While most cities never get a whiff of the limited-release films and indie gems, Chicagoans are luckier than most when it comes to catching award-winning films (and really, cinema in general) beyond the standard Hollywood fare.
Thanks to a host of options for screening alternative movies, Chicago has a venue, a festival or event for whatever the foreign language masterpiece, important documentary or art-house specialty may be. Bonus: many of the non-mainstream picks are bargains compared to the ticket and concession prices at some of the city's major cineplexes.
Sure it's not Sundance, but in addition to all the places to catch a film, Chicago is home to several outstanding festivals including the Chicago International Film Festival, the Chicago Underground Film Festival, the Chicago Latino Film Festival and the Englewood Film Festival, among many others.
Perhaps best of all, Chicago's alt-film scene doesn't strictly cater to film snobs; the diverse community of move lovers in Chicago is a wide and welcoming one for ages, languages and genre buffs of all sorts. HuffPost gathered some of the top picks for alternative cinema screenings around town.
