See inside Cinemania 2025 as Heartland Film celebrates 80s classics
The annual fundraiser featured dance performances, music and more while paying homage to 1980s film favorites.
This year’s Heartland International Film Festival is all about “connecting to what matters,” as the 34th iteration of the festival’s tagline reads, and IndyStar is plugged in.
Heartland will screen more than 100 independent films — including 19 world and U.S. premieres, 27 regional premieres and 17 special presentations — between Oct. 9 and 19. From heavy hitters (with Oscar winners Rami Malek, Brenden Fraser, Julia Roberts and more) to hidden gems, there’s something for everyone in this year’s catalog.
Only a miracle combination of super speed, time manipulation and substantial pocket money would get you to every showing, so we’re getting you started with some highlights. IndyStar’s entertainment staff picked the five films they don’t want to miss on Heartland’s lineup. These choices reflect a mix of compelling plot summaries, star power and projects we’ve previewed with the filmmakers themselves.
Take a look at the full Heartland lineup here, and check out our recommendations below:
Heather’s picks
From pop culture reporter Heather Bushman:
“Christy”: Two words: Sydney Sweeney. Sweeney is almost unrecognizable as Christy Martin, the professional boxer who left small-town West Virginia to take big swings in the ring. The bulk! The accent (“Wist Ver-gin-ya”)! The perm! Sweeney’s always had the chops, if you ask me, and I’m excited to see her anchor a full film, including the fun bonus that real-life Christy Martin will be in attendance at the Heartland screening. Sadly, though, not Sweeney. Get tickets: https://tinyurl.com/yeymkzpy
“Ignite the Fire”: Major League Volleyball’s Indy Ignite brought the heat in its inaugural season, a 2025 campaign that saw the team claw their way to the championship match before falling just short of the title. This documentary is a behind-the-scenes look at the team that habitually packed the Fishers Events Center and played with the kind of heart and intensity that make women’s sports so fun to watch. Shameless plug: I had the cool opportunity to talk to a few faces in the film as a preview. Get tickets: https://tinyurl.com/hmwasv4e
“Horsegirls”: If you’ve ever seen clips of hobby horse riders on TikTok, you know they’re not messing around. Lauren Meyering explores the phenomenon through the lens of a socially awkward 26-year-old aiming to prove her independence and win her first competition. Dare I say shades of Greta Gerwig? Everyone watches women’s sports! Get tickets: https://tinyurl.com/2b3f6cke
“The Tenderness Tour”: Another quick plug for our Heartland coverage and a Hoosier highlight. Richard Propes is on a mission to help erase medical debt in the U.S., and he spent 10 days wheeling around Indiana to do it. The longtime activist and self-described “curmudgeon” told me he wanted this documentary to paint a raw, honest picture of himself and his life pursuits, and the filmmakers are confident they did him justice. Get tickets: https://tinyurl.com/mtvnds4z
“Queens of the Dead”: Drag queens and zombies and club kids, oh my! A real star-studded cast here helmed by Indy native Katy O’Brian, whose turn as a body builder going beast mode in “Love Lies Bleeding” was one of my favorite performances of last year. Jaquel Spivey (a bright spot in the otherwise dismal Mean Girls remake), “Pose” standout Dominique Jackson, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant Nina West and more fill out the ensemble of what’s sure to be a comedic, campy affair. Get tickets: https://tinyurl.com/47d5nj94
Domenica’s picks
From arts and creativity reporter Domenica Bongiovanni:
“Sweet Lorraine in Auschwitz”: I had the honor of interviewing Holocaust survivor Frank Grunwald just a few months before he died. So this documentary about how music helped him survive the trauma of multiple concentration camps hits close to my heart. Get tickets: tinyurl.com/39tmc2ak
“Train Dreams”: The film tells the story of a logger and railroad worker, played by Joel Edgerton, who is navigating the changing landscape of early 20th-century America. I’m pretty much always eager to see a film that weaves together the psychology of strong, everyday people against a backdrop of massive national change. Get tickets: tinyurl.com/y6nfy6vx
“The Eyes of Ghana”: Chris Hesse, a 93-year-old Ghanaian documentarian who filmed the country’s former leader Kwame Nkrumah, fights blindness as he tries to preserve more than 1,300 films that depict Africa’s independence movement in the 1950s and 1960s. As someone with a penchant for little-known stories, I can only imagine how much this will add to our understanding of history. Get tickets: tinyurl.com/rxwe33x8
“John Candy: I Like Me”: The documentary, by actor Colin Hanks, explores the comedian’s rise to stardom, big hits and the anxiety he dealt with after his father’s death. Candy was probably the first adult actor I found truly funny as a kid, and his timing and delivery still make me laugh. Get tickets: httpstinyurl.com/54se98jx
“Mistura”: A French-Peruvian woman who’s lived a privileged life finds herself rejected by elite society after her husband betrays her in this film that takes place in 1960s Peru. I usually find that complex stories with women heroines make for engaging and memorable films. Get tickets: tinyurl.com/4hkhm473
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Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or [email protected]. Sign up here for the newsletter she curates about things to do and ways to explore Indianapolis. Find her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.
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