The Indianapolis International Film Festival, this year from July 15th to the 25th, is an annual celebration of films and the people who make them, offering one of the fastest-growing cultural events in the Midwest.  In five years the festival has grown from a three-day event with 27 films, to its current 11-day iteration presenting more than 130 films from nearly 40 nations.  These numbers make it the largest film festival in the state of Indiana, showcasing more films than any other festival and welcoming more filmmakers and special guests than any other event.

The mission of the Indianapolis International Film Festival is to present films that inform, enlighten, and educate the community by providing a vivid reflection of the rich cultural diversity of Indianapolis and the world beyond our doors. The festival opens this year with 500 Days of Summer, a quirky romantic comedy starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Check out the rest of the schedule online.

Other festivals starting this week include:

Asian Film Festival of Dallas (July 17-23)

Prince Edward Island International Film Festival (July 17-19)

Festivals starting next week include:

Oxford International Film Festival (July 23-26): Named one of the top “25 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” by MovieMaker Magazine and featuring more than 70 of the best new short and feature-length independent films from around the globe, the Oxford International Film Festival is an entire week of screenings, workshops, celebrity guests, concerts, filmmaker panels, parties, receptions, an opening-night premiere event and closing-night awards gala. In 2009, the festival–founded in Oxford, Ohio–will move to downtown Cincinnati and West Chester, Ohio to convert the Esquire Theatre, Savannah Center, and surrounding venues into a film-lover’s dream destination.

Expresión en Corto (July 24-August 2)

Sacramento Film and Music Festival (July 24-August 2)

SSG Summer Shorts Fest (July 24-26)

Woods Hole Film Festival (July 25-August 1)

New York International Latino Film Festival (July 27-August 2)