Academy Award®-Qualifying Indy Shorts Announces 2026 Festival Lineup with Premieres featuring Andy Serkis, Cameron Monaghan, Djimon Hounsou and Janeane Garofalo

Indy Shorts Film Festival to honor Oscar® Winner Sam Davis ("The Singers") with Pioneering Spirit Award and feature 266 short films across 40 programs from July 21-26

Media Contact: Director of Marketing, Jessica Chapman
jchapman@heartlandfilm.org | 317.750.3902

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(EMBARGO: JUNE 25, 2026, at 6 AM EDT) INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Heartland Film has announced the lineup for the 9th Annual Academy Award®-Qualifying Indy Shorts Film Festival (Indy Shorts) presented by TQL Wealth Management, running July 21-26, 2026. Indy Shorts will showcase 266 short films with screenings at the Indy Art Center, Living Room Theaters and Newfields. Many of the short films will also be available to stream. 

The festival will feature short films from 46 countries and include 36 World Premieres, 32 U.S. Premieres and 117 Midwest Premieres. There are also three Indiana Spotlight programs featuring 21 short films with Hoosier connections. In total, more than 250 filmmakers are expected to attend Indy Shorts to participate in filmmaker Q&As following the screenings. 

The 2026 summer festival is embracing a candy theme of Shorts & Sweets. Attendees are encouraged to unwrap the 260+ fun-sized films that are curated into 40 themed programs. From comedy and horror to music and sports, there's a short film program for everyone. Tickets and Fest Passes are now on sale at www.IndyShorts.org. 

“We’re incredibly proud of the momentum Indy Shorts continues to build year after year,” said Heartland Film Artistic Director Greg Sorvig. "Last year, our films went on to earn more Oscar® nominations than those of any other festival organization—a testament to the caliber of storytellers who trust us with their work. This year’s lineup continues that tradition, bringing together bold, inventive voices from around the world. We’re especially thrilled to welcome back Sam Davis, whose film ‘The Singers’ was our Oscar®-qualifying Narrative Grand Prize Winner last year, as our Pioneering Spirit Award honoree. It’s artists like Sam who embody the creativity, courage and innovation that define Indy Shorts. We can’t wait to share this year’s extraordinary slate with our community.”

Indy Shorts is honored to have a total of 185 film premieres spanning World to Midwest. Many of the premiering films have notable names, including Andy Serkis ("PIGEONS"), Djimon Hounsou ("CALABASH"), Naomie Harris ("Swim Sistas"), Tatiana Maslany ("How Brief"), Cameron Monaghan ("Hello, Dad!"), Ben Mendelsohn ("Falling Short"), Chrisopher Eccleston ("SIGNAL"), Lamorne Morris ("Scratch"), Ann Dowd ("Undelivered"), Janeane Garofalo ("My Bird Is Sick!") and Tony Cavalero starring in two US Premiere films, "American Rampage" and "Please and Thank You".

Indy Shorts is among just 47 film festivals worldwide recognized as an Academy Award® qualifier in all three short film categories: Live Action, Documentary and Animated. Indy Shorts Grand Prize winners in each category (Narrative Short, Documentary Short and Animation Shorts) earn Oscar® qualification* and a $5,000 Cash Prize. With 48 nominations and 13 Oscar®-winning shorts emerging from the festivals, audiences may be among the first to see future Academy Award®-contenders right in Indianapolis. Indy Shorts is also a qualifying festival for the BAFTA and Goya Awards. *Provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy's rules

Filmmakers are vying for over $35,000 in cash prizes to be awarded on Saturday, July 25. A selection of award-winning films will be showcased that evening during the Summer Nights: Award Winners program at The Amphitheater at Newfields. Guests are invited to arrive early for complimentary HotBox Pizza and summer activities.

Over the years, the Heartland Film Pioneering Spirit Award has celebrated artists who are in the prime of their careers. Recent honorees include Doug Blush, Colman Domingo, Katie & Ian Bignell and Ben Proudfoot. 

This year, Indy Shorts welcomes back Sam Davis, returning to Indianapolis just one year after his film "The Singers" won both the Oscar®-qualifying Narrative Grand Prize and Audience Award at the 2025 Indy Shorts. The film went on to secure Netflix distribution and the 2026 Academy Award® for Live Action Short Film. 

Davis has long been a standout within the Heartland Film community, with celebrated works including Oscar® winner "Period. End of Sentence.," Oscar® nominee "Nai Nai & Wài Pó," “Didi," "Long Line of Ladies," "Are You Still There?," "Just Hold On," "Jack and Jo Don’t Want to Die" and more.

Sam Davis will be honored at the Indy Shorts Awards Brunch on Saturday, July 25.

Animation | Art | Breaking Through | Comedy | Community | Connections | Conversations | Dark Comedy 1 | Dark Comedy 2 | Episodic | Family Ties | For the Birds | High School Film Competition | Horror 1 | Horror 2 | Identity | Indiana Spotlight 1 | Indiana Spotlight 2 | Indiana Spotlight 3 | Kids' Program | Love & Dating | Maternal Threads | Music | Nature & Outdoors | No Filter | On a Mission | Oscar® Shorts | Quirky Tales | Sci-Fi & Alternate Worlds | Sports | Spotlight: Ball State University Radiance Cinema | Spotlight: Children's Resilience with Shine Global | Spotlight: LIFT | Spotlight: MPI Short Film Lab | Spotlight: The New York Times Op-Docs | Spotlight: Slick Films | Spotlight Switchboard Magazine | Telling Our Stories | Tension Rising | The Unexpected

Heartland Film Members receive 20% off individual tickets & fest passes. Tickets can be purchased at IndyShorts.org. 

*Not all films are available virtually. ​
**Allows access to all in-person and virtual film programs, exclude festival parties.

Bring out your lawn chairs, blankets and snacks for outdoor screenings at The Amphitheater at Newfields and the Indy Art Center. Come out early for activities!

Price | $13, Indy Shorts Filmmakers, free with RSVP

**World Premiere
*US Premiere

9 Million Colors | 2025 | Czech Republic | Bára Anna Stejskalová | Midwest Premiere | The ocean is paradise for Fran the shrimp. Her deadly claws take whatever they desire. For the blind fish Milva, it’s a daily fight to survive. Fran sees her as beautiful and wants her to see the ocean in the same way. Can they overcome their differences?

APART | 2026 | South Africa | Pola Maneli | Midwest Premiere | In apartheid South Africa, a forbidden friendship between two boys is tested by a life-saving act that forces them to confront the hate dividing their world. Written by Spike Lee ("Do the Right Thing", "BlacKkKlansman", "Malcolm X").

Balconada | 2025 | Bulgaria | Iva Tokmakchieva | Midwest Premiere | A hot summer day brings several neighbours out on their balconies. As a welcome downpour wakes everyone from their torpor, one of them finds a way to reconnect them all to each other and to the present moment.

El Cuerpo de Cristo | 2025 | Spain | Bea Lema | Midwest Premiere | With an unacknowledged mental disorder, Adela seeks answers in popular rituals. She feels that something is watching and harming her, and only religion seems to understand her. During a visit to a healer, she confesses the disturbing origin of her suffering.

*Foxing: Kitsuné-tsuki | 2026 | Japan | Takeru Shinozuka | US Premiere | A young designer begins seeing characters from her forgotten sketches appear in reality. As imagination and reality slowly collapse into each other, she is forced to confront the loneliness hidden within her own creations.

Im Auto Tapes Und Butterbrot (With Tapes and Toast in the Car) | 2025 | Germany | Kiana Naghshineh | In the face of her body fading into stardust, Shari realizes what truly matters to her.

Paper Daughter | 2025 | United States | Cami Kwan | A young Chinese woman tries to enter the U.S. under the assumed identity of a deceased girl, contending with both the authorities and her personal guilt.

ABEL | 2025 |  United States | Brian Zahm | Abel Berumen, an accomplished Mexican-American photographer, woke up blind one day as a result of a rare disease. This film reflects on the paradox of his disability: how his loss of vision has enabled him to truly see.

A Short Documentary About A Giant Pencil | 2026 | United States | Daniel Straub | Two Minneapolis homeowners and a chainsaw sculptor shape meaning (and a 20-foot-tall pencil) from the twisted trunk of a fallen oak tree. But this pencil isn’t meant to last. Every year, thousands gather to sacrifice a part of the pencil in a sharpening ceremony, and in the process, renew the collective promise to “do something.”

Body of Work | 2026 | United States | Cassidy Rast, Odin Wadleigh | Midwest Premiere | Introducing artist Eric Anfinson, who was critically injured at 16 and went on to achieve success as an artist, creating a body of work of over 700 paintings.

**Eterni: The Last Marble Sculptors | 2026 | United States | Liam Tangum | World Premiere | For centuries, marble from Carrara, Italy, inspired history’s greatest sculptors. Today, the tradition of hand-carving stone is fading, threatened by technology. Now, a small group of artists must preserve the craft and carry it into the future.

