10 must-see movies and events at Indy Film Fest
The 13th annual Indy Film Fest, running from July 14 to July 24 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, will include around 100 films — a modest number when compared with the nearly 800 submissions the festival received.
Festival volunteers spent seven months narrowing down their options by gauging each movie's storytelling quality and emotional pull, Executive Director Craig Mince said. The judges also placed special emphasis on films with Hoosier ties.
But how do you know which movies you should catch? Here are some of the festival’s best, broken down by category.
Visit indyfilmfest.org for the full lineup.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
“Hell or High Water”
Two brothers, one a rule-abiding divorced father (Chris Pine), the other an ex-con (Ben Foster), decide to rob the bank foreclosing on their family’s land. The duo pull off the heist one bank branch at a time in this fast-paced Western that was an Un Certain Regard official selection at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Native American actor Gil Birmingham who appears in the movie, as well as in “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “Twilight,” will be available after the film for a question and answer session.
When: 7 p.m., July 22 at the Tobias Theater.
Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes.
“Little Men”
Thirteen-year-old Manhattanite Jake (Theo Taplitz) moves into his recently deceased grandfather’s home in Brooklyn with his family, where he befriends Tony (Michael Barbieri), the son of the building’s downstairs’ dress shop owner (Paulina Garcia). Jake’s father (Indiana-born Greg Kinnear) and mother (Jennifer Ehle) attempt to raise Tony’s mother’s rent, which affects Jake and Tony’s newly formed but strong relationship. The film was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews, including from the Huffington Post, which called the movie one of Sundance’s best.
When: 7 p.m., July 14 at the Tobias Theater.
Runtime: 1 hour, 25 minutes.
“Morris from America”
The young, hip-hop loving Morris Gentry (Markees Christmas) feels out of place when he moves from America to Heidelberg, Germany, with his single father, Curtis (Craig Robinson). Morris, who is 13, has dreams of becoming the next Notorious B.I.G., but his European peers aren’t having it, except, perhaps, the pretty and blonde Katrin. This comedic coming-of-age film won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award and a dramatic individual performance award for Craig Robinson’s work at the Sundance Film Festival.
When: 7 p.m., July 23 at the Tobias Theater.
Runtime: 1 hour, 31 minutes.
FEATURE-LENGTH FILM
“Reparation”
This film, set and shot in Indiana and directed by Kyle Ham, a graduate of DePauw University in Greencastle, has won a slew of audience choice and acting awards since it began its journey on the film festival circuit. In the movie, Bob Stevens (Marc Menchaca) is a veteran and farmer who can’t remember three years of his life. A stranger named Jerome (Jon Huertas) shows up to Bob’s house, claiming he knew Bob in the Air Force police. Meanwhile, clues to Bob’s foggy past are appearing in his 8-year-old daughter, Charlotte’s (Dale Dye Thomas), art work.
When: 9:15 p.m. July 18 and 12:45 p.m. July 21 at the Tobias Theater.
Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes.
DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE-LENGTH)
“Do Not Resist”
The militarized state of policing in America gets a thorough investigation in “Detropia” cinematographer Craig Atkinson’s directorial debut. The film, which begins in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, during the Michael Brown protests and took two years to shoot, won Best Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival. Atkinson takes the viewer from SWAT team ride-a-longs to congressional hearings about military equipment in small-town police departments, eventually showing the public what policing might look like in the future.
When: 12:45 p.m. July 15 and 1:15 p.m. July 23 at the Tobias Theater.
Runtime: 1 hour, 13 minutes.
HOOSIER TIES
“UNDER THE BRIDGE: The Criminalization of the Homeless”
In 2013, the city of Indianapolis closed a homeless camp on the southern end of Downtown, leaving nearly 40 of its estimated 67 residents to find shelter elsewhere. Their story is told, in a way it never was by local media, in this documentary directed by Don Sawyer. Sawyer delves deep into the lives of the Davidson Street homeless community residents, highlighting the unofficial mayor of the camp, Maurice, a man who left a “normal” life to live in and help Indy’s homeless community.
When: 9:15 p.m. July 19 and 5 p.m. July 23 at the Tobias Theater.
Runtime: 1 hour, 14 minutes.
THEMED SHORTS PROGRAM
“Giggle Fits”
The only thing better than an hour-and-a-half long comedy is an hour-and-a-half bloc of seven short comedies. Indy Film Fest includes 11 short film events with various themes, but this one is guaranteed — or at least billed — to make you laugh. The mini films portray everything from a hilariously determined (and fictional) Hoosier basket salesman to a 90-year-old Jewish woman preparing to eat bacon for the first time.
When: 3:30 p.m. July 16 and 1:30 p.m. July 20 in the Deboest Lecture Hall.
Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes (total).
FOREIGN FILM
“West Coast”
Four French teenagers living in a small town are convinced that they’re American gangsters, and their classmates’ teasing isn’t going to persuade them otherwise. But when their leader Fle-O learns that he’ll be moving out of town at the end of the year, he decides to take revenge on the popular kids, leading his gang on an adventure that quickly gets out of hand.
When: 6:45 p.m. July 15 and 5 p.m. July 21 at the Tobias Theater.
Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes.
SHORT FILM
“Birthday”
This emotional short film realistically tells the story of a Marine’s wife (Mandy Moody) after she learns that her husband (Chris Gouchoe) has been severely injured in combat. Her spouse’s journey towards recovery won’t be easy, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be amazing. “Birthday” will be shown as part of Indy Film Fest’s “War Stories” short film program.
When: 1:15 p.m. July 16 and 12:45 p.m. July 21 in the DeBoest Lecture Hall.
Runtime: 13 minutes.
EXTRA PROGRAMMING
48 Hour Film Project
It’s the first year Indy Film Fest will be hosting Indianapolis’ 48 Hour Film Project competition. Competition participants are given two days to write, shoot and edit a 4- to 7-minute film. The finished films will be shown to the public during IFF’s festival.
When: 7 p.m. July 18 and 19.
Runtime: 2 hours.
Call IndyStar reporter Danielle Grady at (317) 444-6152. Follow her on Twitter: @dgrady1222.