Indianapolis Video Production: Key Dates & Shoots to Watch Mid-September 2025
Indianapolis video production professionals have a packed calendar over the next two weeks, from family-friendly screenings to critical festival deadlines and location-scouting considerations. Below is your 360-degree briefing on what matters between September 10 and 24, 2025.
Cereal Cinema Serves Up Matilda on Sept 13
Indy Film Fest’s “Cereal Cinema” series takes over the Basile Theatre at the Athenaeum this Saturday with a 10 a.m. screening of Matilda (1996). Tickets include an all-you-can-eat cereal bar—yes, coffee for the adults—and the program routinely sells out, offering camera-ready B-roll of energetic families for lifestyle or news segments.
Production Takeaway (bullets)
- Easy-to-secure press credentials through Indy Film Fest’s year-round staff.
- Interior location features 401 E Michigan St. German Renaissance architecture—a visual plus.
- Load-in for ENG crews opens at 9 a.m.; confirm with the Athenaeum’s house manager.
Heartland Festival Drops 2025 Lineup Sept 18
Heartland Film’s lineup announcement is more than hype: it dictates red-carpet needs, hotel blocks, and freelance crew call-outs for filmmaker Q&As. Passes are already moving briskly, and Heartland confirms it will again partner with Alamo Drafthouse for 35 mm repertoire nights, creating potential day-hire gigs for projectionists.
Indy Film Fest Earlybird Deadline Sept 17
If you have a short or feature in post, the Earlybird submission window closes on Sept 17 for the April 2026 festival. Entry fees jump by 20 percent after this date, so local indies should finalize screeners now. The fest hands out juried awards in U.S. Fiction, World Cinema, Documentary, and Indiana-made categories, plus Audience Awards—useful laurels for distribution pitches.
Location Alert: Newfields Switches to Fall Hours Sept 22
Newfields’ Garden, a go-to for lush outdoor scenes, shifts to fall operating hours (10 a.m.–5 p.m. weekdays; 9 a.m.–5 p.m. weekends) on September 22. Shoots remain capped at three hours, and Saturday wedding exclusivity rules still apply. Productions needing golden-hour light should book before the schedule tightens.
Permit Watch: Two-Week Notice for Road Closures
Film Indy reminds producers that full street-closure requests require 14 days’ notice. Right-of-way applications must include detour maps and proof of insurance; incomplete packets are returned without review, jeopardizing tight turnarounds. Smaller setups that stick to sidewalks still need a general Indy permit filed five business days ahead.
Conclusion
Whether you’re polishing festival submissions, planning red-carpet coverage, or locking exterior locations, the mid-September window is decisive for Indianapolis video production teams. Circle Sept 13 for crowd-pleasing footage at Cereal Cinema, hit Sept 17-18 for critical festival milestones, and file those permits before the window closes. Staying proactive this fortnight will keep your shoots on schedule and your stories on screen in the Crossroads of America.
