Indy Film Fest


Indy Film Fest, formerly known as the Indianapolis International Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Indianapolis, United States. The festival champions films that entertain, challenge, and expand perspectives in Indianapolis and beyond. Its inaugural edition took place in 2004, featuring Lars von Trier's Dogville as the closing film.
WWW indyfilmfest.org

Awards

2025 Awards

Winners:Midwinter⁠ ⁠- American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmLena and Vladimir - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmPapercuts: My Life as an Indie Animator - Best Documentary FeatureNever Not Yours ⁠- Hoosier Lens, Best Feature

2024 Awards

Winners:No Right Way ⁠- Grand Jury, Best Feature FilmNo Right Way ⁠- American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmL'incidente - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmFilm is Dead. Long Live Film! - Best Documentary FeatureThe Girl in The Yellow Scarf ⁠- Hoosier Lens, Best FeatureDarla in Space ⁠- Audience Award, Best Narrative FeatureThe Girl in The Yellow Scarf - Audience Award, Best Documentary Feature

2023 Awards

Winners:In a Good Way - Grand Jury, Best Feature FilmIn a Good Way - American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmDerrapada - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmThe Bright Path: The Johnny Bright Story - Hoosier Lens, Best FeatureNot Just A Picky Eater - Best Documentary FeatureHundreds of Beavers - Audience Award, Best Narrative FeatureGreener Pasture - Audience Award, Best Documentary Feature

2022 Awards

Winners:The Mirror Game - Grand Jury, Best Feature FilmThe Mirror Game - American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmThe Noise of Engines - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmDear Audrey - Best Documentary FeatureIt Happened One Weekend - Hoosier Lens, Best FeatureIt Happened One Weekend - Audience Award, Best Narrative FeatureThe B1g Story: George Taliaferro - Audience Award, Best Documentary Feature

2021 Awards

Winners:The Catch - Grand Jury, Best Feature Film The Catch - American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmSchwarze Milk - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmBelly of the Beast - Best Documentary FeatureWelcome to Monterrey - Hoosier Lens, Best FeatureWorkhorse Queen - Audience Award, Best Documentary FeatureEl Rey de la Fiesta - Audience Award, Best Narrative Feature

2020 Awards

Winners:Breaking Fast - American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmChasing Unicorns - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmDown a Dark Stairwell - Best Documentary FeatureSleeze Lake: Vanlife at its Lowest & Best - Hoosier Lens, Best Feature

2019 Awards

Winners:Sumergida - Grand Jury, Best Feature FilmFrances Ferguson - American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmEl Testigo - Best Documentary FeatureSumergida - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmQualified - Hoosier Lens, Best FeatureGood Feels on Wheels - Audience Award, Best Feature Film

2018 Awards

Winners:Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win - Grand Jury, Best Feature FilmIn the Wake of Ire - American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmUma Vida Sublime - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmWhen We Grow Up - Hoosier Lens, Best FeaturePieced Together - Audience Award, Best Feature FilmDare to Struggle, Dare to Win - Best Documentary Feature

2017 Awards

Winners:Pawo - Grand Jury, Best Feature FilmSignature Move - American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmPawo - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmMark Twain's Journey to Jerusalem: Dreamland - Best Documentary FeatureSignature Move - Hoosier Lens, Best FeatureKing Rat - Audience Award, Best Feature Film

2016 Awards

Winners:West Coast - Grand Jury, Best Feature FilmReparation - American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmDo Not Resist - Best Documentary FeatureWest Coast - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmUnder The Bridge: The Criminalization Of Homelessness - Hoosier Lens, Best FeatureThe Invisible Patients - Audience Award, Best Feature Film

2015 Awards

Winners:Chorus - Grand Jury, Best Feature FilmFor Grace - Matter of Fact, Best Feature FilmChorus - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmNight Owls - American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmMorphine Journey of Dreams - Audience Award, Best Feature Film

