Submissions FAQ: https://www.heartlandfilm.org/faqs

Submit your feature film now for consideration to the 33rd Heartland International Film Festival, set for October 10-20, 2024 in Indianapolis! Known for hospitality, cash prizes, Awards season sneak peeks, and quality programming, HIFF32 will host a range of live events and screenings and bestow $60,000 in cash prizes.

SEEKING FEATURE FILMS longer than 40 minutes. SHORT FILMS (40 minutes or shorter) SUBMIT ONLY TO INDY SHORTS: https://filmfreeway.com/HeartlandFilmIndyShorts

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Heartland Film is a nonprofit arts organization founded in 1991 with the mission to curate, promote and celebrate thoughtful and engaging films from diverse perspectives. Since the inaugural Heartland International Film Festival (HIFF) in 1992, the fest has grown from a 5-day event with less than 20 films to an 11-day celebration featuring 150+ visiting filmmakers and 250+ film screenings. HIFF has built a reputation on its impactful movies, the connections audiences make with visiting filmmakers, the overall hospitality and intimacy of the experience, and bringing big Hollywood names – like Robert Downey Jr., Brendan Fraser, Matthew Modine, Jessica Biel, Rob Reiner, and Oscar® winner Geoffrey Rush – to the Hoosier state.

Top reasons to submit to the HIFF:
1. Cash prizes, ranging from $2,000 - $20,000 per prize.
2. Amazing reviews from dozens of HIFF alumni, plus alumni submission waivers for life!
3. One of MovieMaker Magazine’s 2023 Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals.
3. Consistently one of MovieMaker Magazine’s Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.
5. Regarded for our Hoosier hospitality with a strong community between filmmakers, moviegoers, and volunteers.

The 33rd HIFF will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, October 10-20, 2024. Filmmakers participating in the Festival attend numerous screenings of their films and other special events designed to allow interaction between filmmakers and audiences. Filmmakers from around the world are invited to submit films; student filmmakers are welcomed in each category too. HIFF selects and honors films in several categories:

- Narrative Feature Grand Prize ($20,000 Grand Prize)
- Documentary Feature Grand Prize ($20,000 Grand Prize)
- Richard D. Propes Narrative Social Impact Award ($2,000 cash prize)
- Richard D. Propes Documentary Social Impact Award ($2,000 cash prize)
- Indiana Spotlight Narrative ($2,000 cash prize)
- Indiana Spotlight Documentary ($2,000 cash prize)
- Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award ($5,000 cash prize)
- Humor & Humanity Award ($2,000 cash prize)
- Best Narrative Premiere Award ($2,500 cash prize)
- Best Documentary Premiere Award ($2,500 cash prize)
- Audience Choice Winners (Overall, Narrative, Documentary, Indiana Spotlight, Horror - no cash prizes)
- Indiana Film Journalists Association Award for Best Special Presentation (no cash prize)

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WAIVER POLICY: Please do not contact us requesting waivers or reduced submission fees. As a nonprofit organization, our annual operations and the process of viewing the volume of submissions we receive are very costly. Thus, waivers are only reserved for Indy Shorts and Heartland International Film Festival alumni. We strive to keep our fees as reasonable as possible and encourage all applicants to take advantage of our early and official deadlines to save on submission fees.

We do not offer student waivers, but we offer discounted student pricing for all categories.

ALUMNI WAIVERS: If you have directed a short or feature film that has screened at Indy Shorts or HIFF in the past, please email submissions@heartlandfilm.org with your film’s title and the year it screened.

Awarding a combined $90,000 in cash prizes for 2024 between HIFF and Indy Shorts, Heartland Film has bestowed more than $3.6 million to independent filmmakers since 1992 – the largest total amount awarded by any film festival in North America.

