See this gauntlet? It’s thrown.
The time has come once again, friends - the time when a city goes to the polls and has their say in one of the most anticipated votes of the year.
Nope, not talking about the election. The time has come to vote in Nuvo's Best of Indy poll.
Did you know there are about a half dozen film festival in and around Indianapolis? It's true. And we're all working hard to bring the best of all types of films to the Circle City. But here are three quick reasons why you should vote Indy Film Fest as the city's best:
We're better than ever in 2012
If ever there was a year we're doing our best, it's 2012. From our Spring and Fall Film Series to The Nooner, The Bigger Picture Show and Roving Cinemas around the city, anywhere you turn you'll see the Indy Film Fest. When you think movies in this town, you think of us.
We've got something for everyone
Looking for a Turkish cop drama? Got it. A quirky romantic comedy from Chile? Check. How about a documentary about the Green revolution in Iran? We're your source. A one-of-a-kind screening of classics like The Big Lebowski and Goonies? Yup. Us too.
We're Indianapolis's Film Festival
Unlike any other film festival in town, we ARE yours. We ARE Indianapolis. From Castleton to Broad Ripple to Speedway to downtown, we're the festival you can be proud of. Up there with the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis International Film Festival is repping you, and we don't take that responsibility lightly.
And here's where we throw down. If (and when!) we're officially named the Best Film Fest in Indy (announced in the July 25 issue of NUVO), we're going to give you the perks - we're going to make a Best of the Fest screening on Sunday, July 29 totally free. That's right - when we get the best, so do you: a FREE screening of the 2012 Grand Jury Award winner.
Voting ends May 28, so don't delay - have your say on this year's Best of Indy.
Clear your calendars. May has arrived.
Kind of hard to believe just how busy the month of May is here at the Indy Film Fest, especially when we're just a couple months away from our annual film festival. Nothing like keeping those social calendars filled up!
Read on for all the details on what we've got going this month. From parties to screenings to environmentally-friendly community days, we've got you covered.
Monday, May 1 - 3p, to be exact :: The 2012 FOR FLICK'S SAKE fundraiser officially ends on Tuesday afternoon. We've successfully met our funding goal, and we can't thank you enough for that. Haven't gotten in on the ticket deals yet? Make a backing by 3p and you'll get in on the effort. What's more, back the Festival and you'll get access to a discounted membership at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. And rest assured, every penny raised goes right back into making the festival awesome. Back now
Sunday, May 6 :: in partnership with Earth House Collective, we're excited to help present FRESH, a documentary screening as part of Food Independence Day presented by FarmersMarket.com. Head out to this community hub for a day of speakers and local food, then stick around for the film that makes the point that healty, local eating is attainable for us all. Watch the trailer | Learn more
Thursday, May 10 :: our first ever Spring Film Series continues with ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA, screening 7pm at Earth House. A slow burn, this Turkish film follows a police crew searching for a dead body in the countryside. The search proves more of a journey for the men involved, however, as the culprit leading them to the body is fuzzy about the exact location. Watch the trailer | Get tickets
Friday, May 11 :: Perhaps the most anticipated event of the year - besides the festival, of course! - the Bigger Picture Show returns for the third annual gallery review of movie posters re-imagined by local designers. This year, join us for music, drinks, food truck bites and a silent auction where you could take one of these unique pieces home with you that very night! RSVP on Facebook
Saturday & Sunday, May 19 - 20 :: The perfect way to kick off the summer of arts experiences is at the Broad Ripple Art Fair, a two-day extravaganza of artists and arts organizations, including the Indy Film Fest this year. Come by and snag something new for your wall and say hello to us while you're there. Get tickets
Wednesday, May 23 :: Sponsored by the Consulate General of Canada and in partnership with the Indianapolis Museum of Art, we're proud to present a screening of INDIE GAME: The Movie, the 2012 Sundance Film Festival officially selection about the blood, sweat and tears it takes to create a video game. Watch the trailer | Get tickets
Thursday, May 24 :: The 2012 Spring Film Series wraps up with a screening of the bad-ass buddy flick BELLFLOWER. Complete with a Mad Max style ride and a love story that'll tear you up, this 2011 SXSW official selection wraps up the series on a high note. Watch the trailer | Get tickets
Friday, May 25 :: Our new program, The Nooner, continues over the lunch hour. Join us for a selection of short films that are a great break in your busy day. Grab a bite at the Earth House cafe and wrap up one of our busiest months to date with a little bit of afternoon delight.
There you have it - a whole month of Indy Film Fest goodness, out there for the enjoying. We'll see you at the movies!
Have your people call our people.
You guys. We have PEOPLE.