2014 Awards

Winners:Bluebird - Grand Jury, Best Feature FilmBluebird - American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmConfusion Through Sand - American Spectrum, Best Short FilmBeyond All Boundaries - Matter of Fact, Best Feature FilmTarzan & Arab - Matter of Fact, Best Short FilmYou’ll Be A Man - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmGrand Canal - World Cinema, Best Short FilmBeyond All Boundaries - Audience Award, Best Feature FilmGood Story - Audience Award, Best Short Film

2013 Awards

Winners:Medora - Grand Jury, Best Feature FilmDetroit Unleaded - American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmMr. Bellpond - American Spectrum, Best Short FilmMedora - Matter of Fact, Best Feature FilmSlomo - Matter of Fact, Best Short FilmDream Team 1935 - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmMore Than Two Hours - World Cinema, Best Short FilmMedora - Audience Award, Best Feature FilmSlomo - Audience Award, Best Short Film

2012 Awards

Winners:Somebody Up There Likes Me - American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmNarcocorrido - American Spectrum, Best Short FilmDetropia - Matter of Fact, Best Feature FilmCutting Loose - Matter of Fact, Best Short FilmPatang - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmThe Maker - World Cinema, Best Short FilmWonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines - Audience Award, Best Feature FilmMondays at Racine - Audience Award, Best Short Film

2011 Awards

Winners:Type A - Best Matter Of Fact, Short Film The Green Wave - Best Matter Of Fact, Feature FilmDirek Ask - World Cinema, Best Short FilmSmall Town Murder Songs - World Cinema, Best Feature FilmSomething Left, Something Taken - American Spectrum, Best Short FilmNatural Selection - American Spectrum, Best Feature FilmJess + Moss - The Ima Culturally Adventurous AwardThe Green Wave - Audience Award, Best Feature FilmThe Secret Friend - Audience Award, Best Short Film

2010 Awards

Winners:A Little Help - American Spectrum, Best FeatureGod of Love - American Spectrum, Best ShortBallhawks - Best Documentary FeatureThe Poodle Trainer - Best Documentary ShortTwisted Roots - World Cinema, Best FeatureEncuentro - World Cinema, Best ShortLaPorte, Indiana - Hoosier Lens, Best FeatureDynamic Tom - Hoosier Lens, Best Short

2009 Awards

Winners:
  • Racing Dreams - Audience Award, Best Feature
  • Weathered - Audience Award, Best Short Film
  • Sita Sings the Blues - American Spectrum, Best Feature
  • True Beauty This Night - American Spectrum, Best Short Film
  • A Ripple of Hope - Hoosier Lens Award, Best Feature
  • Chicken Cowboy - Hoosier Lens Award, Best Short
  • Frankie 13 vs The World - Best Documentary Short Film
  • Best Worst Movie - Best Documentary Feature
  • Sinnerman - Black Expressions
  • Gone Fishing - World Cinema, Best Short Film
  • The Vanished Empire - World Cinema, Best Feature
  • The Way We Get By - Eric Parker Social Justice Award
  • Lapsus - Excellence in Animation

2008 Awards

Winners:
  • Mongol - Audience Award, Best Feature
  • Trying to Get Good: The Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon - Audience Award, Best Documentary
  • Spider - Audience Award, Best Short Film
  • Pop Skull - American Spectrum, Best Feature
  • Bitch - American Spectrum, Best Short Film
  • Der Ostwind - American Spectrum, Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Technical achievement to Kohl Gass
  • Beyond Belief - Real Visions, Best Feature
  • Kids + Money - Real Visions, Best Short Film
  • The Life and Times of Robert F. Kennedy Starring Gary Cooper - Real Visions, Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Experimental Film to Aaron Valdez
  • Cargo 200 - World Cinema, Best Feature
  • Ten to Two - World Cinema, Best Short Film
  • Burn the Bridges - World Cinema, Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance to Irene Azuela
  • Karl Rove, I Love You - Hoosier Lens, Best Feature
  • Lapsus - Excellence in Animation Award

