Far from the skyscrapers and tightly-packed production companies of Downtown, the city's Dunning neighborhood seemed to upstart filmmaker Giancarlo Iannotta like the perfect location for the opening of his first feature-length movie. But it didn't come without challenges.

"We kept having to pause because of a plane flying right over our heads every three minutes," Iannotta laughed. "I think the sound guy was ready to kill us." Iannotta has used the Northwest Side as his canvas for short films and commercials, and he teamed with his uncle to launch Molise Films in Jefferson Park last year.