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Locally filmed ‘Reparation’ to kick off new movie series
A full-length movie shot entirely in Greencastle and Putnam County will kick off a new film series that will bring Indiana films to theaters across the state on a regular basis.
Starting in September with the psychological thriller “Reparation,” regional film distribution company Hoosier Films will provide a feature film or collection of short films to be screened at participating venues across the state.
Six Indiana theaters have signed up to participate in this monthly series so far, including the historic Tivoli Theatre in Spencer; Kan-Kan Cinema & Brasserie in Indianapolis; Fort Wayne Cinema Center in Fort Wayne; Strand Theatre in Shelbyville; WNIN Old National Public Theatre in Evansville; and Goshen Theater in Goshen. More venues are expected to join the program.
At this time, eight screenings of “Reparation” have been scheduled throughout September. Dates and times can be found at hoosierfilms.com/programs/september-2022. The website will be updated as additional screenings are scheduled.
Many cast and crew members are planning to reunite and celebrate at the 7 p.m. Sept. 11 screening of “Reparation” at the Tivoli in Spencer.
Shot entirely in Putnam County, the award-winning drama was the result of a decades-long collaboration between writer/producer Steve Timm, DePauw University professor of Communication and Theater, and writer/director Kyle Ham, a DePauw alum.
A synopsis of the film reads: “A troubled Air Force veteran finds clues to his buried memories in his daughter’s art, while confronted by a mysterious figure from his past looking for answers of his own.”
Monthly Movie Nights content will rotate between feature films and collections of short films, spanning almost every genre imaginable, and themed to fit the season when possible.
“Reparation” will be followed in October by a collection of spooky short films from creators around the state, just in time for the Halloween season. The November selection is again a feature film, “Pompano Boy,” created by Taylor University graduate Andrew Paul Davis.
Theaters will be hosting filmmakers at some of the screenings, where they will participate in Q&As or meet-and-greets with audiences. This program has financial benefits for filmmakers, too, since their revenue share model ensures local filmmakers get paid for their creative work out of the subscription fees Hoosier Films collects for the Movie Nights program.
Winner of 12 film festival awards, including Indy Film Fest, “Reparation” is a powerful psychological thriller that swirls around Bob Stevens, a small-town vegetable farmer with a three-year hole in his memory.
When a mysterious stranger shows up claiming to have been his best friend from the Air Force Police, Bob’s peaceful existence begins to unravel from the outside in. Bob’s entire family is caught in the storm, but none more than his eight year-old daughter, Charlotte, who discovers that she might hold the key to conjuring Bob’s forgotten past.
“Reparation” stars Marc Menchaca (“Ozark,” “Homeland)”, Jon Huertas (“This Is Us,” “Castle,” “Generation Kill”), Virginia Newcomb (“The Death of Dick Long”) and Indiana’s own Dale Dye Thomas, Brody Behr and Adam Philpott.
“Our goal is for independent films with a local connection to be available to anyone in Indiana - in your town, or no more than a short drive away,” Hoosier Films co-founder and CEO Meredith McGriff said. “Ideally, as the program grows, we’d like to have a participating venue in every county.”
Venues in the pilot program have signed up to participate September through December this year. The program will continue in 2023 on a monthly subscription model.
Hoosier Films has long been committed to making local independent films more accessible to audiences in Indiana, McGriff said. Hoosier Films was founded in 2018, and has provided a streaming service dedicated to Indiana’s independent films since 2019. The company began hosting the Hoosier Films Annual Festival in 2020, and is currently fundraising to build a Mobile Cinema that will bring short films to special events around the state.
“The standard Hollywood distribution model doesn’t work at a local level,” McGriff said. “Many of the films in our catalog are winning awards at national or international film festivals. Local audiences want to support these creators, but it’s a lot of work for filmmakers and theaters to arrange a regional release of a film. We’re providing a structure to streamline the process and ensure local films are available on a regular basis.”
McGriff notes that while Indiana’s film festivals -- including the spring festival run by Hoosier Films itself -- often highlight independent films with local connections, the difference with this program is that it is available in multiple locations and on a regular basis.
“We think Monthly Movie Nights will be a great complement to existing programming. We want people to be able to go out and support local independent filmmakers much more often than they currently can,” she said.