrates a decade of student films.

In Support of IES Abroad Scholarships

The Festival has raised more than $1 million to date!

Each Film is Student Directed & Produced

We've received 600+ student films in the last decade!

The One and Only Study Abroad Film Festival

The Film Festival was founded in 2014.

Red Carpet Event

The Grand Prize Winner is announced in Chicago on October 17th.

Winning Big

The Winner receives $1,500 & a trip to Vienna for the 2025 Film Festival!

Check Out the Finalists

✰ "The Journey is the Dream" | by Connor Sorg (University of Wisconsin - Madison) | IES Abroad Milan | Spring 2024

✰ "In the Heart of the Motherland" | by Walezka Abdala (University of Richmond) | IES Abroad Cape Town | Spring 2024

✰ “Proxycontin” | Alex Carlon (Grinnell College), Carly Fein (Penn State University), Ariela Leventhal (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill) | IES Abroad Amsterdam | Spring 2024

Vote For Your Favorite! Get Your Tickets

“I can hardly believe that what started as a small idea 11 years ago has turned into this incredible festival that has touched so many lives. Our 10th Annual Study Abroad Film Festival is a testament to the power of storytelling and the transformative impact of study abroad. These films go beyond capturing moments—they inspire and encourage students to explore the world, many of whom might never have considered studying abroad without this festival. This year’s Finalists have raised the bar once again, and I couldn’t be more excited to share their incredible journeys with our audience.”
Amy Ruhter McMillan • Senior AVP of Marketing at IES Abroad and Film Festival Founder