Indiana Documentary on Bicentennial Torch Relay Wins Spot in Heartland Film Festival

Indiana is no stranger to the bright lights of Hollywood. Even the recent movie Columbus (set in Columbus, Indiana and starring Jon Cho, Haley Lu Richardson and Parker Posey) treated the city and architecture of Columbus almost as a main character in the movie.

Another accolade that Indiana can add to its film repertoire is Everlasting Light: The Story of Indiana’s Bicentennial Torch Relay, selected for screening at the 2017 Heartland Film Festival (held in Indianapolis).

Flag of the State of Indiana

Produced by the Department of Telecommunications at Ball State University and commissioned by the Indiana Office of Tourism Development (IOTD), the documentary highlights the 2016 torch relay that spanned 260 cities and towns in all 92 counties in celebration of the state’s bicentennial.

The IOTD has more on the film’s inclusion in the festival, including where and when you can view the documentary:

“We are honored to have the documentary selected for the film festival,” said Mark Newman, IOTD’s executive director. “Looking back on the torch relay now, nearly one year since it concluded, I continue to be amazed by the positive impact it has had on our state.  The way that it brought people and communities together has been a great reward.”  

The film will screen three times during the festival:

Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at 7:45 PM @ AMC Castleton Square 14  

Thursday, October 19, 2017 at 12:00 PM @ AMC Castleton Square 14  

Friday, October 20, 2017 at 5:15 PM @ AMC Showplace Traders Point 12  

You can purchase a DVD of the documentary here.

IOTD recently received a Mercury award for best Public Relations Campaign for the Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay by the U.S. Travel Association at the 2017 ESTO conference, held in Minneapolis.

IOTD is also being honored by the Indiana Historical Society for the Bicentennial Torch Relay. It was chosen as one of the winners in the Outstanding Bicentennial Collaborative Project category. A ceremony will be held in November.

During the five-week relay, students from Ball State University worked with the Indiana Office of Tourism Development to produce daily videos, photos, articles, and social media related to the relay. The team worked the same material into the 36-minute documentary Everlasting Light.

This is the ninth honor for the film, which has won eight awards including a Gold Aurora Award, a Society of Professional Journalists award, two awards from the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters, and four Accolade Awards of Merit. In addition to the Mercury Award, the entire media project also won a Summit Emerging Media Award and two ADDY’s.