Indy Film Fest is back for its twelfth year, and yet again, we’ve kicked it up a notch. The 12th annual Indy Film Fest will feature a lineup of more than 100 films from local, national, and international filmmakers, special programming for kids, a craft beer event, award parties, and a chance to meet the filmmakers.
The Fest begins on July 16 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art with a screening of Sleeping With Other People, starring Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis. The edgy comedy, written and directed by Leslye Headland, explores love and relationships in our modern age, as two serial-cheaters attempt to form a platonic relationship.
For the second year in a row, thanks to our successful Kickstarter campaign that raised funds to bring filmmakers to Indianapolis, fans will have the unique opportunity to mix and mingle with producers, directors, writers and actors at the awards ceremony and after party on July 18 at 8 p.m. The awards ceremony and after party will take place in the Toby Theater at the IMA following a screening of Mistress America, a comedy written and directed by Noah Baumbach starring Greta Gerwig. This clever follow up to Frances Ha is about dream- chasing, score-settling, makeshift families, and cat stealing in New York City.
“Thanks to the generosity of everyone who donated to our Kickstarter campaign, we are thrilled to bring even more filmmakers to the Circle City than ever before,” said Jason Roemer, President of Indy Film Fest. “Fans of the Fest were thrilled to have the opportunity to meet filmmakers last year, so we couldn’t wait to bring them back for another unforgettable experience.”
The ten-day festival will include shorts and full-length feature films and documentaries, representing selections from Indiana, the U.S. and nearly 30 different countries. The Hoosier Lens category, which features films with strong production ties to Indiana, celebrates local filmmakers and adds to the unique Indy Film Fest experience.
“The number of films submitted and ultimately programmed with ties to Indiana was the highest it’s ever been,” said Craig Mince, Executive Director of Indy Film Fest. “This was a terrific year for local filmmakers and movies made here in the Hoosier state and we are extremely proud to showcase them as Hoosier Lens films.”
Noteworthy Hoosier Lens films include:
- One Day in April – This documentary follows four teams of college cyclists as they prepare for the Indiana University Little 500, a grueling bicycle race held each year in Bloomington, Indiana. One Day in April tells the story behind the race – how the riders spend months and sometimes years preparing themselves mentally and physically for one race and one shot at glory.
- Peanut Gallery – Filmmaker Molly Gandour, in her mid-20s, returns to her childhood home in Lafayette, Indiana to speak with her parents in depth for the first time about her sister’s death from cancer sixteen years earlier. Molly approaches adulthood as she weaves a deeply observed portrait of a family unearthing a long ago loss.
This year, Indy Film Fest will also host a special Cereal Cinema experience for children and their families. On July 18 at 10 a.m., kids won’t want to miss an opportunity to be the first to see Shaun the Sheep, a spin-off of the Wallace & Gromit franchise, and then attend a stop-motion animation workshop presented by Ball State University. Tickets to this special Cereal Cinema event are $5 each and include a bowl of cereal along with admission to the film.
On July 19 at 10:30 a.m., the Fest will welcome beer fans for a brewers brunch, followed by a special screening of Blood, Sweat, and Beer, a documentary exploring the explosive growth of the craft beer industry and the struggles of two start-up breweries. Attendees that purchase brunch tickets will enjoy breakfast, beer, and will have the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion with the filmmakers and several Indiana brewers that will be in town for the 20th Annual Microbrewers Festival. A limited number of tickets to the brunch will be sold, and it is expected to sell out. Film only tickets will be available as well.
Indy Film Fest will wrap up on July 25 with a “best of the fest” series, featuring screenings of all the award winning films and our closing film, Wildlike. Mackenzie, a troubled but daring teenage girl, is sent to live with her uncle in Juneau, Alaska. Although her uncle seems like a supportive caretaker and friend, their relationship takes a turn and Mackenzie is forced to run, only to end up deeper in the Alaskan interior.
Most films will be screened at the IMA with the exception of Friday evening films, which will include additional screenings at the downtown IMAX Theater in the Indiana State Museum. For a complete schedule and film previews, visit www.indyfilmfest.org, and follow @IndyFilmFest on Twitter. Tickets and ticket packages will also be available starting July 1 on the Indy Film Fest website.
