📽️ Our 2025 Study Abroad Film Festival Finalists Are Here! Vote for Your Favorite!

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IES Abroad
 September 17, 2025
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This year's selection of Finalists includes creatively crafted short films that are sure to ignite wanderlust and instill a profound appreciation for the transformative impact of the study abroad experience. Through these visual journeys, the Film Festival helps increase the awareness of the benefits of studying abroad to new audiences.

Drum roll, please! The 2025 Film Festival Finalists are ...

  • Found Self | Catherine Grace Maher (Grove City College) IES Abroad Rome Internship | Summer 2024
  • Las Bingueras| Anya Jiménez (University of Southern California) Galapagos Islands Direct Enrollment - GAIAS | Spring 2025
  • Maybe | Charlie Dermody (Indiana University) | IES Abroad Milan - Fashion Design & Merchandising | Fall 2024

Watch the Films and Vote For Your Favorite! 

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How to Vote for Your Favorite Film

You can vote now through October 1st at noon CT! All votes are confidential until the winner is announced at the IES Abroad Study Abroad Film Festival in Vienna, Austria on Thursday, October 16th at Das MuTh Concert Hall. 

IES Abroad is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year! As part of our celebration, we'll be taking our 11th Annual Study Abroad Film Festival internationally for the first time EVER as we head to Vienna to honor our roots where IES Abroad began in 1950.

Please note that this year's Film Festival in Vienna is invite-only, and we look forward to welcoming a broader audience when the Festival returns to Chicago next year.

Vote Now

The finalists are selected by our esteemed Film Festival Jury, who assess the films based on how they capture the spirit of study abroad, production quality, entertainment, and originality. Comprised of accomplished IES Abroad alumni and film studies-related faculty from IES Abroad Centers across the globe, the jury brings their talent and expertise as screenwriters, writers, producers, directors, and editors, and a deep-rooted passion for study abroad. 

About the Film Festival

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Grand Prize Winner

The winner will receive a $1500 prize!

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Taking on Vienna

It's our first international Film Festival!

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The One and Only Study Abroad Film Festival

The Film Festival was founded in 2014.

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Each Film is Student Directed & Produced

We received more than 600 films in the last 11 years.

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Supporting Future Students

A student at the winner's school will receive a $5000 scholarship.

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Making an Impact

We've raised more than $1M in support of study abroad scholarships.

Check Out the Finalists

✰ “Found Self” | by Catherine Grace Maher, Grove City College, IES Rome Internship, Summer 2024

✰ “Las Bingueras” | Anya Jiménez, University of Southern California, Galapagos Islands Direct Enrollment (GAIAS), Spring 2025

✰ “Maybe” | Charlie Dermody, Indiana University, IES Abroad Milan - Fashion Design & Merchandising, Fall 2024

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“I can hardly believe that what began as a small idea 11 years ago has grown into a global celebration of storytelling that continues to touch lives around the world. This year is especially meaningful as we mark IES Abroad’s 75th Anniversary by hosting the Festival internationally for the first time in Vienna, where our story began. The 11th Annual Study Abroad Film Festival is not only a showcase of creativity and resilience but also a powerful reminder of the transformative impact of study abroad. These Finalists have once again raised the bar, and I’m thrilled to share their remarkable journeys with our community.”
Amy Ruhter McMillan • Executive Vice President of Global Marketing & Institutional Relations and Founder of the IES Abroad Study Abroad Film Festival

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