Eleven Days, Six Venues
The 35th Heartland Film Festival runs 8 to 18 October 2026. Heartland Film counts 100 films on its festival page, and its ticketing platform lists 261 in-person entries, read on 25 September 2026. 260 of them fall inside the eleven days.
The eleven days carry different loads. Thursday 8 October carries one screening. Saturday 17 October carries 38. Friday 16 October carries 29 and Saturday 10 October carries 33.
Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 October
The Festival Preview Screening of "First Five" runs Wednesday 7 October at 7 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 650 N Meridian St. It is a World Premiere and tickets are $25.
Opening Night takes Thursday 8 October alone. The Festival World Premiere of "JIMMY" starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Cathedral and ends at 9:10 p.m. A red carpet precedes the screening. The platform carried the event as sold out on 25 September, so the ticket is the constraint.
Friday 9 October: 22 Screenings and the Kick-Off Party
Friday runs 22 entries across Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at The Square and Living Room Theaters. The first starts at 2 p.m., the last finishes at 11 p.m., and 16 entries start at 5 p.m. or later.
The Kick-Off Party runs 8 to 11 p.m. on the second floor of Living Room Theaters, 745 E 9th St Suite 810. General admission is $15 and includes a drink ticket and appetizers.
Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October
Saturday 10 October carries 33 entries from noon to 9:44 p.m. and adds the Tobias Theater at Newfields, 4000 N Michigan Rd, to the pair of downtown rooms.
Sunday 11 October carries 29 entries from noon to 9:24 p.m. The AARP Indiana Happy Hour runs 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. at the Alamo Drafthouse Hot Rod Bar and admission is free.
Monday 12 to Thursday 15 October
Monday 12 October carries 19 entries from 1:30 p.m. The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge screens at 7:30 p.m. in Alamo Theater 3, free with an RSVP.
Tuesday 13 October carries 23 entries, Wednesday 14 October carries 20 and Thursday 15 October carries 23. Wednesday adds the Centerpiece Screening of "Wild Horse Nine" at 7 p.m. at the Tobias Theater at Newfields for $15.
Friday 16 to Sunday 18 October
Friday 16 October carries 29 entries from 1 p.m. and runs to 10:14 p.m. The Family Matinee of "Fing!" runs 1 to 3 p.m. at the Indy Art Center Frank Basile Theater, 820 E 67th St, for $6.
Saturday 17 October carries 38 entries from 11:45 a.m. to 9:46 p.m. The PitchDox Main Event runs 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Kan-Kan Cinema, 1258 Windsor St, for $7.
Sunday 18 October carries 23 entries and starts at 10:30 a.m. The Awards Brunch runs at Tinker House Events, 1101 E 16th St, with breakfast at 10:30 a.m. and the ceremony at 11:30 a.m.; tickets are $15 and include breakfast, coffee and a drink ticket. Closing Night screens "The Debut" at 6 p.m. at Newfields for $20.
Routes Between the Downtown Rooms and the North Side
Four venues sit inside 1.64 miles of one another downtown. Scottish Rite Cathedral at 650 N Meridian St, Living Room Theaters at 745 E 9th St, Tinker House Events at 1101 E 16th St and Kan-Kan Cinema at 1258 Windsor St make up that cluster. Tinker House Events and Kan-Kan Cinema sit 0.58 miles apart, and Living Room Theaters and Scottish Rite Cathedral sit 0.78 miles apart.
The north side is a separate leg. Newfields sits 3.56 to 4.11 miles from the downtown four. Indy Art Center sits 6.19 to 7.06 miles from them. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at The Square at 3898 Lafayette Rd sits 5.57 to 6.53 miles from them. The figures are straight-line measurements from coordinates for each published address.
The venue runs follow the calendar. Newfields hosts Saturday 10 October, Wednesday 14 October and Sunday 18 October. Kan-Kan Cinema hosts Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October. Indy Art Center runs from Sunday 11 to Saturday 17 October. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and Living Room Theaters run every day from Friday 9 to Sunday 18 October. The organiser's 17 September release gives longer venue runs, and the ticketing platform's dates are the ones above.
Booking the Nights
The opening screening starts at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday 8 October, so a Thursday arrival covers it. The closing screening ends at 7:45 p.m. on Sunday 18 October. A stay from Thursday 8 to Monday 19 October covers all eleven days.
Four pass products cover the general programme. The Theater 10-Pack is $120 and $96 for members, the Streaming 10-Pack is $140 and $112, the VIP Fest Pass is $220 and $176, and the Duo Fest Pass is $430 and $344. Members take 20 per cent off. Passes and Ticket Packs exclude the five Premium Events.
The festival publishes no parking programme and no shuttle, and the filmmakers page links Visit Indy for city transport and parking. The organiser publishes the six venue addresses and the box office contact at boxoffice@heartlandfilm.org. All festival venues are ADA-accessible.
Virtual streaming is restricted to the United States and covers part of the slate. The organiser states that many, but not all, festival films are available to stream in the US.