Each year, the Chicago International Film Festival screens more than 100 feature films, nearly half of them making either its regional, national or in some cases world premiere. The International Feature Film Competition celebrates films from around the globe and awards prizes for Best Film, Best Director and Best Performances. The New Directors Competition honors the up-and-coming artists that are just making a name for themselves. The Special Presentations section of the festival is a non-competitive screening of films from around the world that have a powerful message to tell. Docufest, Short Subjects, World Animation and Student Productions competitions award $2,000 to the top winner and embraces forms of filmmaking that the mainstream tends to overlook. In addition, the festival celebrates diversity with its World Discoveries, Black Perspectives, Cinema of the Americas and Chicago
