CUFF bills itself as the longest-running underground film festival in the world, and the 33rd edition packs five days of genre-defying shorts and features into the Gene Siskel Film Center on State Street. The last three days fall on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so the weekend is the densest stretch of the program. It closes Sunday night with the world premiere of A Stranger Has No Eyes, with the director staying for a Q&A.
What to expect
Screenings at the Film Center, with filmmaker Q&As, panels and nightly after-parties around the program. Passes and individual tickets are sold through the festival's Eventive page rather than the Film Center box office.
Good to know
- The festival runs Wednesday, September 23 through Sunday, September 27, 2026.
- Opening night was NOVA '78 on Wednesday, September 23 at 8 p.m.; the closing film screens Sunday at 7 p.m.
- Tickets and passes are handled on cuff33.eventive.org, and the schedule there lists each program's time.
- The Film Center is at 164 N. State Street in the Loop.
- Programs are grouped into shorts blocks and features, so check the running time of the block you pick.
Going? Keep it.
Also in Downtown, the Loop & West Loop
More film this weekend
Common questions
Where does the festival screen?
The Gene Siskel Film Center at 164 N. State Street in the Loop.
What closes the festival?
The world premiere of A Stranger Has No Eyes on Sunday, September 27 at 7 p.m., with a director Q&A.