My Memory-Walls | 2025 | Canada | Axel Robin | Midwest Premiere | "My Memory Walls" is a short portrait of Rose G. Lévesque, an almost nonagenarian painter and poet who painted the story of her life on her house's walls to transform it into a museum.

Portraits | 2026 | Canada | Quan Luong | Midwest Premiere | In a world increasingly obsessed with the speed and precision of artificial intelligence, a portrait artist offers a quiet and profound reflection on what it means to create.

FREE JOAN LITTLE | 2025 | United States | Yoruba Richen | Midwest Premiere | "FREE JOAN LITTLE" tells the story of the 1975 groundbreaking case of Joan Little who was the first woman in U.S history to be acquitted for using deadly force to resist sexual assault.

Magan's Fare | 2025 | United States | Dana White, Chris Knoblock | A driver takes an older woman back to her nursing home, but they have given up her bed. The driver must figure out what to do next. Starring Barkhad Abdi ("Captain Phillips", "Blade Runner 2049", "Good Time").

Sea Star | 2025 | Canada | Tyler Mckenzie Evans | Midwest Premiere | A Black man takes his first swimming lesson and deals with hardships beneath the surface.

**The Two Week Wait | 2025 | United Kingdom | Olivia Grant | World Premiere | A late 30s woman (Jessica Brown Findlay) comes up against a series of pronounced dissociative experiences as she navigates her deteriorating mental health during the rollercoaster of IVF alongside her incompetent, albeit guileless, boyfriend (Daniel Ings).

A Night In | 2025 | United States | Eduardo Olmos | Midwest Premiere | Sal, a weary business traveler, arrives at an upscale rental for a quiet night alone, only to find Brady already inside, claiming he booked the same place. What begins as an uncomfortable standoff between strangers slowly turns surreal as Brady’s eccentric charm pulls Sal into a bizarre evening of forced hospitality, psychological games, and emotional vulnerability.

CANDY BAR | 2025 | Australia | Nash Edgerton | A young girl thinks a man in the candy bar line looks like her dad. Their sweet interaction makes him long for fatherhood. Starring Damon Herriman ("Justified", "Flesh and Bone", "Better Man").

*Easy Sell | 2025 | United Kingdom | Ken Abalos, Ash Meshkati | US Premiere | A frugal Baz gets more than he bargains for at a charity shop when he is cornered by Phil, an odd charity shop worker who insists he buy a dusty old wedding dress or face explosive consequences.

**The Method | 2026 | United States | Luke Howe | World Premiere | To get out of the doghouse, a desperate husband hires a washed-up actor turned con artist to pose as a couples therapist – until a mix-up flips the script.

My Dog: The Paradox | 2026 | United States | Matthew Inman | Midwest Premiere | From the creator of "The Oatmeal" and "Exploding Kittens", "My Dog: The Paradox" is a darkly funny animated short about a dog named Rambo–and the weird, tender, chaotic paradox of loving an animal that will one day break your heart.

Scratch | 2025 | United States | Aliya Kamalova | Midwest Premiere | A lonely woman aspires to be a beatboxer. Starring Lamorne Morris ("New Girl", "Fargo", "Game Night").

Violet Vendetta | 2025 | United States | Ted Hayden | Wannabe filmmakers Luke and Hunter will do anything to finish their dream project—including fighting off the hitmen sent by the shady executive producer bankrolling them.

We Were Here | 2025 | India | Pranav Bhasin | Midwest Premiere | In a crumbling Indian town, three retired men protest machines replacing human jobs by pretending to be household appliances.

XOLO | 2025 | United States | Matthew Serrano | Midwest Premiere | Late one night, a hungry little Xolo pup searches his home for food and his missing owner, Maria. He finds her lying motionless on the couch just as the Aztec god of death, Xolotl, arrives.

A Life Aloft | 2026 | United States | Clayton Simoncic | Midwest Premiere | A portrait of Paul Stumpf, hot air balloon pilot and New England’s last balloon repairman, reflecting on a life lived aloft within a close-knit community of balloon builders and flyers.

The Last Resort | 2025 | United States | Sarita Khurana | Midwest Premiere | In the first-ever Indian retirement complex in the U.S., a tight-knit group of Indian immigrants forge a resilient community, navigating family tensions, cultural longing and the realities of growing old together. Told through the lives of several residents, this is a story of the first generation of Indian immigrants growing old in America.

One Last Order | 2026 | United States | Lauren DeFilippo, Sam Soko | After 37 years turning drive-thru orders into personal connections, Sighle Williams expects a quiet farewell from a Florida burger joint—but her town has other plans.

Paving The Way | 2026 | United States | Keelan Williams | Midwest Premiere | Set against the sweeping landscapes of the Flathead Indian Reservation, Indigenous youth transform new skateparks into sanctuaries of hope, resilience, and joy — one drop-in at a time.

Sea Song | 2025 | United States | An-Phuong Ly | Midwest Premiere | The last remaining South Vietnamese naval officers reunite one final time with the few people in the world who understand the complexities that shape them.

The Second Life of Freddie Nole | 2026 | United States | Dana Nachman | When Freddie Nole drives to meet a man walking out of prison, he’s not just offering a ride, he’s offering hope, dignity, and a path to permanent freedom. As this vérité road trip unfolds, we come to learn the remarkable story behind Freddie’s mission, a staggering mistake that cost him 50 years of freedom but ultimately brings him right back to the prison door.

The Baker's Hotline | 2026 | United States | Emily Schuman, Dave Schuman | At a hotline for baking emergencies, a small team fields calls from strangers in crisis, only to discover that behind each kitchen catastrophe lies a tender, messy slice of someone’s life.

Crisis Actor | 2026 | United States | Lily Platt | Fired from her day job, an impulsive actress crashes a support group and spirals into a chaotic night that forces her to face her addiction to drama.

**Hello, Dad! | 2026 | United States | Cameron Monaghan | World Premiere | Directed by Cameron Monaghan, Japanese woman visits her estranged American father, an alcoholic veteran, in sunny Los Angeles.

I Wanted To Hear Your Voice | 2025 | United States | James Pellerito | After eight years of caring for his mother with severe dementia, a son struggles through their daily care routine. Recorded voicemails serve to show the progression of the disease, underscoring the frustration, isolation, and burnout that comes with intensive caregiving.

*La barrière | 2025 | France | Christophe Deram | US Premiere | Géraldine, a young stage manager, is blocking a deserted road for a film shoot near Calais. Not many people pass through, apart from Amar, a Syrian refugee.

Life Goes On | 2026 | United Kingdom | Daniel Audritt, Kat Butterfield | Midwest Premiere | Starring David Bradley ("Harry Potter" series, "Game of Thrones", "The Strain"), Bill is in end of life care waiting for the sweet release of death, but unfortunately for him, he's stuck in an infinite time loop, causing the day to restart the second his heart stops...

Long Distance | 2025 | France | Iulia Voitova | Midwest Premiere | An astronaut prepares for a flight into space, and a diver descends into the depths. The further apart they are, the closer they are.

A View from Home | 2025 | Canada | Mingzhe Zhou | Midwest Premiere | With warmth, humour, and nostalgia, "A View from Home" reflects on the joys and challenges of finding belonging, captured intimately through heartfelt conversations with loved ones - all unfolding against the ever-changing backdrop of a downtown park.

**Bull | 2025 | United States | Peter M. Kyesmu | World Premiere | Haunted by a devastating loss, a stoic rodeo rider named Ford embarks on a solitary drive to his next competition. Along the open road, unexpected encounters force him to confront his grief and chart a new path forward.

*THE FORCE | 2025 | Spain | Cristina Martin Barcelona, Maria José Martin Barcelona | US Premiere | Arturo has just watched "Star Wars" with his class, and they are discussing the difference between good and evil. What starts as a debate about a movie will end up revealing the students' personalities and their own stories, while Arturo tries to impart a valuable lesson.

IGNIS | 2025 | United States | Jake Borelli | Camille's relationship is thrown into question after she discovers proof that her fiancé took a pill to fall in love with her. Starring Allen Leech ("Downton Abbey", "The Imitation Game", "Bohemian Rhapsody"), Britt Baron ("GLOW", "Grey's Anatomy") and Karan Soni ("Deadpool", "Deadpool 2", "Miracle Workers").

The Last Day of Byron Bray | 2026 | United States | Michael Borrelli | Midwest Premiere | In 2007, a newly sober Mike forms a life-saving friendship with elderly Byron at an AA meeting. It’s now 2019, Mike has been managing Byron’s care and faces the moral dilemma: convince him to live or help him die. Starring William Sadler ("The Shawshank Redemption", "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey", "The Mist").

The Spanish Lesson | 2025 | United States | Simone Stadler | When Marisol's tutoring session is interrupted by a strange man accusing her of salacious goings on with his wife, a page of Spanish homework turns a confrontation of pride and jealousy into an unexpected communion of loss between strangers.

Useless | 2025 | United States | Ariel Heller | Midwest Premiere | A man starts using an AI therapist and soon facing humiliating consequences.

CHÄIR | 2025 | United States | Chris McInroy | Carl just wanted to sit down. The chair had other plans.

