Futuristic factories and boreholes harvesting geothermal steam serve as beacons of familiarity in the face of an unknown future.

"I attended the 2010 festival shortly before moving to Chicago for graduate school later that Fall. CUFF was a huge part of why I ended up deciding on Chicago in the first place. I had first attended the festival in 2007 to screen one of my first films. Since then, CUFF has continued to be a huge supporter of my work. One of the things I appreciate most about CUFF is that they screen a lot of work by so-called “emerging” and “no-name” artists. They simply focus on showing the most exciting and innovative work out there, encompassing a diversity of voices and approaches and appealing to a range of tastes. To me this makes CUFF one of the most exciting, dynamic, and fun festivals. You will see work here that you won’t see anywhere else. But to me, CUFF isn’t just about great films, it’s about the community that CUFF cultivates. During the 2010 festival, CUFF’s hospitality team set me up with a place to stay at the Nightingale Cinema. Sleeping on an air mattress at the Nightingale during the festival turned into two years of living there. The people I met at CUFF turned into my best friends, my future roommates, my collaborators. Thank you, CUFF, for bringing people together and for continuing to find ways to bring us together in these difficult times. Love!" - Marianna Milhorat