The Academy Award-Qualifying Indy Shorts International Film Festival presented by Heartland Film is the largest shorts festival in the Midwest running in Indianapolis, Indiana, since 2018! Originally an expansion to the Heartland International Film Festival, Indy Shorts has become its own six day summer festival that celebrates the unique, creative and captivating art of short films in a wide range of categories including horror, comedy, documentary, narrative, animated, and more!

Indy Shorts is one of only 34 festivals in the world to have earned the special designation of being a qualifying festival for the Annual Academy Awards for all three Short Film categories: Live Action, Documentary, and Animated. This means the winner of the Indy Shorts Grand Prize for Best Narrative Short, Grand Prize for Best Documentary Short, and Grand Prize for Best Animated Short will qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the Annual Academy Awards without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules. Over the years, 29 films featured at Indy Shorts/HIFF have been nominated with seven going on to win Oscars!

The pandemic has changed the look of the festival, but our mission to curate, promote and celebrate thoughtful and engaging films from diverse perspectives remains at the forefront of everything we do. This past year, we were still able to award more than $30,000 in cash prizes, present 128 films on a secure virtual platform, host five drive-in screenings, showcase 182 filmmakers from all over the world for live virtual Q&A sessions, and achieve the 5050X2020 Parity Pledge with 50% of the Festival’s lineup directed and co-directed by women.