You may go to a water park this summer. You’ll likely try to make it to an amusement park. You’ll probably even pack a picnic to enjoy the sun on a nice warm day. But don’t forget to include all of the movie series and festivals that pop up around Indianapolis in your summer plans. Plenty are outdoors, some are inside, and they’re fun all the same. Whether you’re looking for something contemporary the whole family will enjoy, or you’re interested in old-timey films, you’re just not looking hard enough if you can’t find some summer movie fun this season.
Sunset Cinema on the Canal
Indy Film Fest is partnering with Downtown Indy for this free outdoor summer movie series on the canal. A large movie screen will be located on the north end of the canal near the Admiral Spruance Basin on 11th Street. Free seating is available on the grassy areas surrounding the canal basin, and attendees 21 years and older can purchase VIP in-water admission for $20, which includes an inner tube to float in and a Sun King beer. Guests can bring their own picnics, and food and soft drinks will be available for purchase near Canal 337. Movie nights begin at 7 p.m., and the movies start at dusk, around 9 p.m.
• June 20 — E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• July 18 — Splash
• Aug. 22 — Days of Thunder
National Bank of Indianapolis Summer Nights Film Series
The National Bank of Indianapolis is giving movie lovers a chance every weekend this summer to catch a film under the stars at Newfields, 4000 N. Michigan Road. Doors open at 7 p.m. when attendees can enjoy a picnic dinner, music and other activities, followed by that night’s movie, which will start around 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for members and $12 for the public. Children 5 and under get in free. If it rains, movies will be shown at Tobias Theater by 8 p.m.
• June 7 — Say Anything
• June 14 — Sabrina
• June 15 — Hairspray
• June 21 — The Producers
• June 28 — Suspicion
• June 29 — Independence Day
• July 5 — Ghost
• July 13 — Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
• July 14 — Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• July 15 — Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• July 16 — Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• July 17 — Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• July 18 — Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• July 19 — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
• July 20 — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
• July 26 — Indy Shorts International Film Festival
• Aug. 2 — To Have and Have Not
• Aug. 9 — Bring it On
• Aug. 16 — Moana
• Aug. 17 — The Thomas Crown Affair (members only)
• Aug. 23 — 13 Assassins
• Aug. 30 — Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Garfield Park, 2345 Pagoda Road
Movies are free and begin at dusk, around 9 p.m.
• June 7 — Instant Family
• July 12 — Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
• July 26 — Captain Marvel
Garfield Park will also have Vintage Movie Night, a monthly series featuring film historian and preservationist Eric Grayson. Tickets will be available for $5 at the door. All Vintage Movie Nights start at 8 p.m.
• June 1 — China Seas (1935)
• July 6 — Tom Thumb (1958)
• Aug. 3 — Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
• Sept. 7 — The Front Page (1931)
The Garfield Shakespeare Company will present “Much Ado About Nothing” on the following days at 8 p.m.: Aug. 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 and 31.
Georgetown Cinemas
How does $1 for a movie ticket sound? Families with children can enjoy $1 movies every Wednesday and Thursday from late June to August at Georgetown Cinemas, 3898 Lafayette Road. Here’s the rundown:
• June 19 and 20 — Small Foot
• June 26 and 27 — Lego Batman
• July 3 and 4 — Trolls
• July 10 and 11 — Smurfs Lost Village
• July 17 and 18 — Boss Baby
• July 24 and 25 — Home
• July 31 and Aug. 1 — Minions
Heartland Film: Cinema in the Square
In the heart of Fountain Square, Heartland Film offers $10 screenings of independent theatrical releases. Located at 1043 Virginia Ave., Suite 2, the organization will screen a series of movies on six different nights throughout the summer, beginning May 30. Check heartlandfilm.org for start times.
• May 30 and 31 — Apollo 11 and Little Woods
• June 6 and 7 — CatVideoFest and Oscar-nominated documentary short films: A Night at the Garden, Black Sheep, End Game, Lifeboat and Period. End of Sentence
• June 20 and 21 — Her Smell and Hail Satan?
