The Brickworld Cinema Team recently announced the twelfth annual Brickworld Film Festival. The festival will take place on Saturday, June 14th 2024 at 8:00pm at the Renaissance Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL. The event theme for Brickworld Chicago 2025 is “Braving the Elements”. The Brickworld Film Festival is expanding this year and will be awarding $1400+ in prizes, with 4 new awards, and hosting a red carpet event with photo wall opportunities. In addition to the film festival, they will be running a LEGO stop-motion animation workshop and running a continuous screening of entries in our Brickfilm Theater. The attendees and judges of Brickworld Chicago will vote on the films to decide the winners.
Best of Brickworld Chicago Film – Attendee
Decision Type: Other
Award for the film submitted by a convention attendee that receives the most votes from the audience at the festival screening.
Best of Brickworld Chicago Film – International
Decision Type: Other
Award for the film submitted by any of the filmmakers that receives the most votes from the audience at the festival screening.
Best of Brickworld Chicago Film – Judges' Choice
Decision Type: Judged
Award for the film submitted by a convention attendee that is the best combination of technical, visual, aural, and storytelling elements as deemed by the Cinema Judging Team.
Brickworld Chicago Film Festival - Best Sound
Decision Type: Judged
Award for the film submitted to the Brickworld Film Festival by a convention attendee that demonstrates the best use of sound design, sound editing, and mixing to enhance the storytelling. Additional factors can include an original score, use of silence, and how effectively the sound supports the film's narrative, mood, and emotional impact.
Brickworld Chicago Film Festival - Best Technical Animation
Decision Type: Judged
Award for the film submitted to the Brickworld Film Festival by a convention attendee that demonstrates the most impressive use of LEGO as an animation medium. Key factors can include use of the 12 animation principles and innovative animation techniques.
Brickworld Chicago Film Festival - Best Screenplay
Decision Type: Judged
Award for the film submitted to the Brickworld Film Festival by a convention attendee that demonstrates outstanding writing through originality (or effective adaptation), strong narrative structure, well-developed characters, and impactful dialogue. Additional factors can include wit, humor, pacing, or strong thematic elements.
Brickworld Chicago Film Festival - Best Production Design
Decision Type: Judged
Award for the film submitted to the Brickworld Film Festival by a convention attendee that demonstrates the filmmaker’s impressive building skill to create MOCs and use build techniques to create a unique, immersive world with the LEGO medium. Key factors can include attention to detail, originality, and cohesion that work to enhance the narrative.
Please check out the official rules HERE and entry form HERE.
Official Rules
-Your film should use LEGO elements to tell a story. It can be animated or live action, or a combination of the two.
-Your film must be longer than 30 seconds and shorter than 5 minutes and 3o seconds in length.
-Your film must not have been submitted to any previous Brickworld Film Festival.
-Your film does not need to incorporate the “Braving the Elements” theme, but it is highly encouraged.
-Anyone can enter a film in the festival, but you must be a Registrant of Brickworld Chicago to be eligible for all the prizes and trophies – except for the International Trophy and Gift Card which every valid entry qualifies for.
-Films should be enjoyable by all ages. Film content such as (but not limited to) curse words/swearing, excessive violence, sexual content, and drug use will be grounds for disqualification at the discretion of the judges.
-By entering your film for consideration, you attest that you hold all rights to exhibit the given work. This includes (but is not limited to) visuals, music, and characters. Unlicensed use of copyrighted material is not allowed.
-By submitting your film, the Brickworld Film Festival is granted the right to use and/or publish clips or the full videos, screenshots, director and crew names, and any other material related to an entry in the event program, the Brickworld Film Festival screening, the Brickworld website, re-screenings at future Brickworld events, and for any and all promotional purposes.
-Limit one (1) entry per director.
-To submit, fill in the entry form (which includes an upload link for your film) by Wednesday, June 4th, 2025.
-The attendees and judges of Brickworld Chicago will vote on the films to decide the winners. There will be three main winners of the festival with four new subcategories.
Best of Brickworld Chicago Film – Attendee
Decision Type: Other
Award for the film submitted by a convention attendee that receives the most votes from the audience at the festival screening.
Best of Brickworld Chicago Film – International
Decision Type: Other
Award for the film submitted by any of the filmmakers that receives the most votes from the audience at the festival screening.
Best of Brickworld Chicago Film – Judges' Choice
Decision Type: Judged
Award for the film submitted by a convention attendee that is the best combination of technical, visual, aural, and storytelling elements as deemed by the Cinema Judging Team.
Brickworld Chicago Film Festival - Best Sound
Decision Type: Judged
Award for the film submitted to the Brickworld Film Festival by a convention attendee that demonstrates the best use of sound design, sound editing, and mixing to enhance the storytelling. Additional factors can include an original score, use of silence, and how effectively the sound supports the film's narrative, mood, and emotional impact.
Brickworld Chicago Film Festival - Best Technical Animation
Decision Type: Judged
Award for the film submitted to the Brickworld Film Festival by a convention attendee that demonstrates the most impressive use of LEGO as an animation medium. Key factors can include use of the 12 animation principles and innovative animation techniques.
Brickworld Chicago Film Festival - Best Screenplay
Decision Type: Judged
Award for the film submitted to the Brickworld Film Festival by a convention attendee that demonstrates outstanding writing through originality (or effective adaptation), strong narrative structure, well-developed characters, and impactful dialogue. Additional factors can include wit, humor, pacing, or strong thematic elements.
Brickworld Chicago Film Festival - Best Production Design
Decision Type: Judged
Award for the film submitted to the Brickworld Film Festival by a convention attendee that demonstrates the filmmaker’s impressive building skill to create MOCs and use build techniques to create a unique, immersive world with the LEGO medium. Key factors can include attention to detail, originality, and cohesion that work to enhance the narrative.
Please check out the official rules HERE and entry form HERE.
Official Rules
-Your film should use LEGO elements to tell a story. It can be animated or live action, or a combination of the two.
-Your film must be longer than 30 seconds and shorter than 5 minutes and 3o seconds in length.
-Your film must not have been submitted to any previous Brickworld Film Festival.
-Your film does not need to incorporate the “Braving the Elements” theme, but it is highly encouraged.
-Anyone can enter a film in the festival, but you must be a Registrant of Brickworld Chicago to be eligible for all the prizes and trophies – except for the International Trophy and Gift Card which every valid entry qualifies for.
-Films should be enjoyable by all ages. Film content such as (but not limited to) curse words/swearing, excessive violence, sexual content, and drug use will be grounds for disqualification at the discretion of the judges.
-By entering your film for consideration, you attest that you hold all rights to exhibit the given work. This includes (but is not limited to) visuals, music, and characters. Unlicensed use of copyrighted material is not allowed.
-By submitting your film, the Brickworld Film Festival is granted the right to use and/or publish clips or the full videos, screenshots, director and crew names, and any other material related to an entry in the event program, the Brickworld Film Festival screening, the Brickworld website, re-screenings at future Brickworld events, and for any and all promotional purposes.
-Limit one (1) entry per director.
-To submit, fill in the entry form (which includes an upload link for your film) by Wednesday, June 4th, 2025.
-The attendees and judges of Brickworld Chicago will vote on the films to decide the winners. There will be three main winners of the festival with four new subcategories.
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