A selection of 2026 Indy Shorts award-winning films!

The Midwest has a rich natural heritage. Beautiful forests, sprawling prairies and clear and clean lakes and rivers. The vast human footprint across America's heartland has clashed with the natural heritage for several decades. Restoration of our most sensitive habitats is how humans can find a way to help biodiversity to persist within this working landscape.

When Freddie Nole drives to meet a man walking out of prison, he’s not just offering a ride, he’s offering hope, dignity, and a path to permanent freedom. As this vérité road trip unfolds, we come to learn the remarkable story behind Freddie’s mission, a staggering mistake that cost him 50 years of freedom but ultimately brings him right back to the prison door.

Set against the sweeping landscapes of the Flathead Indian Reservation, Indigenous youth transform new skateparks into sanctuaries of hope, resilience, and joy - one drop-in at a time.

When her mum leaves for the weekend, a precocious 12-year-old plots to kill her well-meaning stepfather - but between bad dinners and worse conversation, something softer begins to stir.

The ocean is paradise for Fran the shrimp. Her deadly claws take whatever they desire. For the blind fish Milva, it's a daily fight to survive. Fran sees her as beautiful and wants her to see the ocean in the same way. Can they overcome their differences?

Four middle school boys in a Texas border town have developed an unusual obsession: Joseph Stalin. As the boys write and rehearse their play about Stalin for the Texas State History Fair, they are forced to confront their own relationships with power and control.

Géraldine, a young stage manager, is blocking a deserted road for a film shoot near Calais. Not many people pass through, apart from Amar, a Syrian refugee.