INDIANAPOLIS — The 2024 Indy Shorts International Film Festival (Indy Shorts) concluded on Sunday, July 28, with a record number of film submissions (5,130), filmmakers in attendance (200+) and short films programs (34).
Indy Shorts presented over $35,000 in cash prizes at the Awards Presentation on Saturday, July 27 at Tinker House Events. The three Grand Prize-winning films, “Crust” (Jens Kevin Georg, Germany), “Wouldn’t Make It Any Other Way” (Hao Zhou, United States), and “The Brown Dog” (Jamie-James Medina & Nadia Hallgren, United States) received their qualification for the 2025 Academy Awards in their respective categories and $5,000 in cash awards.
There were more Hoosier films in the Indy Shorts lineup than ever before with a total of 32 shorts films from filmmakers with Indiana connections. The Indiana Spotlight Award and the $2,000 cash prize was presented to directors Adam Oppenheim & Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian for their film, “Saving Superman.”
The Audience Choice Award Winners were announced on Monday, July 29. The Overall Audience Choice Award and $2,000 cash prize went to “Jane Austen’s Period Drama” by Julia Aks & Steve Pinder (United States). This short film also won the Indy Shorts Comedy Award and a $1,000 cash prize.
Director Michael Gabriele, who won the Horror Audience Choice Award for “Get Away” in 2023, repeated again this year with “Room Tone” (United States), earning a $500 cash prize. “Room Tone” also won the Horror Award and a $1,000 cash prize.
Director Cindy Lee’s “The Last Ranger” (South Africa, United States) won the Narrative Audience Choice Award along with a $500 cash prize. World Premiere documentary “In The Paint” (United States), directed by Jonathan Cipiti, earned Documentary Audience Choice and $500, and Director Toby Cochran’s “LUKi & the Lights” (United States) garnered the Animated Audience Choice Award.
The Indiana Spotlight Audience Choice Award and $500 cash prize went to “The Ice Cream Man” by Robert Moniot (United States, The Netherlands).
Director Ballard C. Boyd’s “Night Session” starring Richard Kind, took home the Comedy Audience Choice Award and $500. “The Lake in the Sky” (United States) by Caleb Reese Paul pulled in the High School Film Competition Audience Choice Award and a $500 cash prize.