I am so happy to formally announce that Bandy Carrol Hellige is our official public relations partner for the 2012 Indy Film Fest.
BCH is a full-service Indianapolis and Louisville-based advertising, marketing and PR agency serving brands like Simon Property Group and McDonald's. In a true testament to the importance we place on the relationships we're building through a shared experience around film, BCH joins an already strong group of festival partners.
What's most impressive about this new connection is the potential to bring what you already know - all the awesome movie goodness we make happen in Indianapolis - to even bigger, broader audiences who'll love what we do but just don't know it yet. Expect to see more from our filmmakers, too, as our partners at BCH prioritize giving these incredible artists the recognition in the press that they deserve.
Please join us in welcoming Bandy Carroll Hellige and their talented team to the Indy Film Fest family!
Looking for a great experience? Inquire within.
As you may've heard already, the Indy Film Fest is an all-volunteer organization. Every one of us works our tookus off because, well, it's worth it.
We're gearing up for the 2012 festivities, and that means all hands on deck. We're specifically seeking two strong interns to help in with our operations and marketing efforts. Do you have what it takes? Here's a few ways to tell:
You love films, but love getting things done more.
True, we're all huge movie buffs here at the festival. But in order to present the most exciting events and parties possible, we work hard and on deadline. We have regular meetings and ongoing conversations; we live and die by our inboxes - both email and texts - and we hold each other highly accountable for those projects and tasks that need doing. Because if we don't make it happen...well, it doesn't happen.
You're available odd-ish hours.
Because we're all making the festival happen in our off hours, our work usually happens in the evening, on weekends or, sometimes if we're awake enough, early morning coffee meet-ups. Your availability is similar to this, or at least aligns here and there. Could be the perfect opportunity to hold a part-time job while rocking it out at a grass-roots arts org, too. We're happy to set a flexible schedule so that you can keep your calendar in order.
You operate well on auto-pilot, and play well with others, too.
The time in-between events, screenings and meetings is essentially, as our second grade teacher called it, independent work time. You'll have a list of tasks and projects, and we'll count on you to jump in and knock them into the Done pile. You'll have a chance to jump on new or underdeveloped projects, too, because that's the kind of take-charge person you are. And when the time comes, you're as good with the group work as you are on your own.
Right now, we're primarily seeking a Marketing & Design Intern and an Operations Intern. These positions would begin as soon as this month, and could run through August, pending your availability. While most weeks would require roughly 6 - 10 hours of work, that commitment ramps up as the Festival approaches in July.
Sound like you're the right person for the job? We can't wait to meet you. Send a resume and brief cover letter to us today!
Calling Short Filmmakers :: Screen at The Nooner!
It's hard to believe, but our regular call for submissions are soon coming to a close. March 31 is our final deadline for the 2012 festival (submit here if you haven't had the chance!). Fear not - we do have additional screening opportunities throughout the year.
We currently accepting submissions for The Nooner, our monthly lunch & shorts program. This free program is all a part of our not-so-secret plan to increase access to short films in Indianapolis. On the final Friday of each month at noon, we're meeting up in Earth House Café to screen 40-50 minutes of delicious short films. In February we launched this program to a full house.
What are we looking for? Anything! Narrative, documentary, animation - we're featuring a little bit of everything. What's different about our normal submissions process is that these films don't need to be new. We're happy to re-introduce audiences to oldies but goodies.
Want to submit? In this inaugural year, we're keeping things pretty casual. No submission fees, no formal process - just email a link to your movie here or mail a physical copy to: Sara McGuyer, Indy Film Fest, 237 North East Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204.
p.s. If you're in Indy, the next Nooner is this Friday, 3/30! RSVP here.
Because what we do is movies
It brings me immeasurable pleasure to announce this next big program for the Indy Film Fest. What we do is movies - we bring them to you, we create experiences around them, we expand your world through them.
And so, we're beyond stoked to announce our first ever Spring Film Series.
Who says the great films are only available during the 10-day festival in July? We're presenting six films over the course of March, April and May that are every bit as worthy of your time as the ones we program over the summer. This time around, it's a mix of the best U.S. and international independent films of 2011 - films that haven't otherwise been seen on the big screen in Indianapolis.
Here's the line-up. Each film is on a Thursday night, 7p at Earth House:
March 8 :: Le Havre - When an African boy arrives by cargo ship in the port city of Le Havre, an aging shoe shiner takes pity on the child and welcomes him into his home.
March 22 :: Tyrannosaur - Joseph, a man plagued by violence and a rage that is driving him to self-destruction, earns a chance of redemption that appears in the form of Hannah, a Christian charity shop worker.
April 5 :: King of Devil’s Island - Norwegian winter, early 20th century. On the boys home Bastoy, a new inmate leads the boys to a violent uprising against a brutal regime. How far is he willing to go to attain freedom?
