Beyond Fest, the largest genre film festival in the United States, is proud to announce its first geographical expansion. Built in partnership with Chicago’s iconic Music Box Theatre, this new evolution of Beyond Fest will take place April 2–5, 2026, bringing four days of all-killer-no-filler, cinematic excess and celebration. Submissions for Beyond Chicago are now open through FilmFreeway, inviting filmmakers from around the globe — especially those from Chicago, the Midwest, and the Great Lakes region — to bring their wildest, weirdest, and most uncompromising visions to screen with one of the nation’s most passionate film communities.