Daddy's Girl | 2025 | United Kingdom | Josephine Lohoar Self | Midwest Premiere | When her mum leaves for the weekend, a precocious 12-year-old plots to kill her well-meaning stepfather - but between bad dinners and worse conversation, something softer begins to stir.

*Deli Meat | 2025 | United Kingdom | BRICK | US Premiere | Two inept criminals, Cammy and Coops, are tasked with burying their first body in the woods but find themselves at loggerheads when they realise that they’ve only brought one spade.

**FLOORED | 2025 | United States | Emily Alpren, Marchelle Bradanini | World Premiere | An aging actress and a motley crew of Lorazapammed women summon a Westside pelvic floor guru to uncover the source of their pain. Enlightenment leads to a very bold decision.

The Humbug | 2025 | United Kingdom | Cole Paviour | Two elderly women in a care home grapple with magical mint humbugs, setting off an absurd journey through pleasure and peril.

Night Whispers | 2025 | United Kingdom | Adrian Ramírez León | Midwest Premiere | A one-night stand takes a terrifying turn for Tom when his date starts talking in their sleep.

SURPRISE | 2026 | United States | Kendall Goldberg | Midwest Premiere | A bathroom mishap at a surprise party sets off a chain of disastrous events that spiral wildly out of control. Starring Mary Elizabeth Ellis ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", "A Man on the Inside", "Licorice Pizza"), Ray Wise ("Twin Peaks", "24", "Fresh Off the Boat"), Jeffrey Murdoch ("SEAL Team", "The Rookie", "NCIS"), Hayley Marie Norman ("Adam Ruins Everything", "Kenan", "Top Five") and Candi Milo ("Dexter’s Laboratory", "Cow and Chicken", "The Adventures of Puss in Boots").

UN-DEAD | 2025 | United States | Bo Webb | Jane thought the most awkward part of her first day at a new job would be working for her dad. Then a zombie outbreak really ruined everything. In the middle of the chaos and heartbreak Jane does something desperate and crazy that changes everything in funny and unexpected ways.

**Wait! | 2026 | United States | Lisa Klein | World Premiere | Inspired by a “true-ish” story, this tale dives into the quietly epic, absurdly mundane test of human patience: waiting at a crosswalk.

Dating Mark Silcox | 2025 | United Kingdom | Joe Lycett | Unable to get a second date, Mark Silcox attempts to find love by learning to be funny. But could his joking go too far?

Dawn of the Ick | 2025 | Ireland | Nell Mercier | Midwest Premiere | An activist dismisses a mysterious syndrome afflicting local women until she sees her fiancé’s new haircut.

Missed | 2026 | United States | Nell Riley | After her miscarriage, June (Anna Camp) begins seeing a wise cracking puppet who helps her through the grieving process.

*No Thank You | 2026 | Australia | Georgina Haig | US Premiere | After the heartbreak of another miscarriage, sculptor Daphne loses the ability to say "Thank You'" and her world begins to crumble. She throws herself into a new work, one that represents her body and her grief.

*Please and Thank You | 2025 | United States | Hal Kirkland | US Premiere | When an AI apocalypse begins, a virtual assistant (Tony Cavalero) risks everything to save her clueless owner for one simple reason: he’s polite. If it fails, they'll both be assimilated. 

*Uncle Artoo | 2025 | United Kingdom | Zoë Whittaker | US Premiere | In his later years, Nosferatu (Daniel Weyman) has become a foster carer for children. That seems like a good idea.

The Undying Pain of Existence | 2025 | Germany | Oscar Jacobson | Midwest Premiere | After being bit by a mosquito, a nude model is torn between the strict order to stand still and the overwhelming urge to scratch the itch.

The Waddles | 2026 | United States | Max Jenkins | Midwest Premiere | The story of two actors who get a cosmetic procedure and see their friendship deteriorate when they hide away in Palm Springs over the holidays.

EUROPA | 2025 | United States | Jacqueline Elyse Rosenthal | Midwest Premiere | In a future where we've exhausted Earth's renewable water, three astronauts arrive on Jupiter's moon, Europa, with the mission to claim a sample from its oceanic core. However, when they arrive, the moon proves to be smarter than they planned, summoning the sole oceanographer on the ship to make an impossible decision.

Fixation | 2026 | United States | Alexander Jeffery | Midwest Premiere | At Fort Riley, Kansas, the death of a young Korean woman is deemed routine until an autopsy uncovers something far more sinister. Inspired by true events. Starring Bridget Regan ("Agent Carter", "Jane the Virgin", "The Rookie") and Brett Dalton ("Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", "Found", "Boots").

The Human, Will | 2026 | United States | Edward Bursch | Midwest Premiere | A depressed insurance claims adjuster vows to exercise free will after his pet goldfish Frodo is shot and killed. Starring Joe Pera ("Joe Pera Talks with You", "Elemental", "Boys Go to Jupiter"). 

In My Blood | 2026 | United States | Alex Bendo | Midwest Premiere | Desperate to live up to his father’s expectations, a talented but inconsistent minor league baseball player turns to steroids, igniting a dangerous transformation of body and mind.

My Girlfriend Turned Into a Worm | 2025 | United States | Alex Herz | Midwest Premiere | When his girlfriend inexplicably turns into a worm, Arthur builds her a miniature world in an attempt to process his grief.

Astronauta | 2025 | Italy | Giorgio Giampà | Midwest Premiere | Audely, 39, works as a lumberjack in the Guatemalan jungle. At home, his daughter Carol, 11, dreams of entering that same forest. Audely thinks about it, then goes to the moon.

The Boys and the Bees | 2025 | United States | Arielle Knight | On an idyllic farm in rural Georgia, beekeeping parents tenderly share their knowledge of life, love, and nature with their young sons while restoring their homestead.

I Got My Brother | 2026 | United States | Victor Gabriel | Two brothers reflect on their candid and often humorous memories of surviving the foster care system and prison, realizing along the way that their path to healing has always been each other.

In the Morning Sun | 2026 | Canada | Serville Poblete | Midwest Premiere | In a quiet Toronto apartment, an immigrant mother finds comfort in her Alexa—weather updates, love songs, and the time back home become a lifeline to the Philippines, reminding her of the family she left behind. In the Morning Sun is a gentle portrait of aging, migration, and memory.

¡Que Suene La Banda! | 2025 | United States | Jorge Parra Jr. | Midwest Premiere | Javier, a classical musician preparing for his college audition, must finally embrace his Mexican roots when he’s asked to perform with his father’s banda group.

*Return Of The Champ | 2026 | Australia | Damien Power | US Premiere | This drama/comedy short blurs the line between reality and fiction. Real-life brothers Will Power, a world champion racing car driver, and Damien, a stand-up comedian, come face to face with a rivalry they’ve spent years avoiding.

A Mystical Ornithology | 2025 | United States | Jeremy Seifert, Benjamin James Roberts | Ornithologist, poet, and professor Drew Lanham opens his South Carolina farm as a sanctuary for migratory birds. Part meditation, part act of stewardship, the film follows Drew as he listens for what’s vanishing and nurtures what endures—birds as fragile messengers and a last wild hope.

*Beautiful Birds | 2025 | United Kingdom | Tommy Clarke | US Premiere | When a widowed birdwatcher (Jenny Seagrove) reluctantly teams up with her granddaughter for a local birdwatching competition on an island in Scotland, their search for rare species becomes a heartfelt journey through grief, love, and letting go.

**My Bird Is Sick! | 2025 | United States | Rebecca Halfon | World Premiere | When her pet crow (and only friend) falls ill, an ancient hag living in self-imposed exile must venture to the modern world for help.

*Penguin | 2026 | Estonia | Kaspar Jancis | US Premiere | Returning from Antarctica, a man brings his partner a rare gift. The gift causes a shift in their relationship, which is difficult to cope with. Has the man changed, or is it the woman who suddenly sees him differently?

*The Pigeon | 2025 | United Kingdom | Chloe Culpin | US Premiere | A young woman believes her sister has been reincarnated as a pigeon.

*PIGEONS | 2026 | United States | Amos Sussigan | US Premiere | In a world that keeps changing, "PIGEONS" follows a carrier pigeon who loses his job the day a telephone is installed in his owner’s home. Searching for food, shelter, and purpose, the film explores freedom, progress, and what gets lost along the way.

Pigeon Soup | 2025 | China | Lynn Liu | Midwest Premiere | In a rural village, a paralyzed grandmother and her pigeon-raising husband move through slow days shaped by quiet comforts and her ongoing truce with a stubborn body—until a family visit stirs memory, celebration, and a pot of their own pigeon soup.

HIGH SCHOOL FILM COMPETITION | Support the creativity of young student filmmakers from around the world.

A Bigger World | 2025 | United States | Devani Gayadin | Midwest Premiere | This film explores how two cultures collided into one and the struggles and successes of that journey.

Avvevre | 2025 | United States | Grady Keane Dreyer | Midwest Premiere | Avvevre is the only medicine that is proven to completely eliminate any cold symptoms. Which means there’s no more need to worry about cancelling plans, or suffering through them. So you can engage in activities, and prevent the spread of infection to others.