- Narrative Feature Grand Prize ($20,000 Grand Prize)
- Documentary Feature Grand Prize ($20,000 Grand Prize)
- Richard D. Propes Narrative Social Impact Award ($2,000 cash prize)
- Richard D. Propes Documentary Social Impact Award ($2,000 cash prize)
- Indiana Spotlight Narrative ($2,000 cash prize)
- Indiana Spotlight Documentary ($2,000 cash prize)
- Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award ($5,000 cash prize)
- Humor & Humanity Award ($2,000 cash prize)
- Best Narrative Premiere Award ($2,500 cash prize)
- Best Documentary Premiere Award ($2,500 cash prize)
- Audience Choice Winners (Overall, Narrative, Documentary, Indiana Spotlight, Horror - no cash prizes)
- Indiana Film Journalists Association Award for Best Special Presentation (no cash prize)

Films selected as Official Selections are eligible for Grand Prize Awards, the Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award, Humor & Humanity Award, and Audience Choice Awards. Special Presentations (primarily major studio sneak peeks/films with major distribution) are not eligible for Grand Prizes. Films making their US or World premiere are eligible for premiere awards.

INDIANA SPOTLIGHT AWARDS
We are excited to exhibit films with ties to the Hoosier state for the seventh year of our Indiana Spotlight Competition. Films in competition for the Indiana Spotlight Narrative and Documentary Awards and $2,000 per category must either include principal production (director or producer) or cast (leading actor/actress) as an Indiana resident and/or 50% of the film was shot in Indiana. Total number of category films to be determined to compete for one Indiana Spotlight Award.

THE JIMMY STEWART LEGACY AWARD
The Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award will include a $5,000 cash prize for a single winner, selected from the Festival’s feature-length narrative and documentary titles. The winning film will best embody the ongoing legacy of actor and national hero Jimmy Stewart and will demonstrate the triumph of the human spirit through determination and the defiance of odds, humble vulnerability, and courage in the face of adversity. $5,000 cash prize.

RICHARD D. PROPES SOCIAL IMPACT AWARDS
Will honor films that showcase stories centered on the fight for equality, justice, or feature stories/subjects that have made an impact on society. One narrative and one documentary winner, $2,000 cash prize each. All films eligible.

HUMOR & HUMANITY AWARD
The winning film will best tastefully combine comedy and pathos to inspire filmmakers and audiences through the transformative power of film. All films eligible. $2,000 cash prize.

Please note that cash prizes will ONLY be awarded to the film’s director and a completed W-9 or W-8BEN are required for disbursement. Cash prizes may be donated to a nonprofit/charitable cause if approved by the director.

SELECTION PROCESS
Each submitted film goes through an involved judging process and is screened by at least one member of the selection committee. Selected films could eventually be seen more than six times by members of the screening committees, programming staff, and juries. Heartland Film reserves the right to stop watching your film after 15 minutes if the reviewer determines that the film’s technical quality is not at a baseline level for Festival inclusion.

Films submitted to Heartland International Film Festival are judged on their overall artistic and technical quality and are story-driven films that do more than entertain, with the ability to shift perspectives, make an impact on audiences, or feature a fresh perspective.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for Heartland International Film Festival, films must comply with the following:

- The film must have been completed on or after January 1, 2023, and be longer than 40:01:00 minutes in length.

- The film must be available for up to three in-person screenings during the Festival, October 10-20, 2024. Selected films cannot play theatrically in the Central Indiana area from the time of selection through the event.

- There must not be a screening fee attached to the film. There will be perks for accepted filmmakers, but screening fees and honorariums will not be offered and cannot be demanded after a filmmaker contract has been signed.

- Heartland requires a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) for every film in addition to a high-quality digital backup file. No Blu-rays, DVDs or 35mm prints will be screened at the Festival.

- The film cannot require dual projection (interlock) or separate soundtracks.

- Non-English language films must be subtitled. Please do not send us an un-subtitled version with the intention of providing a subtitled version later. Please ensure that all subtitles are included in the original version or come with the correct Version File.

- Titles streaming prior to the Festival via TVOD are still eligible for consideration (SVOD titles are not eligible). Titles with a wide broadcast release/wide online availability (YouTube, PBS, etc.) at any point prior to the Festival are not eligible. Any change in release plans for invited films must be discussed with the Festival ASAP.

