Heartland Film to host 8th Indy Shorts International Film Festival

INDIANAPOLIS — Officials with Heartland Film recently announced the lineup for the eighth annual Indy Shorts International Film Festival, an Academy Award-qualifying event that will showcase more than 250 short films from filmmakers around the world.

From July 22-27, the films will be showcased through streaming or at in-person screenings at Living Room Theaters and Newfields, including the Tobias Theater, the Amphitheater and the Beer Garden.

According to a news release, the Indy Shorts festival will include 253 short films, including:

• Films from 36 countries
• 172 film premieres, including:
  • 42 world premieres
  • 18 U.S. premieres
  • 112 Midwest premieres.

The release said more than 200 filmmakers are expected to attend the event, with nearly every screening having a filmmaker Q&A session afterwards. The films are curated into 39 themed programs, including three Indiana Spotlight Programs made up of 19 films by filmmakers with Hoosier ties.

Some of the actors that are performing in some of the fims featured in this year’s festival include:

• Lena Headey – “Game of Thrones,” “The Purge,” “300”
• André Holland – “Moonlight,” “Passing”
• Sophia Di Martino – “Loki,” “Yesterday”
• Poppy – a Grammy-nominated musician.

“Indy Shorts has built an internationally-renowned grassroots reputation for strong thematic programming, top-tier hospitality and creating a summer camp atmosphere where filmmakers become fast friends and long-lasting collaborators,” Heartland Film’s Artistic Director Greg Sorvig said in the release.

Indy Shorts is an Academy Award-qualifying festival in all three of the ceremony’s short film categories, including live action, documentary and animated. The release stated that the three grand prize-winning films will receive Oscar qualification in their respective categories.

In the festival’s tenure, films have received 39 Academy Award nominations and 10 have been Oscar winners. Indy Shorts is also a qualifying film festival for the BAFTA and Goya Awards. Filmmakers are competing for more than $35,000 in cash prizes.

On Thursday, Jessica Chapman, the director of marketing at Heartland Film, joined the FOX59 Morning News to talk about this year’s festival, what attendees are able to expect and why this festival is important to the filmmakers.

To purchase tickets and to see a full film schedule, click here.