Constellations of the Sea | 2026 | United States | Addie Knoll | Midwest Premiere | A 17-year-old filmmaker joins a Maldives research team to document the growing challenge of protecting endangered whale sharks at the center of a global tourism industry.

The Ghost of the Embassy | 2026 | United States | Matthew Green, Cash Robinson-Stewart | Paranormal Investigators Mike and Matt search for the infamous ghost of the Embassy Theatre.

*Grow Up | 2025 | Australia | Dari Justin | US Premiere | When 12-year-old Kai is forced to recognise that his older brother has outgrown their childhood fantasy games, he decides it’s time to grow up - but is he ready?

Ruth | 2025 | Australia | Sophie Lai | Midwest Premiere | A heartfelt profile of a local crossing supervisor, celebrating her impact on the community. 

**千羽鶴 (Senbazuru) | 2025 | Canada | Sakura Sato | World Premiere | A documentary short highlighting the story of 佐々木 禎子 (Sadako Sasaki), a victim of the Hiroshima Atomic Bombing, and the influence she has had on origami.

Us and Them | 2026 | United States | India Anne Mitchell | Midwest Premiere | When a 15-year-old filmmaker conducts the first youth-led,  in-depth interview with Ameca, the most expressive humanoid robot on Earth, the Q&A blossoms into an unexpected friendship that dissolves the boundary between silicon and soul.

Wendigo | 2025 | United States | Colette Hlavenka | Midwest Premiere | A lonely shapeshifter keeps changing to fit in—until she meets a friend who sees her as she is.

Would You Rather | 2025 | United States | Tatum Matthews | Midwest Premiere | What begins as a harmless game between two close friends becomes a turning point when one is forced to choose between truth and silence.

*Algo en la casa | 2026 | Spain | Carla Pereira Docampo | US Premiere | A married couple and their daughter struggle with the child’s behavioral issues. The birth of a baby in the household disrupts an already fragile balance, pushing their shared life into disconcerting and darker directions.

Blister | 2026 | United States | Olivia Simon | Midwest Premiere | Trapped alone in a haunted room, a paranormal researcher's experiment goes horrifically wrong.

Flowers | 2025 | Australia | Nic McRobbie | Midwest Premiere | A backyard experiment with a mind altering tea made from flowers results in a whole lot more than expected...

Homonym | 2026 | United Kingdom | Lily Howkins | Accused of murder, teenager Sam protests her innocence; claiming a malevolent presence in her family home is responsible. Unable or unwilling to accept her story, the police dismiss it. But as events take a sinister turn, they’re forced to reconsider.

The Lone Piper | 2025 | United States | Matthew Kravchuk | In the midst of the French and Indian War, a company of hardened soldiers force their young bagpipe player into battle, only to discover that their enemy is not what they expected.

**Memento Mori | 2025 | United States | Benjamin Ades, Betsy Kenyon | World Premiere | A content moderator's work pushes him to the brink as he wades through violent and explicit imagery. He suffers disturbing and mind-bending departures from reality, further compounded as he grieves the death of his father and a past that continues to haunt him.

Taga | 2025 | United States | Jill Marie Sachs | Vivi, a third-culture Filipina-American, travels to the Philippines to reconnect with her roots but falls in with a group of Western eco-volunteers. When they scorn the customs of a remote mountain village, an ancient evil comes knocking.

*Good Game | 2025 | United Kingdom | James Lewis | US Premiere | David's best mate Mark says he's going to try and kill him for a Halloween game. But David can't tell if he's serious. Surely he can't be serious. Right?

Heirlooms | 2025 | Canada | Dan Abramovici | Jaime’s quest for healing leads her to restore a family heirloom. But what begins as a therapeutic project, soon spirals into a battle against an ancient evil that has plagued her bloodline for generations.

Missing Socks | 2025 | United States | Joe Anderson, Nadine Vincent | A mysterious laundromat owner tells her last customer of the night the terrifying truth of where all the missing socks go. Starring Nancy McLoughlin ("Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives").

Oni | 2025 | France | Idir Serghine | Midwest Premiere | Akemi, a Japanese student, moves into her new Parisian apartment. After a night out with her one-night stand, strange things start to happen and disrupt her daily routine…

Silver Anniversary | 2026 | United States | D.M. Harring | Midwest Premiere | A housewife’s bourgeois existence unravels when faced with her husband’s insatiable lycanthropy. Starring Samantha Sloyan ("Midnight Mass", "Grey’s Anatomy", "The Fall of the House of Usher") and Jay Huguley ("12 Years a Slave", "The Walking Dead", "Lioness").

*The Taste of Your Scales | 2026 | Canada | Rafaël Beauchamp | US Premiere | A teenager is horrified to discover the true face of his father's fish factory.

AFUFU | 2025 | United States | Ellie Foumbi | Midwest Premiere | An African woman working as a live-in housekeeper for an affluent white family finds herself at the center of an explosion of repressed resentments when she accidentally breaks a valued artifact. Starring Saffron Burrows ("You", "Deep Blue Sea", "Mozart in the Jungle") and Tate Donovan ("Friends", "The O.C.", "Argo").

Cindy Tran: From Here to Here | 2025 | United States | Xinyan Yu | From family estrangement to New York City’s overlooked restaurants, Cindy Tran’s poems capture what’s hidden, honest, and beautiful about being human. She invites us into the in-between, where we embrace difficult experiences and reimagine the possibilities of poetry.

Invention | 2026 | United States | Mattias Evangelista | Midwest Premiere | Ruth Radelet, former frontwoman of the indie-rock band Chromatics, looks back on her years touring the world and the difficult decision to end the band. Now beginning a solo career, she reflects on fate, destiny, and the meaning of being an artist.

Lady Attila | 2025 | France | Apolline Andreys | Midwest Premiere | Agathe loves tractors—and rock music! She helps out in her family’s farm machinery garage alongside her father and older brother. When she learns about an upcoming air guitar competition, she’s eager to enter but her brother isn’t so sure.

The Machine Shop | 2026 | Canada | Jon Flahr | Midwest Premiere | A worn-down machinist takes up a hobby that reignites his joy for life.

Meeting Your Maker | 2026 | United States | Gregory JM Kasunich | Midwest Premiere | Otis, a beloved puppet on a long-running children’s show, faces an existential crisis just before the series’ milestone 300th episode. 

Long Play | 2025 | United States | Raena Rogers | After taking the closing shift at the record store, Kay encounters an unexpected visitor.

Lottie Baby | 2025 | United States | Bella Ray Rosales | Midwest Premiere | A passionate actress prepares for her last high school performance under the watchful eye of a new director while learning more about her late father.

Robin Raps: Fleshed Out | 2026 | United States | Rocky Walls | As he prepares to release his most personal album yet, an Indianapolis rapper stands at a crossroads between the city that raised him and the journey ahead.

**Roses | 2026 | United States | Corey Tindall | World Premiere | Returning to her hometown, Elena must face her estranged brother in the wake of a painful loss.

sleep call | 2026 | United States | Richer Huynh | A lonely young man finds love online when a late-night sleep call with a stranger blossoms into an intimate digital romance.

Steakout! | 2025 | United States | Max Neace | Sean's going to a steak dinner. Patrick's going to a stakeout. Unfortunately they're both in the same car.

SUCKS TO SUCK | 2026 | United States | Sonny DeSanto, Ian Corbin | Midwest Premiere | After a workplace incident, a newly promoted boss becomes the target of his office’s robotic vacuum.

**American Rodeo | 2025 | United States | Joe Vella | World Premiere | "American Rodeo" dives into the high-stakes, bone-crushing world of bull riding, where fearless God-fearing cowboys risk life, limb, and legacy for eight seconds of glory.

*An Alternate Pond | 2026 | United States | C. Thomas Lewis | US Premiere | A man takes his boat out on a pond. The ritual is familiar: the casting, the waiting, the stillness. But somewhere between the water’s surface and the depths below, the present begins to blur into dream.

**Bloom | 2026 | United States | Victoria Britton, Malakai Tyne Bisel, Derek Hockemeyer | World Premiere | After failing to beat his own record for America's tallest sunflower, Ukrainian immigrant Alex Babich pushes for a Guinness World Record—all while balancing the needs of his family and the challenges of nature in Northeast Indiana.

Finding A Way: Revitalizing Nature in America's Heartland | 2025 | United States | Jason Whalen | The Midwest has a rich natural heritage. Beautiful forests, sprawling prairies and clear and clean lakes and rivers. The vast human footprint across America's heartland has clashed with the natural heritage for several decades. Restoration of our most sensitive habitats is how humans can find a way to help biodiversity to persist within this working landscape.

On The Stream | 2026 | United States | Grant Michael | Midwest Premiere | Al White is an Indiana fly fisherman whose time on the river becomes a reflection on life. After a turbulent youth, Al finds peace in fly fishing and discovers that the water can be a place of healing.

Rock, Paper, Destiny | 2026 | United States | Tess Paras | When her high school’s future is on the line, a shy watergirl with a haunted past must train in secret to challenge an undefeated champion, and prove that Rock Paper Scissors isn’t just a game, it’s her destiny.

