12th Annual Study Abroad Film Festival

This October, we invite you to join us to celebrate the power of student storytelling through film at our 12th annual Study Abroad Film Festival! 

Over the past ten years, 600+ 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 27, 2026 at the Chicago History Museum for a screening of our Finalist films, a live announcement of the Grand Prize 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!

Schedule:

• 5:30–6:00 PM — Opening Reception
• 6:00–7:30 PM — Film Festival Screening & Grand Prize Announcement
• 7:30–10:00 PM — Closing Reception

Date: October 27th, 2026

Time: 5:30 PM CT

Venue: Chicago History Museum, Chicago, IL

Ticket information coming soon!

In 2025, we took the Film Festival international for the first time, celebrating our 11th Annual Study Abroad Film Festival in Vienna—the city where IES Abroad began more than 70 years ago. Charlie Dermody (Indiana University | IES Abroad Milan, Fall 2024) took home the Grand Prize for his heartfelt film "Maybe." Our Festival and Charlie even earned a segment on WGN Daytime Chicago—check out all the media coverage.

Founded in 2014, the IES Abroad Study Abroad Film Festival was the first student-focused study abroad film festival in the industry. For over ten years, the 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. Our 2020 Festival was hosted virtually due to Covid, and we were excited to return to an in-person Festival in 2022 hosted by Patrick Jager, an IES Abroad Vienna alum and award-winning, multi-discipline media executive. 2024 marked the 10th anniversary of the Film Festival, and was a testament to the timelessness of student storytelling.

The Film Festival event has raised more than $1,00,000 for IES Abroad Scholarships, and more than 160+ colleges and universities have been represented through 600+ student film submissions. To get a sense of the magic of this event, peruse our past film festivals.

Browse Past Film Festivals