Preview Of ‘The Indy Shorts International FIlm Festival’

By James Lindorf

As someone who has spent most of their life in the state of Indiana, I know that the state doesn’t often receive national or international acclaim. Of course people know the Indy 500 and Notre Dame football, but there are many attractions or events within the state that will surprise people who have never been here and plenty of lifelong residents as well.

In South Bend, you can find the East Race, the first artificial white water course in North America. Over 50 percent of the world market share for orthopedic devices comes from Warsaw Indiana based companies. The Indiana Dunes are not just a state and national park. They are also known as the “birthplace of ecology” in America. Thanks to the University of Chicago botanist Henry C. Cowles who published his classic paper on plant succession based on field studies conducted there.

Indiana is also home to the Indy Shorts International Film Festival, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2021. Indy Shorts is not only the largest shorts festival in the midwest. It is one of only 34 festivals globally to have earned the special designation of being a qualifying festival for the Annual Academy Awards® in all three Short Film categories: Live Action, Documentary, and Animation. Indy Shorts was initially an expansion to the Heartland International Film Festival (HIFF), but in 2018 it became its own six-day summer festival.

This year the festival set a record with over 3300 submissions from around the world. Starting on July 20th, nearly 250 short films from 40 countries will hope to join the group of 29 Oscars® nominees and eight Academy Awards® winners that were featured at Indy Shorts/HIFF over the previous 29 years. The films have been assembled into several programs, including the all-new “It’s Been a Year.” The new category is for films produced during the Pandemic. With over 30 unique programs listed below and more than 30 animated films, Indy Shorts is a festival that is great for the entire family. Tickets for this year’s hybrid virtual and in-person event, which runs from July 20-25th, can be purchased at the Heartland Film website.

Animals
Comedy
Crossing Over
Expressions
Finding Yourself
Generations
Healing
High School
Horror 1: Splatter
Horror 2: Strange and Unusual
Indiana Spotlight 1
Indiana Spotlight 2
Indiana Spotlight 3
It’s Been a Year
It’s Only Customary
Journeys
Looking for Home
Our Changing World
Past/Present
Portraits
Relationships
Reunited
Roots, Reconnected
Sci-Fi
Sense of Place
Sports
Spotlight: Oscar-Nominated Breakwater Studios
The American Dream
The Fight For Justice
Unique Stories: Celebrating EDFC & Disability
Well, This is Awkward
Youth Impact

Stay tuned to their social media @HeartlandFilm for the latest updates on the upcoming Indy Shorts running July 20-25th or search for #IndyShorts2021