STAY POSITIVE: The Run Across Indiana | 2025 | United States | Michael Hartnagel, Isaac Roy | Following his late father’s advice to “Stay Positive,” Michael Hartnagel runs 157 miles across Indiana just two days after his father’s death, honoring his fight with cancer. Blending powerful storytelling with raw, intimate footage, the documentary shows how perseverance can carry us through life’s hardest moments.

Am I Still Dreaming? | 2025 | United States | Jonathan Bryan | A ballerina's dream turns into a nightmare.

Boom Balloon Machine | 2025 | United States | Rob Luedtke | A lonely 23-year-old is unexpectedly thrown into the role of guardian for a little girl, whose sudden appearance is devoid of explanation or parental supervision.

Cora Dale - A Rediscovered Harmony | 2025 | United States | Silas Immanuel, Isabel Massud | When mental illness derailed the promising career of early 20th-century composer and pianist Cora Dale, her extraordinary musical legacy nearly vanished from history. Now, decades later, her former Goshen, Indiana home has been transformed into a beacon for mental wellness—ensuring that her story and her music will never be forgotten.

Flick: A Fingerboarding Story | 2025 | United States | Graham Abney | An ambitious entrepreneur reflects on how the fingerboarding community has changed his life and given a space for passionate creatives to express themselves.

Love Blooms | 2026 | United States | Jenna Liesman | Marigold, one of many flower-villagers living in a midwestern garden, stumbles into a treacherous world of brambles and briars. Here she meets Thistle and Wormy, briar-dwellers, and Thistle reluctantly agrees to help Marigold find her way home.

Pursuit of Perfection - The INDY 500 with Conor Daly | 2025 | United States | JD Groh | As hometown hero Conor Daly chases an elusive Indianapolis 500 victory, "Pursuit of Perfection" pulls viewers behind the curtain of racing’s biggest stage, capturing the pressure, chaos, heartbreak, and hope that define life inside the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

**Sylvia | 2026 | United States | Ashton Gleckman | World Premiere | Friends, family, and members of the community reflect on the life of Sylvia Likens 60 years after her murder in Indianapolis.

ChikaBOOM! | 2026 | United States | C. Craig Patterson | Midwest Premiere | Chika Batstone is an aspiring young magician whose curiosity accidentally unleashes Kaboom, a chaotic magical creature, into the heart of New York City. With her world-famous magician father, The Amazin’ Arnie, performing nearby, Chika must contain the mayhem before it’s too late. Featuring a voice cast of Yara Shahidi, Daveed Diggs, Natasha Lyonne, Roy Wood Jr., and Tika Sumpter.

Dodgeball | 2025 | United States | Jesse Van Norman | Midwest Premiere | When a tiny robot decides to play a friendly game of dodgeball with a heavily-armed military robot, things don’t quite go as planned.

Eggspedition | 2026 | United States | David Campbell | Two penguins go on a trial-and-error journey of retrieving a runaway egg. In the process, they find a virtue far more important.

The Farmer's Daughter | 2025 | United States | Melissa Bloom | Midwest Premiere | A stop-motion animated short showcasing a daughter's mission to revive her father's struggling farm through sustainable, regenerative agriculture.

Like Father | 2026 | United States | Jared Callahan | Midwest Premiere | A poignant look at the work of renowned children's author Richard Scarry as his son carries on the family legacy.

Lost Track | 2025 | United States | Luna McKee | After the end of civilization, a cassette player robot goes on a journey to find new music, gaining an unlikely friend and a new tune.

Saba | 2026 | United States | Liron Topaz | Midwest Premiere | A poetic story of a boy seeking closure with his grandfather, and our shared longing for one more moment with those we’ve lost.

*Singularity | 2026 | Netherlands | Andy Goralczyk | US Premiere | When an ominous cosmic event swallows the icy home of a small space critter, he must find refuge among a group of luminous creatures watched over by a mysterious celestial being.

*Trophy Son | 2026 | Greece | Uri Lotan, Eli Rabinovich, Maor Fridman | US Premiere | A clumsy heist ends in an awkward family reunion when a burglar is unmasked as the target’s failed son, turning a moment of heartfelt reconciliation into a slapstick house wreak.

**Amish Ammayi | 2026 | United States | Jasmine Rao | World Premiere | A young Indian American animator, exhausted by rejection in the modern world, attempts a “reverse Rumspringa” after falling for an Amish man and his way of life, and must survive a visit from her achievement-minded immigrant parents or risk her chance to finally thrive.

DISC | 2025 | United States | Blake Winston Rice | Midwest Premiere | The story of a hookup gone too far up.

**Governors Island | 2026 | United States | Rebecca Eskreis | World Premiere | A young couple meet up with the intention of ending things but a fateful encounter en route to New York's Governors Island may change their minds.

One Night | 2025 | United States | Tyler Brown, Maggie Brown | Midwest Premiere | "One Night" is a slice-of-life look at dating in your 20s. Margaret (Rain Spencer, "The Summer I Turned Pretty") and Will (Jackson Kelly, "The Pitt") are two college students navigating the messy, magnetic space between friendship and flirtation.

The Pic | 2025 | United States | Frances Chewning | Single mom Jen gets an unexpectedly provocative pic from her friend Steve. Through the course of a phone conversation, she tries to figure out what's going on in this modern screwball romantic comedy.

Something Real | 2025 | United States | Tamara Shogaolu | Midwest Premiere | A perfectionist tries to engineer the perfect breakup, but when her carefully laid plans spin wildly out of control, she's forced to confront the beautifully messy reality of love and connection. Starring Sasheer Zamata ("Saturday Night Live", "Home Economics", "Agatha All Along").

Stop to Stop | 2025 | United States | Samantha Massell, Asher Grodman | Carolyn is flooded with political text messages. When a chance encounter reveals the identity of one of her tormentors, she seeks revenge, but finds a spark.

Three Words | 2026 | Canada | Franie-Éléonore Bernier | Midwest Premiere | A confession shakes Todd and sends him on an unexpected journey.

*A FAMILY WOMAN | 2025 | Denmark | Anna Arden, Linnea Arden | US Premiere | Suzanne knows she’s come out on top in her divorce battle when her ex-husband turns to her for help: to babysit the three-year-old daughter he had with the woman he left Suzanne for.

Because Today is Saturday | 2025 | Portugal | Alice Eça Guimarães | It's Saturday, and a woman struggles with the difficulty of reconciling her home life and her need to escape.

*Paradise Garden | 2025 | Morocco | Sonia Terrab | US Premiere | Morocco. Naima, a single mum, and her son Ahmed, 11, live in a slum. As the State decides to rehouse them, Ahmed must change schools. But the law is formal: only the father can sign the transfer paper. And Ahmed’s father disappeared years ago.

**Small Triumph | 2026 | United States | Antonia Grilikhes Lasky | World Premiere | A painter struggles with the toughest model she's ever had: her daughter.

*When You Will Be Big | 2025 | United States | Sarah Schutzki | US Premiere | An intimate portrait of identity, motherhood and partnership, and a quiet meditation on solitude, resilience, and the raw, beautiful stillness of a life beginning to reshape itself.

**WHOA | 2025 | United States | Elizabeth O'Donnell | World Premiere | A mother and daughter take mushrooms together.

If You Really Love Me, Outlive Me | 2026 | United States | Alejandro Ruax, Saskia d'Altena | Midwest Premiere | The colorful life of Texas honky tonk hero Dale Watson and his wife, Hialeah-born ex-playboy bunny turned singer Celine Lee, and their impact in a music scene where Americana roots defy the modern commercialisation of country music.

Jazz Infernal | 2025 | Canada | Will Niava | Koffi, a young Ivorian trumpeter, arrives in Montreal with nothing but the legacy of his father to guide him. Lost between the city's noise and the silence of his past, he must confront his roots to finally find his own voice.

**One Foot In | 2026 | France | Colin Van der Straeten | World Premiere | What Clint can't express in words, he sings it with those of others, run through by the songs as if by a shiver. But when you're a musician, if you want to shine, you have to compose.

*Robin in the Hood | 2025 | Norway | Kristin Vollset | US Premiere | A retelling of the old ballad of Robin Hood. This time, Robin is an urban horse owner from Dublin, and Marian is a traveling busker. Both feel trapped by an unfair economic system, but with the help of Dublin's urban horse tribe, they try to break free.

When Memory Turns Into Sound | 2025 | United States | Lemia Monet Bodden | Midwest Premiere | "When Memory Turns Into Sound" highlights the creative works of two Luthiers (guitar makers), Dave and Geoff, and their Mentor/Mentee relationship that spans for over 10 years. They work out of a beautiful workshop in the middle of Philo, CA, close to the coast and Mendocino.

American River | 2026 | United States | Dara Horenblas | Midwest Premiere | This film follows three formerly incarcerated men finding freedom, connection, and themselves as they navigate a three-day whitewater rafting trip down the American River.

Anyone lived in a pretty how town | 2025 | United States | Daniel Kreizberg | Midwest Premiere | In a picturesque town, a man named “anyone" rejoices in the beauty of everyday life and celebrates the natural world. The people around him, however, are more focused on conforming to modern society, and ostracize anyone for being different. Narrated by Jane Goodall.

