BLOOMINGTON — Hoosier Films is introducing a statewide monthly movie night program beginning this fall.
Six theaters across Indiana are participating in the movie nights, showcasing feature films or short stories made by Indiana filmmakers.
"It's not just about supporting local film, it's not just about supporting a local small business like Hoosier Films: It's also about supporting those theaters. And many of them are small nonprofit theaters that are really working hard to come back from the pandemic, and are really thrilled to see audiences come out," Meredith McGriff, a co-founder and CEO of Hoosier Films, told WRTV.
McGriff and her partner, Thomas DeCarlo, founded Hoosier Films in 2018 with the purpose of building structure, promotion, and support for locally made films.
The idea for Hoosier Films started playing in their heads during one year in the mid-2010s when McGriff and her husband discovered at least a dozen films that were made in Indiana. McGriff and DeCarlo felt as if not many other Hoosiers knew about the number of feature films being created in their backyards.
"We were looking at this incredible network of filmmakers in Indiana, and all of these incredible films that were coming out of the state. We just kept discovering more and more," McGriff said.
By 2019, Hoosier Films had launched its own streaming service and a multiple-day film festival, both featuring Indiana-made films and Hoosier filmmakers.
The multi-platform distribution service has partnered with different organizations, universities, and filmmakers over the last three years and has "just kept growing," McGriff said.
"I think that filmmaking in Indiana has been growing for possibly the last decade or more," McGriff said.
The growth of Indiana filmmaking will undoubtedly continue to rise as applications for the new Film and Media Tax Credit start to roll into the Indiana Economic Development Corp. The incentive offers an income tax credit up to 30% to media production companies looking to create films and content in Indiana.
"I know there are a lot of folks who've left the state thinking that they have to go elsewhere for this work," McGriff says, "who are excited about the idea that Indiana could be a home for filmmaking."
For Hoosier Films' monthly movie nights, McGriff says it is, again, all about making it easier for Indiana-shot films or Hoosier filmmakers to get their work on the big screen in their communities.
"It's a lot of work for filmmakers to get their films into theaters locally, because they kind of have to build those connections and make those arrangements themselves. And so we're really hoping that we can centralize that and provide that regular support for filmmakers," McGriff said.
There are six theaters that are part of the monthly movie nights this fall:
- Kan-Kan Cinema & Brasserie in Indianapolis
- Fort Wayne Cinema Center in Fort Wayne
- Strand Theatre in Shelbyville
- Historic Tivoli Theatre in Spencer
- Goshen Theater in Goshen
- The Alex Theatre in Alexandria
The fall lineup of films showing for the Hoosier Films monthly movie night kicks off with "Reparation" by Kyle Hamm and Steve Timm, which was shot in Putnam County.
In October, the monthly movie night will feature "Spooky Short," created by Indiana filmmakers. In November, a film made by a Huntington University graduate that features the Brokaw Movie House in Angola, "Moondance," will be featured.
"Folks are really excited about the arts; they're excited about supporting local creators. And we want to make sure that they have a way to support local filmmakers every single month," McGriff said.
Although each theater will be playing the same film or shorts every month it doesn't mean they will be showing on the same exact day. Hoosier Films says its completely up to the theater when they choose to show the selected movie, which can be confirmed by checking your nearby theater's website.
Although the winter lineup of films has yet to be determined, McGriff says they're looking to continue the monthly movie nights as long as they can.
"There's no end date on this. We've got something like six or seven feature films lined up for next year already and a few collections of shorts in the works," McGriff said. "We haven't announced any of that yet, but we will be soon."
If you're interested in learning more about Hoosier Films, its Monthly Movie Nights, or subscribing to the Hoosier Films Streaming Service, visit hoosierfilms.com.
MORE: Indy movie theater showing Groundhog Day on Groundhog Day, over and over
WRTV Digital Reporter Shakkira Harris can be reached at shakkira.harris@wrtv.com. You can follow her on Twitter, @shakkirasays.
