CIFF

Attention all student filmmakers!

The 8th Annual Centrally Isolated Film Festival (CIFF) is seeking submissions from talented student filmmakers for this year's competition.

Submission is free!

Submission deadline: March 1, 2021

Email your submission to ciff@cornell.edu. YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox, etc., are accepted. 

Submission Guidelines

  • Any narrative, documentary, or experimental student films
  • Films must be 20 minutes or less in length
  • Maximum two submissions per person

Submission Checklist

Email a link to your submission to ciff@cornell.edu with the following materials and information: 

  • Film title
  • Your name
  • Link to film and password, if the link is private
  • Category that most closely describes your film (Narrative, Documentary, Experimental)
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Institution
  • Degree Program (BA, BFA, MFA, or MA/PhD)
  • Graduation year
  • How you heard about the Centrally Isolated Film Festival

Cash Prizes:

1st place (per category): $200

Selected films will be screened online from April 22–30, 2021 at bit.ly/centrallyisolatedfilmfestival.

The Centrally Isolated Film Festival seeks to bring together student filmmakers from universities and colleges in the Northeast. For more information, please contact:

Student Organizer: 

  • TBA

Faculty Advisor:     

List of CIFF Awardees

2021 Awardees

Best Narrative Film

The Bag—Sam Azghandi, Syracuse University

Honorable Mention: Remember Me in Therapy—Jacob Mollot, Ithaca College

Best Documentary Film

What An Ivy League Restaurant Taught Me About Success—Ryan Ng

Honorable Mention: Jornada—Mary Conlon, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY

Best Experimental Film

Bibi Amir—Zelikha Zohra Shoja, Syracuse University

Honorable Mention: Pictorial Abstraction—Nick Rockwood, Binghamton University

Audience Award

Winner: La Cena Italiana—Alex Chu, Colgate University

Honorable Mention: Panto—Justin d'Emilio, Ithaca College

2020 Awardees

Best Documentary

The Butterfly Effect—Jeremy Coyle, Cornell University

Best Narrative Film

Distant Interiors—Kieu-Anh Truong, Syracuse University

Best Experimental Film (tie)

In Transit—Ruby Que and Iyanah Bativala, Cornell University

Untitled—Wanrong Zhen, Syracuse University

Audience Award

정리해 (Make it Clean)—Nicholas (Nick) Fletcher, Sergio Muñoz, and Hyunjun (Alex) Ryu, Syracuse University

2019 Awardees

Best Documentary
Ms. Jackson—Nate Bellavia, Rochester Institute of Technology

Best Narrative Film
an American family—Kieu-Anh Truong, Syracuse Universiity

Best Experimental Film
CRW no. 1—Katiana Weems, Syracuse University

Audience Award
XXX—Danial Khan, Syracuse University

2018 Awardees

Best Documentary
DACAmented—St. Clair Detrick-Jules, Brown University

Best Narrative Film
O.B. and the Galactic Three in: The Staff of Funk—Evan Montgomery, Ithaca College

Best Experimental Film
Building Room—Claire G. McClusky, Ithaca College

Audience Award
ZVOOV—Lee Manor, SUNY Purchase

2017 Awardees

Best Documentary
Pig—Holly McHahon, Rochester Institute of Technology

Best Narrative Film
What Comes From a Swamp—Tyler Macri, Ithaca College

Best Experimental Film
Astral Migrant—Emilio Seri, City College of New York

Audience Award
Let's Rob a Fucking House—Casey Creveling, Ithaca College

2016 Awardees

Best Narrative Film
How They Fall—Tyler Macri, Ithaca College

Best Documentary Film
Paul's Ride—Benjamin Davis, SUNY Purchase

Best Experimental Film
Trash Fever—Kristi Gogos, Ithaca College 

2014–15 Awardees

Best Narrative Film
Pluto—Christopher Maher, Ithaca College

Best Documentary Film
Beats of the Southern Style—Samantha Yu and Adam Mantell, Ithaca College

Best Experimental Film
Burn After Viewing—Daniel Torres, Cornell University

Audience Award
Kids Making Things Happen—Jake Geller and Jesse Kreuzer, Cornell University

2013 Awardees

Best Film
Winter Rye—Victoria DeMartin, SUNY Purchase

Best Screenplay
The Playground—Rachel Ellicott, Cornell University

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