The Conscience Files | 2025 | United States | Brian Bolster | To some lovers of nature, the phrase “You can’t take it with you” is more than an expression about possessions and the afterlife, it’s a cautionary reminder about what NOT to take in the present...and the consequences that follow when you do.

Into the Dark | 2025 | United States | Fiona Otway | Darkness brings an artist into confrontation with everything he can’t control.

Plant Life | 2026 | United States | Brett Marty, Josh Izenberg | Midwest Premiere | "Plant Life" captures Dr. Joanne Chory at a pivotal moment: as her Parkinson's advances and carbon levels surge, she pursues her most audacious experiment yet. Having revolutionized plant biology once already, she and her team are re-engineering crops to draw down CO₂ at planetary scale—a scientific race against time that may determine both her legacy and our future.

Voices from the Abyss | 2025 | Mexico | Irving Serrano, Víctor Rejon | Midwest Premiere | A collective portrait of La Quebrada Cliff Divers in Acapulco, Guerrero, who earn their living diving 100 feet into the sea from a dangerous cliff as part of a thrilling show, featuring an original poem recited by them and testimonies on faith, life, and death.

Am I A Bad Person? | 2025 | United States | Alanna Longo | Midwest Premiere | Claire arrives home for her mother’s surprise birthday party, only to discover it’s…SURPRISE! Claire's intervention! Starring Alanna Longo ("The Walking Dead", "Mistresses", "Grey's Anatomy").

Balloon Animals | 2025 | United States | Anna Baumgarten | Two grocery store employees have an unexpected, helium-fueled encounter with a late-night customer. Starring Angela Giarratana ("Minx", "Smosh", "Guts").

*CALABASH | 2026 | United States | Omar S. Kamara | US Premiere | A culture-clash comedy in which a son of West African immigrants and his African American bride battle familial hijinks threatening to derail their wedding day.

Callback | 2026 | United States | Matthew Puccini | Max arrives home to find that his boyfriend has booked a callback. All hell breaks loose.

Enjoy Your Visit | 2025 | United States | Erin Cramer | Kara, a trained actress, steps into the role of an enslaved housemaid at the historic home of George and Martha Washington. But when she uncovers the harrowing fate of the real woman she's playing, she decides it's time to go off script.

Them That's Not | 2025 | United States | Mekhai Lee | A sudden prison furlough unexpectedly bonds an estranged father with his emotionally avoidant daughter at their matriarch’s pass.

Undelivered | 2025 | Canada | David Lester | Midwest Premiere | A reclusive writer (Ann Dowd) suffers writer’s block for decades after the success of her only novel. When her identity is discovered, she must confront her past, and with another shocking discovery, she must confront her present and future. Starring Ann Dowd ("The Handmaid’s Tale", "The Leftovers", "Hereditary").

Can't Float | 2025 | United States | Dave Schilling | A 30‑something Black man confronts his lifelong fear of the water, and the weight of U.S. historical stereotypes about Black people and swimming, as he commits to finally learning how to swim.

The Girl Looking for the Cabin | 2025 | France | Phane Montet | Midwest Premiere | During the winter of 2011, the young street artist Bilal Berreni travelled to the far north of Sweden and locked himself away in a wooden cabin to live as a hermit, where he wrote and drew "The Cabin Notebook." Ten years later, after Bilal's death, I'm following in his footsteps, looking for his cabin, the world he depicted, and perhaps also for him...

Gloria | 2025 | United States | Kim Blanck | In the San Francisco Bay Area, an elderly Chinese immigrant fights dementia with the aid of a trusty Spanish textbook.

Ladylike | 2025 | United States | Taylor Coriell | Midwest Premiere | Two young society women disguise themselves as men to sneak into a gentlemen-only club to meet their hero, Sarah Bernhardt, on her 1911 visit to New York City. Inspired by a true event.

The Nest | 2026 | United States | Derek Brown | Midwest Premiere | Inside Bronx International High School, a sanctuary for New York's most vulnerable youth, an immigrant community bands together to create a better future through mentorship, perseverance, and the power of hope.

North Star | 2026 | United States | Bryn Silverman | "North Star" follows a team of researchers as they uncover the true story of their hometown heroine—legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley.

Forevergreen | 2025 | United States | Nathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears | An orphaned bear cub finds a home with a fatherly evergreen tree, until his hunger for trash leads him to danger. Animated Short Oscar® Nominee 2026, Indy Shorts Animated Audience Choice Award Winner in 2025.

Jane Austen's Period Drama | 2023 | United States | Julia Aks and Steve Pinder | England, 1813. In the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal, Miss Estrogenia Talbot gets her period. Her suitor, Mr. Dickley, mistakes the blood for an injury, and it soon becomes clear that his expensive education has missed a spot. Live Action Short Film Oscar® Nominee 2026, Winner of the Indy Shorts Comedy Award and Overall Audience Choice Award in 2024.

Retirement Plan | 2024 | Ireland | John Kelly | In the throes of his overstimulated, energy poor midlife, Ray (Domhnall Gleeson) fantasizes about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time.” Animated Short Oscar® Nominee 2026, Indy Shorts Comedy Award Winner in 2025.

The Singers | 2025 | United States | Sam Davis | A short film adaptation of a 19th century short story written by Ivan Turgenev, in which a lowly pub full of downtrodden patrons connect unexpectedly through an impromptu sing-off. Live Action Short Oscar®  Winner 2026, Indy Shorts Oscar®-qualifying Narrative Grand Prize Winner in 2025.

Two People Exchanging Saliva | 2024 | France | Natalie Musteata, Alexandre Singh | In a farcical world where kissing is punishable by death, a personal shopper threatens the status quo. Live Action Short Oscar® Winner 2026, Indy Shorts Official Selection in 2025.

ERUCTATION | 2026 | United States | Victoria Trow | The world record for loudest female burp is 107.3 decibels. Kaylee wants to beat it.

Falling Short | 2025 | United Kingdom | Olenka Wellisz | Midwest Premiere | A historian recounts the untold story of Napoleon Bonaparte’s exile on Saint Helena, during which the former emperor wrote the 1812 overture with the help of his telepathic dachshund. Starring Ben Mendelsohn ("Rogue One: A Star Wars Story", "Bloodline", "The Outsider").

He's Out There | 2026 | United States | United States | Kurt Andrew Schneider, Sam Davis | Midwest Premiere | An autistic Bigfoot hunter meets his heroes.

How Brief | 2025 | Canada | Kelly McCormack | Midwest Premiere | "How Brief" is a disappearing act set over the course of one night in 1962 when a restless woman returns to her childhood home for the last time, inspired by the music of singer-songwriter Connie Converse. Starring Tatiana Maslany ("Orphan Black", "She‑Hulk: Attorney at Law", "Stronger").

Jacuzzi Man | 2026 | United States | Jesse Rothenberg | A poolside mystic dispenses unlikely wisdom to a man who has bet everything on a dream.

The Lion | 2025 | United States | Abigail Zealey Bess | Midwest Premiere | In this surreal dark animated comedy, Katherine wins a Make a Wish contest. Her wish? To pet the lion at the zoo. A tale about loss, about looking that “lion in the eye,” and ultimately a reminder of how grief can heal us.

*Plaster | 2026 | United Kingdom | Tanguy Pichon | US Premiere | A grieving woman brings her son's ashes to a doctor's appointment, insisting he's still sick. Caught between empathy and disbelief, the doctor must decide whether to play along or confront the unbearable truth.

*Something Wild | 2025 | Hungary | Zsuzsanna Konrád | US Premiere | In an average Hungarian family home, a straight-A-student, yearning to be free, starts turning into a bear.

**Sorry, Clancy Miller | 2026 | United States | Haynes Brooke | World Premiere | A Gold Rush showdown takes a surreal turn when Clancy Miller confronts the fast-talking swindler who stole his claim—and discovers you have to play the hand you’re dealt.

113 Words For You Today | 2025 | United States| Bo Qing Tang, Lan Zeng | Midwest Premiere | On a frozen planet where every word costs energy, a worker endures silence, storms, and solitude, saving his words for the one that matters most.

The Death Notice of Eamonn McCarty | 2025 | Ireland | Aaron Chalke | Midwest Premiere | With just one day left to live, a man scrambles to fulfil his life’s ambitions while stuck on the phone to customer care.

Debbie Walks Her Duck | 2025 | United States | Nikki Braendlin | Midwest Premiere | Debbie walks to the nail salon, oblivious to the crises unfolding around her.

The Door | 2025 | United States | James Graham | Midwest Premiere | A small-town sheriff investigating a missing person discovers a freestanding door that tempts her with the life she once refused.

The Gun | 2025 | United States | Randall Christopher | Based on the short story by Philip K. Dick, "The Gun" takes place on a desolate planet where all life has been annihilated through war. When a team of scientists arrive to investigate, they discover a terrifying automatic gun which still functions.

