Heartland Film is bringing the first ever short film festival to Indianapolis this weekend!

“Indy Shorts” will take place at Newfields on Thursday, July 26- Saturday, July 29. 

With over 2,300 submissions, it was hard for Christiana Beasley, Events Manager at Heartland Film, and his team to narrow it down to 111 films.

Sponsored by ShortsTV, Indy Shorts is expected to be one of the largest short-film festivals in the Midwest, featuring films that will eventually qualify for the Academy Awards® and more than $25,000 in cash prizes across multiple categories. 

Indiana Spotlight is a program in the festival specifically geared towards the talent right here in 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. 

Skyler Lawson will be competing in this category a the director and producer of “Left Hand,” a narrative short about a soldier in 1944. From bare-knuckle boxing to verbal assault, the soldiers fight to solidify their reputations in basic training as they set off for war in the Pacific.  

“Indy Shorts” also has a new spokesperson – Iggy, the gnome. He’s currently taking over Heartland’s social media leading up to the festival and is helping to promote this unique event around the city. 

Go to www.indyshorts.org for more info.