2007 Awards

Winners:
  • Speed Dating - Audience Award, Best Feature
  • Waitress - Audience Award, Best Feature
  • In the Shadow of the Moon - Audience Award, Best Documentary
  • The Substitute - Audience Award, Best Short Film
  • Adrift in Manhattan - American Spectrum, Best Feature
  • Pop Foul - American Spectrum, Best Short Film
  • Disappearances - American Spectrum, Special Jury Prize for Cinematography
  • Nevel Is the Devil - American Spectrum, Special Jury Prize for Comedy
  • Kidney Thieves - American Spectrum, Special Jury Prize for Comedy
  • Rain in a Dry Land - Real Visions, Best Feature
  • Angel's Fire - Real Visions, Best Short Film
  • Heavy Metal Jr. - Real Visions, Special Jury Prize for Direction
  • McLaren's Negatives - Real Visions, Special Jury Prize for Direction to Marie-Josee Sainte-Pierre
  • Fraulein - World Cinema, Best Feature
  • Eramos Pocos - World Cinema, Best Short Film
  • Thicker Than Water - World Cinema, Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance
  • Milk and Opium - World Cinema, Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Score
  • Marrying God - Hoosier Lens Award
  • Everything Will be OK - Excellence in Animation
  • First on the Moon - The Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Prize for Outstanding Science Fiction Filmmaking

2006 Awards

Winners:
  • A Place Called Home: An Adoption Story - Audience Award, Best Feature
  • Sugar Mountain - Audience Award, Best Short Film
  • El Inmigrante - Grand Jury Prize, Best Feature
  • Binta and the Great Idea - Grand Jury Prize, Best Short Film
  • Antonio's Breakfast - Grand Jury Prize, Best European Short Film
  • Knocking - Audience Award, Best Non-Fiction Film
  • Over the Hedge - Audience Award, Best Family Film
  • Kinky Boots - Audience Award, Best Comedy
  • A Place Called Home: An Adoption Story - Hoosier Lens Award for Best Indiana Film
  • Before I Go - Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance to Heidy Forster and Horst Sachtleben
  • Life in Transition - Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Animation
  • Dirty Mary - Special Jury Prize for Achievement in Comedy to Daniele Ferraro for Writing, Producing, and Acting
  • Monobloc - Special Jury Prize for Direction to Luis Ortega
  • Desire - Special Jury Prize - Honorable Mention for Documentary Filmmaking to Julie Gustafson & the New Orleans Teenage Girls Documentary Project
  • Binta and the Great Idea - Markey's Humanitarian Award
  • Apparition of the Eternal Church - Best North American Independent Feature Film

2005 Awards

Winners:
  • Murderball - Audience Award, Best Feature
  • West Bank Story - Audience Award, Best Short Film
  • Murderball - Audience Award, Best Non-Fiction Film
  • NOVEM - Grand Jury Prize, Best Feature
  • Solo un Cargador - Grand Jury Prize, Best Short Film
  • Tama Tu - Grand Jury Prize, Best Short Film
  • The Innocent - Grand Jury Prize, Best Non-Fiction Film
  • Pearl Diver - Grand Jury Prize, Hoosier Lens Award for Best Indiana Film
  • Tropical Malady - Special Jury Prize, Outstanding Direction to Apichatpong Weerasethakul
  • NOVEM - Special Jury Prize, Outstanding Performance to the entire cast
  • Brothers - Special Jury Prize, Outstanding Performance to Connie Nielsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, and Ulrich Thomsen
  • 9 - Special Jury Prize, Outstanding Animation

2004 Awards

Winners:
  • The Story of the Weeping Camel - Audience Award, Best Feature
  • The Climactic Death of Dark Ninja - Audience Award, Best Short Film
  • Hairless - Audience Award, Best Short Film
  • The Climactic Death of Dark Ninja - Grand Jury Prize, Best Short Film
  • Between the White Lines - Grand Jury Prize, Best Feature Film
  • Dogville - Special Jury Prize, Outstanding Performance to the entire cast
  • A Slipping Down Life - Outstanding Performance to Lily Taylor & Sara Rue
  • Disconcerting Symphony - Outstanding Performance to the entire cast
  • Stuff That Bear! - Outstanding Cinematography to Oleg Mutu
  • Everyone and Their Mother Wants to Write and Direct - Outstanding Writing