The craze for mainstream cinema is quite unparalleled in Chennai. Most cinema halls in the city do brisk business even on weekdays. But if you are the kinds, who looks beyond the commercial genre and enjoy the alternative national and international cinema, you should check our list of options in town, that organize regular screenings.

Cinema Rendezvous

This is a Chennai film club that organises screenings and post-screening discussions at Hotel Savera. Started by Shylaja Chetlur, it aims to connect film buffs, professionals, students, young filmmakers & other creative artists in lively discussions that will have an impact on each other’s outlook. With one screening per month on every second Saturday morning, it brings some great movies from across the globe for the Chennai cinema audience. ’ reach in Chennai’s artistic as well as film-related circles brings in endless possibilities for fun and joyful camaraderie built on mutual love for Cinema.

Madras Film Screening Club

This club is actually a public Facebook group that has world cinema enthusiasts from across the city. It hosts film screenings, guides for various film festivals and even gives out information about good films to watch. It was formed in June 2016 and lets viewers be a part of discussions, held after each film’s screening. The operations are handled by a large group of people, none of who have a film background.

Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation

(ICAF) is a registered non-profit organization working for the promotion of parallel and non-commercial cinema in Chennai by organizing periodical screenings of world-class films. ICAF started organizing – CHENNAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (CIFF) – from the year 2003 with the state government extending its support from 2008. Each edition of CIFF has seen a gradual growth in terms of attendance as well as popularity. Apart from organizing CIFF, ICAF is mainly an active film society screening world cinema on a monthly basis for all the other 11 months of the year. It organises at least two film festivals every month in association with various embassies and consulates in the city.

Alliance Francaise

The Alliance Française of Madras works to promote the cultural relations between India and France in Tamil Nadu and needs no introduction. The place organises screenings of French cinema on a regular basis. They usually have a couple of films screened every month and it is open to all. The films have English subtitles and the place gets a pretty decent crowd of cinema enthusiasts from across the city.