April 19 :: The Interrupters - A year in the life of a city grappling with urban violence.
May 10 :: Once Upon a Time in Anatolia - A group of men set out in search of a dead body in the Anatolian steppes.
May 24 :: Bellflower - Two friends spend all their free time building flame-throwers and weapons of mass destruction in hopes that a global apocalypse will occur and clear the runway for their imaginary gang "Mother Medusa".
Check out each film - read up on reviews, watch trailers and more - then snag tickets to one (tickets are $10/film) or the whole series (available here) for just $40.
Even better news? We're planning a Fall Film Series, too!
Love Letters
We went out on a limb today and asked 20 people to go steady with us. Or with our blog, rather.
See, we want to get the word out about each individual film screening during our annual festival (July 19-29, 2012 at Indianapolis Museum of Art and Earth House this year). During these ten days, we'll share about 100 movies with Indy. Once we've finalized our roster of flicks, we have about one month to promote those 100 films. Our small, scrappy team of bloggers (there'd be two of us) might need a hand.
We asked around for recommendations and put our google juice to the test to find local people saying smart things about cultural events, art, food, music and of course, film. And we sent this small group a love letter from the fest, asking them to watch 5 films and write about each in about a month's time. Cross your fingers for us that they say yes?
We're also certain that there are some amazingly talented writers out there who weren't on our radar. Could it be you? Or someone you know?
Tweet us @IndyFilmFest or send an email with a link to your blog if you're interested! We'll open up at least 5 more spots to round out the group and announce the full team by March 1.
A New Home
We've moved. And we have to say, we couldn't be in better company. Our new office is located inside of Earth House Collective, an Indianapolis community hub that collaborates with local organizations and artists to support the arts, encourage healthy living and promote sustainable community. We're sharing the office space with the very forward thinking Big Car, who we've partnered with on The Big Picture Show in the past.
The Earth House building is an inspiring place to be - gorgeous stained glass and woodwork, ever-changing art exhibits and a great cup of fair-trade, organic coffee is always on hand. Did I mention there's a foosball table in the area where our screening committee is meeting to view films? Oh yes.
When they call it a "hub" they aren't kidding. In one visit you might find a belly dancer departing after teaching a class while a crowd gathers for an all ages rock show. In December we held our first event there, screening Being Elmo to a very enthusiastic crowd. Look for more to come from us there. We're only just beginning to visualize what all will be possible within that space.
In the mean time, take note of our new address:
237 N. East Street
Indianapolis 46204
We are not opposed to love letters and sweet everythings from you!
And the GRAND total is…
In December, we embarked on a mini-fundraiser for a Grand Holiday. The goal was simple - raise $1,000 before ringing in the New Year. Can we just say, you guys rock! We made it with time to spare, with a final total of $1,099.
Where do these donations go? Each gift supports our programming efforts, covering anything from film screening fees to filmmaker travel. Additional support covers less sexy things like postage, which never the less make what we do possible.
We stretch every dollar as far as we can by powering the festival with an army of volunteers, keeping our operating expenses low and through some very generous in-kind gifts and pro bono work from partners like Lodge, who donates loads of creative time and expertise and SmallBox, who covers our email marketing expenses.
We're getting super-excited for what's in store for this Fest in 2012, but for now, we're still celebrating your generosity. Thank you, thank you, thank you! A Grand Holiday, indeed.
p.s. If you didn't get a chance to give and wish to do so, we'll gladly accept your gift in 2012, just go here. All donations are fully tax-deductible and come with sweet, sweet Karma magic.
2012 Film Submissions are NOW OPEN
It's hard to believe, but here we are again - we're officially accepting submissions for the 2012 Indy Film Fest.
The festival (July 19 - 29) will be our 9th annual event, and we can't wait to make a big splash. Does that include your film? You'll never know if you don't send it our way!
To get started, just follow the directions below. Simply click to submit.
We're looking for every kind of film out there - short, feature-length, animated, live action, drama, comedy - you name it, we want to see it. We screen films in three categories - American Spectrum, World Cinema and Matter of Fact (documentaries). And new this year, we've expanded our Hoosier Lens recognition to be an entire category of its own.
Hoosier Lens films are those productions with Indiana ties - you or your cast/crew are from Indiana, went to school here or a significant portion of the film was shot in the Hoosier state. We're stoked to recognize these home-grown productions in front of hometown audiences next summer!
Not a filmmaker, but interested in helping out the festival? If you're local to Indy, you may be right for our screening committee. Fill out the application and we'll be in touch - you might just be a part of deciding which films our audiences see next summer.
2012, here we come!