The Audience Awards go to…
For ten full days of film, you came out, you watched, you voted. After very careful tallying and recounting (because the results were SO CLOSE!), we're pleased to share your picks with you!
And the Audience Awards of the 2011 Indy Film Fest go to...
Audience Award Winner - Short Film
THE SECRET FRIEND
Audience Award Winner - Feature Film
THE GREEN WAVE
All films were rated on that scale of 1 - 5 on the ballots. The top films ended up in some case only hundredths of percentage points behind the next. Rounding out the Top 5 Most Loved by audiences at this year's fest, are the following films:
Shorts
Walter
Bottle
Something Left, Something Taken
Hollow
Features
A Bag of Hammers
Natural Selection
Better this World
Boys of Bonneville
Thank you to each of you who supported the fest. Every ticket purchased, every vote cast helps support the film scene in Indy. We loved seeing new faces and old friends alike, and we can't wait to hear what you thought of the festival. Stay tuned - we'll be posting a survey soon!
And the winner is…
Fresh on the heels of their acquisition by The Cinema Guild, NATURAL SELECTION triumphs as the Grand Jury winner of Indy Film Fest. This distinction names it best overall film at the festival and carries a $1,000 prize. In addition to the Grand Jury award, the film directed by Robbie Pickering also earned the distinction of Best American Spectrum Feature Film.
It's a total bonus that the film has Indiana ties. The film's production designer Michael Bricker is an Indiana native and the co-founder and Executive Director at People for Urban Progress in Indianapolis.
All winners get an encore screening! If you missed them, catch them today at The IMA!
Best Matter of Fact @ 2 pm
Short Film – TYPE A
Feature Film – THE GREEN WAVE
Get tickets for Type A & The Green Wave
Best World Cinema @ 4:30 pm
Short Film – DIREK ASK
Feature Film – SMALL TOWN MURDER SONGS
Get tickets for Direk Ask & Small Town Murder Songs
Best American Spectrum @ 7 pm
Short Film – SOMETHING LEFT, SOMETHING TAKEN
Feature Film – NATURAL SELECTION
Get tickets for Something Left, Something Taken & Natural Selection
The IMA Culturally Adventurous Award @ 9:30 pm
JESS + MOSS
Get tickets for Jess + Moss
The IMA Culturally Adventurous Award is a new honor bestowed on an official Indy Film Fest selection by festival host Indianapolis Museum of Art. This award seeks to honor the selection which defies categorization, contains exciting cross-cultural or international content, or embodies stylistic experimentation.
Our Audience Award will be announced after all of the ballots are tallied from Sunday! More soon!
One Swank Par-tay!
The Bar at the Ambassador was such a wonderful host for the 2011 Indy Film Fest Opening Night Party. We got rave reviews about the atmosphere and food. Thanks to all who came out to watch Another Earth with us and hang out afterwards! We loved hearing the discussions about the end of the movie and the eeriness of the Indianapolis moon that night as the film let out (did you notice it?).
The Just Pop In popcorn bar at the IMA and at Opening Night has been a huge hit!
Thanks to SmallBox, we had a rocking photo booth set up – can't wait to get those pics back! Here's a shot of Rachel Rubenstein of Spinshot in action.
These photos were taken by Stacy Kagiwada. See the full album on Facebook.
Skype it Up!
If you came to the festival last year, you might have experienced a skype session with a filmmaker after their movie screened. Not everyone can travel to Indy from their corner of their world, but that doesn't need to stop us from making their film more of a shared experience for you!
In these skype sessions, the audience gets to ask questions while the filmmaker is on-screen, responding to our Q&A in real time. Oh, technology, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways!
On Saturday, 7/16, these filmmakers are will be skyped on-screen after their films:
Montreal Girl, 10a
Way of the Morris, 12:15p
Turkey Bowl, 2:30p
Small Town Murder Songs, 5p
Bag of Hammers, 9p
Stick around after for Q&A! And, to keep in the loop on visiting filmmakers at the IMA, sign up for our emails at the footer of our site and follow us on twitter!
