INDIANAPOLIS – Heartland Film, Inc. recently announced the film lineup for the upcoming Indy Shorts International Film Festival (Indy Shorts), Indianapolis’ only short film festival and an Academy Award-qualifying event. The festival is expected to be the largest of its kind in the Midwest, with 152 films shown. Indy Shorts will exclusively feature films less than 40 minutes in length, and it will be held at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields on July 25-28. Tickets to the films are available online at indyshorts.org for $12. VIP passes are also available for the weekend.
This is the second year for the Indy Shorts International Film Festival, which offers a showcase for short narratives, animated shorts, and short documentaries and cash prizes for categories. Shorts created by high school students have their own categories and prizes. This year, Indy Shorts received over 3,000 submissions from 98 countries. Almost half of the films were directed by women. In addition to showing films, Indy Shorts hosts several special events, workshops and panel discussions. Finalists will be shown in blocks beginning Friday evening.
Special screening blocks include Best of Southeast Asia: 9Fest on Sunday, July 28 at 12:15 p.m. and the San Diego Jewish FF Joyce Forum Winners at the JCC on Sunday, July 28 at 1 p.m. 
Of notable significance are the Indiana Spotlight short films which showcase talented filmmakers from the Hoosier state. To qualify for this category, the films must have either a director or producer with former/current Indiana residency and/or the majority of the film must have been shot in Indiana. Brentwood, starring Brent Spiner (Data from “Star Trek: Next Generation”) and LaVar Burton (Geordie LaForge from “STNG”), Golden Voices featuring paranormal investigator Radha Laburnum tracking Indiana activity, and documentary The Slower Path set in Spencer, Indiana, fall in this category. In addition, Singh (student film), is the true story of a Sikh man (Gurinder Singh) who has to choose between his religious beliefs and his flight to see his dying mother in her last days.
Films will be shown at Newfields, located at 4000 N. Michigan Rd. For a complete listing of films to be featured at Indy Shorts, visit indyshorts.org.
