Indiana filmmakers selected for
inaugural LIFT program

Hoodox, Indiana Humanities, Heartland Film, and Free Press Indiana announced five filmmakers to produce short, uplifting stories of Hoosiers working to connect, strengthen, and celebrate their communities. 

LIFT offers $5,000 grants to five filmmakers to create high-quality short films that feature stories centering on a single Hoosier or small group whose actions, perspective, or presence meaningfully contribute to their community. The story does not have to be dramatic or heroic; it could simply reveal something genuine and illuminating about how people strengthen, support, or uplift one another in Indiana.

“The response to our call for applications far exceeded our expectations, which demonstrates an incredible opportunity to tell more Hoosier stories,” said Rocky Walls, co-founder and executive director of Hoodox. 

“The filmmakers we selected represent Indiana's vast geographic and cultural variety,” said Megan Telligman, director of programs at Indiana Humanities. “It was a joy to see so many applications focused on civic pride and community connection.”

 The filmmakers have two months (April 15-June 15) to complete their films. In addition to financial support, LIFT partner organizations will provide mentorship opportunities throughout the process, and the films will premiere at Heartland Film’s Indy Shorts Film Festival in July 2026. Mirror Indy, a newsroom of Free Press Indiana, will also share the stories of these filmmakers via their weekly arts & culture newsletter – Play List.

2026 LIFT filmmakers

  • Jessica Dunn

    Film title: Far Out Frequencies
    Location: Indianapolis

    About Film: While "third places" and independent venues across the globe struggle to survive, there's one spot that lives on as a treasured hub championing an eclectic mix of artists and musicians from Indianapolis and beyond. 

    Instagram : @Sesseka

  • Makenna Mays

    Film Title: The B&B on East 8th Street
    Location: Brookville

    About Film: For decades, a historic home and B&B offers has offered respite from a busy world, and its innkeeper has greeted everyone who ends up at her front door with a home-cooked meal and tales of the past. 

    Instagram: @seeemproductions

  • Sam Mirpoorian

    Filmmaker: SILO
    Location: Indianapolis

    About Film: Rooted in a craft passed down through generations of Mexican women, this 65-year-old seamstress has become as essential to her neighborhood as the needle is to thread. 

  • Ahmed Tahsin Shams

    Film title: The Water Readers
    Location: Bloomington

    About Film: River speaks in tiny bodies. A scientist listens and turns stream bugs into a score of water health shared by humans and nonhumans. 

  • Samuel Villagra-Stanton

    Film title: The Brain Lair
    Location: South Bend

    About Film: This bookstore owner has spent decades finding stories a home in the people around her; now it's time to tell her story. 

    Instagram: @villagrastanton