Indy Recommends
Looking for recommendations? We're curating a list of reviews and recommendations to help you decide what to see at the 2011 Indy Film Fest!
NUVO: Indy Film Fest 2011: Cinematic Journeys
Indy Star has two articles: If you can only see five films, pick these
and Hoosier filmmaker gets delusional
The Film Yap: The most comprehensive collection of reviews
IBJ: LOU'S VIEWS: Get a jump start on Indy International Film Festival
Indianapolis Museum of Art has two blog posts: On Screen & In the Gallery
and On Screen & In Between at Indy Film Fest
The Independent Critic has several reviews
Add your personal recommendations in the comments!
And the Secret Screening is…
The word is out! Our Summer Nights secret screening on July 22 is THE SWELL SEASON, the music documentary about the band that captured our hearts in ONCE and went on to indie success off-screen, too. This subtle film, that wowed at Tribeca and Silverdocs, bears witness to the band and the couple, from musical numbers that pleasure the ears and vibrate the screen to quiet moments where body language and silent pauses linger with foreboding heartbreak.
Get tickets to this Festival and IMA Summer Nights co-presentation here.
Shiny New Things!
We're constantly seeking ways to add to the festival vibe. Our mission is to create a shared experience around film. This means after we watch the movies, we want to mingle and talk and offer various ways for local film lovers to interact with the fest and each other.
So, here's a few shiny new things we're doing this year, and we do hope you like them!
Photo Booth
Thanks to our new sponsor SmallBox, we're setting up a Spinshot photo booth on opening and closing night parties. Be on the lookout for it and be sure to get your photo snapped!
Festival Lounge
Another new partner for the festival, RJE Knoll is outfitting the IMA's Fountain Room with some swank furniture to help create the 2011 Festival Lounge. This will be the place to be between screenings to catch up with friends, to chat about the films and maybe meet a director or two! The music will be oh so good – DJ TwinPeaks will be making a few stops in the lounge, and our friends at My Old Kentucky Blog (MOKB) are sharing their first two shufflers, which are chock full of awesomeness. Our Official Beer of the Fest, Sun King, will be on hand with their Popcorn Pilsner. Could their be a better beer to pair with movies? We think not. Did we mention Just Pop In will be serving up their delicious popcorn?. Oh yes. The lounge will be the place to be, that is – if you aren't watching movies. The lounge will be open July 15-17 from 4p to 11p.
After Party Spots
This year we've organized a slate of bars to head to after the movies every night. Once you've seen the flicks, you want to talk about them, hang out with other film lovers and continue drinking in the vibe of the fest. So come on out after the show!
Th 7/14 – Opening Night Party at The Bar at the Ambassador
Fri 7/15 – O’Reilly’s
Sat 7/16 – Sensu
Sun 7/17 - Mesh
Mon 7/18 – Elbow Room
Tues 7/19 – White Rabbit
Wed 7/20 – Ball and Biscuit
Th 7/21 – Urban Element
Fri 7/22 – Tavern on South
Sat 7/23 – Closing Night Party at Agio
Image credit: Reel mosaic by Carbon Arc via flickr
Hello, Red Carpet
Is there anything more exciting in movies than opening night? The buzz, the glamour, the after-party magic. For us, opening night sets the tone for the rest of the festival.
We can't think of a better way to do that this year than to kick things off with Fox Searchlight's ANOTHER EARTH. Join us July 14, 7 p.m. at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
Your ticket gets you into the film and the after-party at Bar at the Ambassador. If you haven't been before, the Bar offers a darkly elegant atmosphere with an expansive marble bar and eclectic New Orleans art collection. The Bar has been kind enough to provide complimentary appetizers for you to enjoy. Full service menu and bar will be available. Opening Night sponsor Just Pop In! will be on hand with a selection of their decidedly delectable popcorn, as will Sun King Brewery, sampling their own Popcorn Pilsner! And be sure to get your photo snapped – keep your eyes open for the Spinshot photo booth, courtesy of SmallBox!
Get tickets here.