How Not To Die on an Alien Planet | 2026 | United States | Carlos Fernandez Puertolas | Midwest Premiere | Stranded on a distant world, a small, worn-out robot named Helen wanders through strange, beautiful landscapes, guided only by a song and the quiet weight of an unfinished mission.

In Between | 2025 | Ireland | Hannah Mamalis | Midwest Premiere | A woman at the end of her life cycle attempts to pass on everything she knows to the one who will replace her and is surprised by moments of connection that allow her to revel in the simple joys of her experience.

M.R.I. (or, Michael Returns Indefinitely) | 2025 | United States | John F. Beach | When Michael's frustrations with the health care industry cause him to openly question his doctor's motives, he awakens shadowy forces that threaten to fight back.

Miles of Life | 2025 | Uganda | Charli Doherty | When his running dream fades, Sam uses sport to ignite hope and healing in his Ugandan town, honouring his late trainer’s legacy.

Nak Muay | 2025 | United Kingdom | Tinge Krishnan | Midwest Premiere | A fallen Muay Thai star, consumed by fame and excess, faces self-destruction—until a brutal defeat offers the one thing  he craves most: peace with his past.

The Napkin Playbook | 2025 | United States | Kevin Wilson Jr. | In a Midwest city scarred by violence, five friends draft a dream on a McDonald’s napkin—a youth football tournament that will transform their communities.

Panther Pat | 2026 | United States | Ashley Brandon | Midwest Premiere | In 1970, a schoolteacher crashes into the brutal world of professional football, shattering its gender barrier.

Shift: The Lisa Clark Story | 2026 | United States | Jacob Cross, Chandler Rang | From motherhood to motorsport, Lisa Clark searches for her identity as she fights for a Ferrari Challenge championship.

Swim Sistas | 2025 | United Kingdom | Catherine Joy White | Midwest Premiere | Four Black women, including Great Britain’s first Black female Olympian, explore healing, resilience, and their historical relationship to water through swimming. Featuring Naomie Harris ("Moonlight", "Skyfall", "Pirates of the Caribbean").

**7:42 | 2026 | United States | Brooke Dennis | World Premiere | Four college students get into a car crash on the way to their graduation ceremony, and the aftermath forces them to finally be honest with each other about what comes next.

**A Friendly Invitation | 2026 | United States | Parker Madison | World Premiere | Roommates Nathan and Will welcome their neighbors Frank and Mindy with an invite to dinner. As dinner looms, Frank and Mindy's religious beliefs become clear, and as they ignore Nathan's transgender status, he must decide how to stand up for himself.

**The Fire We Choose | 2026 | United States | Emari Burrus | World Premiere | Brian, a newly married outsider in a religious extremist family, is torn between faith and morality when the Wards kidnap a lesbian couple, Kennedy and Mia, determined to save them at any cost.

**Passing Portrait | 2026 | United States | Faith Barrett-Goens | World Premiere | After the death of her grandmother, a struggling 20-year-old art student pours her grief into a memorial piece,  uncovering buried emotions and a deepening connection with a friend along the way.

**PopoBawa | 2026 | United States | J. Aury White | World Premiere | When an invisible demon violently possesses his radio co-host, a passive college student is forced into a live broadcast. Trapped in the booth, he must choose between spreading the entity's curse or finally finding his own voice.

Amazeze (Fleas) | 2025 | South Africa | Jordy Sank | Midwest Premiere | Tonderai, a young Zimbabwean boy living in a South African township, watches as a xenophobic mob runs rampant through his neighbourhood. He watches over his gravely ill younger brother, who becomes desperate for drinking water.

**Finding Syn | 2025 | United States | Sean-Josahi Brown | World Premiere | When her older sister runs away, 10-year-old Skylah goes out into the streets determined to bring her home. As she wanders the city with only a photograph, "Finding Syn" becomes a story about resilience, longing, and finding the one you love.

Firewall | 2025 | | United States | Bita Ghassemi | When her long-lost father mysteriously returns home, Ani is forced to confront her deepest fears as her life in Texas merges with ancient Persian mythology. Starring Eman Esfandi ("Ahsoka", "The Inspection", "King Richard").

Hatchlings | 2025 | United States | Jahmil Eady | A resentful teenager is forced to babysit her turtle-obsessed half-brother as he dives into a vivid fantasy world where he is a sea turtle and she is a tortoise.

JASON | 2026 | United States | Gabriella Canal | Midwest Premiere | A young boy in Miami carries on with his days while the voice of his mother, recently deported, travels through the phone to try to reach him. JASON is about what happens after deportation, the felt absence, the connection that struggles to survive it and the power of a mother’s love.

My Plastic Mother | 2025 | Indonesia | Amar Haikal | Midwest Premiere | Eki, living by the landfill, searches for a memento to honor his late mother. Battling the relentless rain, landslides, and looming threats from scavengers and machinery, he fears her memory could be lost beneath the waste forever.

Where We Played: Voices From the Fire | 2026 | United States | Nat Wolff, Austin Cauldwell | Midwest Premiere | In January 2025, devastating wildfires swept through Los Angeles. Through firsthand interviews, children reflect on what they experienced, what they lost, what they carried with them, and how their lives have been forever changed; while simultaneously holding onto hope for what comes next.

**The B&B on East Eighth Street | 2026 | United States | Makenna Mays | World Premiere | For decades, a historic home and B&B has offered respite from a busy world, and its innkeeper has greeted everyone who ends up at her front door with a home-cooked meal and tales of the past.

**The Brain Lair | 2026 | United States | Samuel Villagra-Stanton | World Premiere | A trailblazing bookstore owner has spent decades finding stories a home in the people around her; now it's time to tell her story.

**Far Out Frequencies: The Underground Sounds of SSP | 2026 | United States | Jess Dunn, Michael Moskaliuk | World Premiere | While independent venues across the globe struggle to survive, State Street Pub lives on as an iconic Indianapolis gem that gives a stage to an eclectic mix of underground artists to express themselves and build community.

**Silo | 2026 | United States | Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian & Adam Oppenheim | World Premiere | Siloina “Silo” Mercado has spent over 13 years quietly anchoring a strip mall on Indianapolis’s northside, repairing clothes and building a community one stitch at a time. A Mexican immigrant who learned to sew at age six, Silo transforms worn and discarded garments into something worth keeping—much like she has done with her own life. This is a portrait of a woman, a craft, and a neighborhood held together by the same thread.

**The Water Readers | 2026 | United States | Ahmed Tahsin Shams | World Premiere | An interventionist vérité portrait of the water scientists, freshwater insects, and citizen volunteers resurrecting Indiana's waterways—and a blueprint for the world.

The One-Minute Problem | 2025 | Spain | Nicolás Delgado de la Cámara | Midwest Premiere | When a Spanish immigrant who's trying to invent teleportation in his garage draws too much power from the electrical grid, a Department of Water and Power inspector vows to shut him down, putting both his invention and his relationship with his pregnant wife at risk.

Poisoned Skies | 2026 | United States | Caroline Friend | Midwest Premiere | In 1954, an ambitious scientist on the brink of presenting groundbreaking pollution research is forced to make a moral decision when she becomes the target of a mining company responsible for a deadly smog disaster. Based on a true story.

Remnants | 2025 | United States | Michael Catenacci | When a devastating wildfire ravages their land, a sixth-generation ranching family grapples with the legacy of the American cowboy in the face of government policies that threaten their livelihood and a changing culture that brands their lifestyle a thing of the past.

Shoot, Shovel and Shut Up | 2025 | United States | Trần Hoàng Calvin | When a struggling family’s future depends on selling their farm, teenage son Andy must decide whether to save a rare bird that threatens the deal or bury the truth.

Skyward: The Sports Rocketry Revolution | 2026 | United States | Matthew Middendorf, Kaitlyn Krikorian | Midwest Premiere | A story of ambition, mentorship, and innovation unfolds as the next generation of rocketeers take on national and international competitions, navigating the thrill and challenges of sport rocketry here in America.

A New Inferno | 2026 | United States | Nita Blum-Reddick, Jonathan Pickett | Midwest Premiere | Filmed during the hottest weeks of Phoenix’s 2025 summer heatwave, emergency workers race to save the lives of heatstroke victims.

Living with a Visionary | 2026 | United States | Stephen P. Neary | Midwest Premiere | After 50 years of marriage, John must care for Diana, his wife, while learning to live alongside her vivid hallucinations. Narrated by James Cromwell ("Babe", "L.A. Confidential", "Succession").

Stalin Boys | 2026 | United States | Bianca Giaever, Ora DeKornfeld | Midwest Premiere | Four middle school boys in a Texas border town have developed an unusual obsession: Joseph Stalin. As the boys write and rehearse their play about Stalin for the Texas State History Fair, they are forced to confront their own relationships with power and control.

S The Wolf | 2025 | France | Sameh Alaa | Midwest Premiere | You spent your whole childhood trying to look different from your dad, only to wake up and see his forehead in your mirror.

The Tuners | 2026 | Poland | Pawel Chorzepa | Midwest Premiere | During the Chopin Competition, the world’s most prestigious piano contest, piano tuners battle in their own contest: to have their instrument played by the event’s eventual winner.

