Independent films have their own TV channel these days, so why not their own film series in Athens?

The ongoing independent film series iFilms, at the Athens-Clarke County Library, began in 2005.

After showing mainstream films on Thursdays for years, the library staff decided to bring an independent and foreign twist to the film series.

“These are not films that you’re likely to find at the chain video stores. Most of the films that we show also enlighten the viewer in some way,” said Stacey Overstreet, the public relations specialist for the library.

“Whether it is a foreign film that pushes some boundaries or a documentary that sheds light on a new subject, the viewers should leave with new information, new thoughts or new ideas,” she said.

Earlier this year, iFilms featured movies such as “Last Dance,” “girlhood” and “Black Gold,” all with their own unique plots and insights.

Tonight, the series continues with its last film for March, “Sister Helen.”

The award-winning documentary revolves around a woman’s recovery from her alcoholism after the death of her sons and husband to substance abuse. She fights her addiction and recovers from her devastating loss, as well as acting as a director of a halfway house for addicts.

“The series includes films that explore various issues that affect our society,” said Carrie Mumah, a public relations assistant at the library. “Simply watching the news, television shows and popular films is not sufficient. I think we often get caught up in these forms of mass media and miss out on learning about other cultures, issues and viewpoints.”

After the movies are shown for iFilms, they’re put into the library’s collection for patrons to check out.

Next month, the series begins with the 2006 documentary “Sentenced Home” about three Cambodian men’s struggles after being unfairly deported out of the United States for crimes they already served time for. The film will be shown and followed by a brief discussion April 5.

“The first film shown each month during iFilms is a preview of a film that will be shown at a later date on PBS as part of the Emmy Award-winning weekly documentary series called ‘Independent Lens,’” Mumah said about “Sentenced Home.”

iFilms will continue at the library this year, showing independent and international films every Thursday, and it’s free for the general public.

“We choose films that are unique and have some educational or artistic value,” Overstreet said.