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The Indianapolis-based Heartland Film Festival received the No. 1 ranking for the 2026 Best Film Festival by USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards.
The award program’s panel of experts nominated 20 film festivals from around the country. Readers were then asked to vote for these nominees from Feb. 2 through March 2, and the top 10 festivals were announced by rank on Wednesday, March 11. The Heartland Film Festival held the No. 1 spot on the list for all 28 days of voting. Click here to read the story from USA TODAY.
“It is hard to put into words what it means for the Heartland Film Festival to be recognized as the No. 1 Best Film Festival by USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards,” Heartland Film President Michael Ault said. “This honor is especially meaningful because we received it thanks to the unwavering support of our community. For 35 years, we have felt their love, and now the entire country can see the dedication of the Heartland Film Festival community.”
This year marks the 35th Anniversary of the Heartland Film Festival hosted by the non-profit arts organization, Heartland Film. The October festival has grown from a five-day event to an 11-day internationally-recognized film festival that annually showcases more than 200 film screenings and welcomes more than 100 independent filmmakers from all over the world. Over the years, Heartland Film has presented $4 million in cash prizes – the largest total amount awarded by any film festival in North America.
The folks at the Heartland Film Festival say they are thrilled to add this honor to the list of recent accolades. For the last three years in a row, the Heartland Film Festival has also been included on MovieMaker Magazine’s Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World and Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee lists.
Heartland Film’s mission is to curate, promote and celebrate thoughtful and engaging films. The organization uplifts films that do more than entertain through the Indy Shorts Film Festival (July 21 to 26, 2026), the Heartland Film Festival (Oct. 8 to 18, 2026) and other year-round community screenings and events.
You can learn more about Heartland Film at HeartlandFilm.org.