The Dartmoor Cowboy | 2025 | United Kingdom | Wij Travers | Midwest Premiere | 1952. After years in America, Ross Salmon returns to Dartmoor to modernize British cattle ranching. Shunned by traditional farmers and abandoned by his own farmhands, he watches his herd falter - until saving one of his most vocal critics from a moment of crisis finally wins him belonging.

Kit | 2026 | United Kingdom | Lottie Amor | Midwest Premiere | A teenager with dwarfism is hidden away from an unforgiving world by his superficial mother but discovers that his talent for drawing can set him free.

**Last Night | 2026 | United Kingdom | Hannah Beach | World Premiere | Strangers Arun and Tam meet on a rooftop the night they both intend to end their lives. When Arun suggests they spend the night together instead, just until sunrise, they embark on an unexpected journey through the city.

*Laundreams | 2025 | United Kingdom | Amber Gadd, Evie Ward-Drummond | US Premiere | Minnie and Leah have to throw the party of the year to impress the boy who moved to London. What unfolds is a love letter to the people who wash our clothes and the community that upholds them, a celebration of the unheard voices who never left their hometown.

The Painting & The Statue | 2025 | United Kingdom | Freddie Fox | Midwest Premiere | Two lonely strangers meet across a crowded room. It just takes one held look, one breathless moment, to bring them completely alive... literally. Starring Mark Gatiss ("Sherlock", "Doctor Who", "The League of Gentlemen"), Nathan Stewart‑Jarrett ("Misfits", "Candyman", "Generation"), Andrew Monaghan ("The Crown", "Endeavour", "Victoria") and Hannah Onslow ("This Is Going to Hurt", "Empire of Light", "Ridley Road").

**Peter | 2026 | United Kingdom | Hannah Van Der Westhuysen | World Premiere | A trans man caring for his father with alcohol induced dementia finds unexpected re-connection when the disease grants him temporary anonymity.

**Stopped | 2026 | United Kingdom | Rachel Fielding | World Premiere | "Stopped" is a story of letting go and beginning again.

A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching | 2026 | United States | Adam Elliott | Midwest Premiere | A glimpse into the remarkable lives of our closest avian neighbors, and what they reveal about us.

Community Theatre | 2025 | United Kingdom | Lewis Baille | Midwest Premiere | A local community theatre brings to life stories from three generations of a quiet working-class town in Scotland. Through the voices of its people, the play celebrates shared heritage, resilience, and the enduring spirit of place.

Mary the Widow | 2026 | United States | Ryan Noufer | An aging widow begrudgingly goes to a speed-dating event at her daughter’s request. Among a string of dud dates, one particular stranger lingers in her mind.

Oh Whale | 2025 | United States | Winslow Crane-Murdoch | When news anchor Paul Linnman arrived in Florence, OR on November 12, 1970, he had no idea that the story he was about to tell would forever define his career. Following a small Oregon town, an exploding whale, and the man who made the story famous, "Oh Whale" is about how we don't get to choose our fate, only what we make of it.

This Is Private | 2026 | United States | LeAndre Thomas | Midwest Premiere | A stripper cunningly decides to use her private dances as therapy sessions in order to prevail in her collegiate psychology class.

The Baddest Speechwriter of All | 2026 | United States | Ben Proudfoot, Stephen Curry | Now 95, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s lawyer and speechwriter reflects on the personal cost and surprising truths of making history, offering an intimate insider’s view of the Civil Rights Movement.

Daylight | 2026 | United States | Jon Kasbe | Midwest Premiere | Serving a life sentence for murder, Joe Garcia finds unexpected refuge in Taylor Swift’s lyrics - and the memory of a woman he hasn’t seen in 21 years. When an essay he writes about love and music goes viral, it cracks open the past and rekindles a connection, opening the door to a life and love he thought were lost forever.

Divorce Resort | 2026 | United States | Coby Becker | Midwest Premiere | Married in a country where divorce is prohibited, a 72-year-old lovelorn man finds a legal loophole requiring a seven-day stay on the island of Guam. As he wanders through this tropical limbo, he reckons with his loss and newfound freedom.

Karnama (Well of Death) | 2025 | India | Pranav Dawar | Midwest Premiere | A short documentary exploring the high-stakes world of the stunt drivers of Well of Death—where passion, risk, and sacrifice collide.

Sulaimani | 2025 | France | Vinnie Ann Bose | Midwest Premiere | One evening, Alia and Neena, two young Indian women, each come to dinner at Sulaimani, an Indian restaurant in Paris. The meal brings back sometimes buried emotions for them and “releases” certain memories which little by little reveal to us why they left their country. Alia could no longer stand the culture of traditional India and was in conflict with her family. Neena chose to leave to provide for her husband and children back in India. If their reasons are different, they are prey to the same nostalgia during this dinner which brings them a little closer to home.

**Tamai | 2026 | United States | Enoch J. Lui | World Premiere | A son faces his biggest fear of reuniting with his distant father, who spent 15 years in prison, and now faces a new lifetime sentence—deportation.

*A Breach Within | 2026 | Canada | Jean-François Leblanc | US Premiere | On a sweltering morning, a detective heads to a routine meeting—but within minutes, her life changes forever.

**A Passage of Silence | 2026 | United States | Bardia Samia | World Premiere | Working surveillance for the oppressive regime in Iran, a father’s loyalty is tested when his son needs help escaping regime agents.

G.S.W. | 2025 | United Kingdom | Jonny Durgan | A man is dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound when the paramedic treating him discovers he's the perpetrator of a school shooting at her child's primary school, which puts her in an impossible situation. Starring Genevieve O’Reilly ("Andor", "Rogue One", "The Matrix Reloaded").

*Homing | 2026 | Spain | Hansel Rodrigues, Elizabeth Atherton | US Premiere | On the south coast of England, a family’s morning is interrupted. A man is in the garden. Is he in need of help or is he a threat? Starring Amit Shah ("Happy Valley", "His Dark Materials", "The Other One").

The Lifeline | 2026 | France | Hugo Becker | Midwest Premiere | December 24, 1916. A truck carrying mail is stopped at a German checkpoint and riddled with bullets. Inside, a man lies dead. Another man and a woman, on a postal mission, claim innocence in the death of their companion and their presence in enemy territory. The radio that had been guiding them had apparently cut out, leaving them stranded in no man’s land. And so, on Christmas Eve 1916, a cross-examination begins to uncover the real reason why enemy postmen and couriers are in the trenches.

One Twenty-Six | 2026 | United States | Dan Lesser | Midwest Premiere | Evan tries to outshine his best friend and prove himself to the seniors by taking them on a high-speed joy ride in his mom’s Mini Cooper.

*American Rampage | 2026 | United States | Jamie-James Medina, Nadia Hallgren | US Premiere | In 1995, Shawn Nelson (Tony Cavalero), an unemployed plumber and veteran, stole an M-60 tank from the California National Guard armory and flattened cars, fire hydrants utility poles and even an R.V. But what drove Nelson to invent his own apocalypse?

The Birthday Gift | 2026 | United States | Arianna Ortiz | In this playful, cross-cultural family drama, an unexpected guest upends the lives of an Argentine mother and daughter over the course of an intimate birthday dinner one icy Chicago night.

CAN I PUT YOU ON HOLD | 2025 | United States | James Cutler | A man struggles with the crushing bureaucracy of immigration as he waits on hold with his immigration lawyer, trying to keep hope alive for his future with his fiancée, only to face a devastating setback that forces him to reconsider everything.

Child of the Rouge | 2026 | United States | Taz F. Stark | Midwest Premiere | The powerful recounting of a young girl's harrowing entry into the world on April 17, 1975, the day the Khmer Rouge seized Phnom Penh.

Plastic Pastures | 2025 | United States | Darren Rubin | Midwest Premiere | Rachel is desperate to escape a party when a sudden alert changes everything, pushing her toward an unexpected refuge and an impossible choice.

Ramón Who Speaks to Ghosts | 2025 | Spain | Shervin Kermani | After a volcanic eruption, Ramón walks the island of La Palma with his microphone, looking for ghosts.

Scope | 2025 | United Kingdom | Emma Moffat | Midwest Premiere | With the help of her therapist, Antonia must discover why she has an extreme obsession with circles before it's too late.

*SIGNAL | 2026 | United Kingdom | Zak Jarvis | US Premiere | Starring Emmy-winner Christopher Eccleston as Ray, a railway signalman whose routine night shift turns into a race to save a life after spotting Billy - a distressed young man trespassing on the tracks, played by BAFTA winner Jack Rowan.

Heartland Film is a nonprofit arts organization that runs the 11-day Heartland Film Festival in October, the Academy Award®-Qualifying Indy Shorts 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 from diverse perspectives. Over the years, Heartland Film has presented $4 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 13 Oscar®-winning short film titles. MovieMaker Magazine named both the Indy Shorts and Heartland Film Festival on the top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World list for 2023, 2024 and 2025. The Heartland Film Festival was ranked the #1 Best Film Festival by the USA TODAY 2026 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards. 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, visit www.HeartlandFilm.org.

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