LYNDA GOEKE-KATZ AND DON KATZ ANNOUNCED AS CINEMANIA HONORARY CO-CHAIRS AND THE CINEMANIA COMMITTEE CHAIR IS KRISTI LEE
Media Contacts:
Heartland Film | Jessica Chapman, Director of Marketing jchapman@heartlandfilm.org | 317.750.3902
Heartland Film | Jessica Chapman, Director of Marketing jchapman@heartlandfilm.org | 317.750.3902
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(January 5, 2026) - Cinemania Presented by F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co., Heartland Film's signature fundraising event, returns for year three on Friday, April 17, 2026 at The Crane Bay Event Center. Known for its immersive themed experiences, the inaugural Cinemania's theme in 2024 was "A Tribute to The Beatles in Film" followed by "A Tribute to Dance Films of the '80s" in 2025 (Links to view the 2025 Cinemania recap video and photos). In 2026, Heartland Film celebrates westerns with the Cinemania theme, “A Tribute to Western Films.” The interactive evening fundraiser draws inspiration from classic tales including "The Magnificent Seven," "Wild Wild West" and "The Harder They Fall." Attendees are encouraged to lasso up their fellow outlaws for a night of saloon sips, rustic feasts, boot-stomping entertainment and yeehaw worthy surprises!
F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co. has returned as the Marquee Sponsor for Cinemania 2026. Sponsorships are available at $5K, $10K and $25K levels and include benefits ranging from name and logo recognition to private studios. Sponsorship details can be found here. Individual tickets are $300. There are also Party 12-Packs and Party 6-Packs ($250/ticket). Tickets and Party Packs are available for purchase at CinemaniaIndy.org.
Cinemania 2026 is proud to announce that the Honorary Chairs are Lynda Goeke-Katz & Don Katz. The Cinemania Committee is lead by Committee Chair Kristi Lee. The Cinemania Committee includes Kelly Alexiou, Vicki Bohlson, Charla Booth, Terry Bowdell, Beth Breymier, Heather Brogden, Brayton Dewey, Michael Durr, Cori Korn, Fred Lockett, Amy Pauszek, Lisa Breall, Christopher Schneider, Ben Shine and Neelu Sondhi.
Since 1991, Heartland Film's mission has been to curate, promote and celebrate thoughtful and engaging films. Cinemania supports the non-profit arts organization's film festivals, community events and education program. Through sponsors, donations, ticket sales and event activations, Heartland Film brought in roughly $500,000 between 2024 and 2025 from this event. You can learn more about Heartland Film and Cinemania at HeartlandFilm.org.
About Heartland Film, Inc.
Heartland Film is a nonprofit arts organization that runs the 11-day Heartland Film is a nonprofit arts organization that runs the 11-day Heartland International Film Festival in October, the Academy Award®-Qualifying Indy Shorts International Film Festival in July, the Truly Moving Picture Award and other year-round programs. Based in Indianapolis, Heartland Film was founded in 1991 with the mission to curate, promote and celebrate thoughtful and engaging films. Over the years, Heartland Film has presented $3.5 million in cash prizes – the largest total amount awarded by any film festival in North America – presented 200+ studio films with the Truly Moving Picture Award, and showcased more than 2,000 feature and short films, including 10 Oscar®-winning short film titles. MovieMaker Magazine named both the Indy Shorts and Heartland International Film Festival on the Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World list for 2023, 2024 and 2025. The 9th Annual Indy Shorts Film Festival is scheduled for July 21-26, 2026 and the 35th Heartland Film Festival will run October 8-18, 2026. For more information, www.HeartlandFilm.org.
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