PREMIERE STATUS

Premiere status has no bearing on whether a film is selected. Heartland Film does not encourage your film to be available on YouTube, Vimeo, streaming platforms, theatrical release, etc. prior to the event, but that does not have any bearing on eligibility. Any film invited to play at the Festival MUST communicate to the Artistic Director if release plans change once the film is programmed. Failure to communicate may result in the film being pulled from the lineup.

Once a premiere status (World or US premiere) is locked in it cannot be changed. If labeled a premiere in the signed filmmaker contract, a film cannot revoke or change its premiere status; no exceptions.

RULES FOR SUBMISSION

In addition to the eligibility requirements listed above, filmmakers must comply with the following submission rules to be considered as an Official Selection in their respective category:

The submitting filmmaker must be either the producer or director of the film.

- A completed/paid official entry via this site.

- Multiple submissions must be provided as individual submissions.

- If submitting a film that is not yet complete, place "WORK IN PROGRESS" on a title card at the beginning of your film - but please wait and submit the most complete version of your film as possible. We cannot guarantee that updated files will be screened.

- Films submitted in the wrong categories to save on submission costs will be disqualified and fees will be kept by Heartland Film, Inc.

NOTIFICATION

All selected titles are considered Official Selections and are eligible for the Grand Prizes. Official Selections are also eligible for other prizes, such as the Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award, Best Premieres, Social Impact Awards, Humor & Humanity Award, and Audience Choice.

Other films may be invited to screen at the Festival as a “Special Presentation” in a “To Be Announced” time slot; these may be eligible for the Audience Choice Award depending on when the films are scheduled. “Special Presentation” films are generally titles that already have major distribution or have had their broadcast premiere prior to the Heartland International Film Festival.

SELECTED FILMS

Heartland Film, Inc. reserves the right to withdraw any film from the lineup, before or during the event. All selected films/representatives warrant that they have all the necessary rights to exhibit all elements of my submission, including music rights. Chosen filmmakers shall indemnify and hold harmless Heartland Film from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the exhibition files provided.

Confirmed films cannot drop from the Festival lineup once the filmmaker contract is signed. Any title breaking its filmmaker agreement and pulling from the lineup once confirmed will be subject to a fine equivalent to the loss in venue fees and lost ticket revenue.

In 2023, 128 feature films were selected from more than 1,000 feature submissions.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Max Tzannes

    We were so honored to have had the World Premiere of our film "Et Tu" at the Heartland International Film Festival. Greg and his team did an excellent job of making us feel welcome and appreciated. The screening facilities they partnered with was top level as was the lodging. Audiences were very enthusiastic and the Q&As that followed each screening moderated exceptionally well. All filmmaker events were a blast and the Awards Ceremony was a special night. (The Horror Award most appreciated). A first-class event all the way around. I highly recommend the Heartland International Film Festival to all filmmakers.

    November 2023
  • Heartland Int'l Film Festival was an incredible experience. Great people and attendance. The staff did an amazing with their selection of films. Wish to stay longer to attend more festivities!

    November 2023
  • Beth Lane

    We had our World Premiere and my directorial debut for our feature documentary film, UnBroken at Heartland. We won the Best Documentary Feature Premiere Award! The team at HIFF, led by Greg and Evan was the most incredible experience we ever could have asked for. Hoosier hospitality is unparalleled. We had an incredible time from start to finish beginning with our first Zoom meeting all the way through our screenings and our final wrap party bowling at Pins. Meeting so many other filmmakers and the creative staff at Heartland is a memory I will treasure. Thank you Heartland for curating so many incredible stories!!!

    October 2023
  • To Fall In Love

    Greg and the entire Heartland team were amazing from start to finish! The "To Fall In Love" team felt well-taken care of the entire time. There were plenty of opportunities to meet other filmmakers and the festival was extremely well organized! Communication was clear and thorough. We literally could not have asked for anything more!

    October 2023
  • Diego Vicentini

    We were impressed by the level of filmmakers that were all gathered at the festival. We were proud just to participate. And the hospitality shown by everyone from the festival was heartwarming! A true celebration of independent cinema!

    October 2023