The 2026 Lake County Film Festival

The Lake County Film Festival celebrates its Sweet 16 this year as an annual showcase of bold, independent cinema, bringing a dynamic mix of narrative features, documentaries, and short films to Chicago’s northern suburbs. Now in its 16th year, the festival transforms venues including the College of Lake County in Grayslake, The Antioch Theater in Antioch, and the Gorton Center in Lake Forest into gathering spaces for adventurous storytelling, filmmaker conversations, and community celebration.

Opening Night features Nuisance Bear, winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature Documentary at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, setting the tone for a lineup that spans high-profile festival standouts and powerful regional voices. The festival closes with All Skate, a documentary about the history of roller skating rinks directed by April Wright, a Lake County native whose family owned the Park Roller Rink in Zion. Additional highlights include The Last Dive and Honeyjoon from Tribeca; Tight & Nerdy, a vibrant documentary about a “Weird Al” Yankovic–themed burlesque troupe; and The Age of Audio, an inside look at the world of podcasting featuring Marc Maron, Kevin Smith, Ira Glass, and other influential voices. The lineup also showcases regional filmmaking, including Not If I See You First, a documentary about Chicago’s Green Mill Jazz Club, Cycle, which explores a police killing in Racine, and Adam Seidel’s crime drama Anywhere.

Beyond its feature films, the festival presents a robust slate of short film programs, including Animated Shorts, Local Shorts, and its four-part “Identities” series spotlighting stories from Asian-American and Jewish-American filmmakers, as well as two programs centered on African-American experiences — one documentary-focused and one narrative-driven. From internationally recognized award winners to deeply personal local stories, the Lake County Film Festival continues to champion daring perspectives and the shared magic of experiencing film together on the big screen.