The third annual Indiana Youth Film Festival (IYFF) is here, featuring 60 films over three days.
Founded by Deonna Weatherly in 2023, the IYFF is the only festival in Indiana specifically designed to provide a platform for and celebrate young Hoosier filmmakers. Featuring screenings at the KanKan Cinema and activations at 10 East Art Hub, the 2026 IYFF takes place June 26-28.
Weatherly, an award-winning director and cinematographer, created the Indiana Youth Film Festival after recognizing a need in the community. She’d frequently have young filmmakers and students reach out to her and her production company.
“It seemed like maybe we were seeing something that we actually really needed to hone in on, which is giving them (youth) opportunities, because they are just as much the ones that are cultivating this industry that we want to see so bad,” Weatherly said. “We look at Chicago and New York and LA, I feel like there was a missing piece, and I think they are just so excited and willing to explore and connect and things like that, so they just needed a space to do that.”
In addition to celebrating the next generation of creatives, the IYFF provides a space for young artists and filmmakers to connect with one another and see firsthand how they can build their local creative economies, Weatherly said.
READ MORE: Gallery 317 is providing opportunities for Black artists to show their work
Submissions open in October each year and are open to filmmakers ages 12-24 or those on a four-year college track. Submissions close in April, and selected filmmakers are notified in May. The festival takes place over a weekend each June.
In just three years, IYFF has grown exponentially, from just 20 submissions in 2023 to 65 this year. This year’s festival will screen 60 films at KanKan Cinema over three days, alongside five workshops, a dance performance by iibada Dance Company, and an additional opening-night screening of “Ballet After Dark” by B Monet, a filmmaker from New York and “Trade Off,” by Indy-based filmmaker Niso Kapsalis.
“It’s a lot of connections happening, a lot of time to talk to other filmmakers, and in the panels, it’ll be professional artists,” Weatherly said. “A lot of young filmmakers will be able to ask questions and potentially get mentorship opportunities. So, it’s a lot of networking, but it’s a lot of fun at the same time.”
Auboni Essence, Indy-based spoken word artist and 2026 Art & Soul artist, is hosting this year’s IYFF and said it is an honor to be in this space. As the host, Auboni Essence aims to create a welcoming, fun space while remaining “in alignment with uplifting young filmmakers.” This event alone is unique for Indiana, as even adults tend to get “siloed in general” when it comes to the arts industry.
“I hope they (filmmakers) feel celebrated. I hope that they feel as special as they are, and that they feel that they can lift others as they’re climbing,” Essence said. “This is one of those moments where it matters, because we say that it matters, but I hope they continue to push how much something like this matters and is important.”
Weatherly hopes guests attending the IYFF take the time to realize how serious this is. In just three years of hosting the IYFF, Weatherly has already seen young filmmakers meet at the festival and then get together to begin preparing and creating films to submit the next year.
Their impact on the industry has already begun, and IYFF isn’t just the launch point for many of them, but the driving force behind convincing family and friends to believe in their dreams. Weatherly has already had parents come up to her at previous festivals to express their delight and surprise at seeing what their children were capable of doing.
“A lot of students say they want to be filmmakers, and their parents are like ‘oh, that’s cute.’ They don’t really know what they’re making, or they haven’t seen it before, or they’ve seen it on their phone or laptop,” Weatherly said. “(At IYFF) they’re able to see it on a big screen, and hopefully they can really be a champion as much as we are, and take their career aspirations seriously.”
The Indiana Youth Film Festival takes place June 26-28 at the KanKan Cinema and 10 East Art Hub. Tickets for individual screenings are $12, passes for the weekend are $125 for adults and $100 for youth.
For more information about the festival, volunteer opportunities, screening times or ticketing, visit weatherhousepro.com/iyff.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
