Shine Global’s The Business of Trouble to Premiere at Indy Shorts International Film Festival 2025

The 2025 Academy Award®-Qualifying Film Festival Running July 22-27 Will Also Screen Shine Global’s Oscar-nominated Anuja and Award a Shine Global Short Film Prize to One of Seven Finalist Films

June 25, 2025 – Shine Global is thrilled to announce our latest film The Business of Trouble will have its world premiere at the 2025 Indy Shorts International Film Festival as well as share the seven finalist short films in the Spotlight: Children’s Resilience program that are eligible for the Shine Global Children’s Resilience in Short Film Prize.

Indy Shorts is an Academy Award®-Qualifying Film Festival in all three short film categories (Live Action, Documentary and Animated) in addition to being named as both one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” and one of the “Best Short Film Festivals in the World” by MovieMaker Magazine.

In The Business of Trouble, survivors, a former caregiver, and an investigator reveal systemic abuse and demand accountability from the private equity companies behind the multibillion-dollar Troubled Teen Industry that exploits vulnerable youth under the guise of care. The short documentary is directed by Emmy-winner Kristi Jacobson and produced by Shine Global’s Alexandra Blaney and Emmy-nominated producer Dani Sloane. The Business of Trouble screens Saturday, July 26 @ 6:00 PM at Living Room Theaters as part of the Care & Conviction program. Tickets are available here.

The Children’s Resilience in Short Film Prize collaboration between Heartland Film’s Indy Shorts and Shine Global began in 2023 and aims to shed light on the challenges faced by children and their remarkable strength. The films featured in the Spotlight: Children’s Resilience with Shine Global program are all finalists to receive the Shine Global Children’s Resilience Short Film Prize of $2,500.

“Heartland Film and Shine Global share a commitment to films that are more than movies and we are happy to continue our partnership to shine a spotlight on stories of children’s resilience with this prize,” said Shine Global’s co-CEO and Creative Director Alexandra Blaney. “This year’s lineup of films showcase incredible talent and style in filmmaking that celebrates the courage of children. We know these films will inspire audiences.” Shine Global’s Spotlight: Children’s Resilience Program is Saturday, July 26 at 3:30PM at the Living Room Theaters. Tickets are available here.

The seven films in the Spotlight: Children’s Resilience with Shine Global program are:

	An Olive Branch | 2024 | Jordan, UK, Ireland | Sam Nutt, Shafiq Olabi | U.S. Premiere | 19m | In Amman, a Syrian refugee family faces hardship when the father falls ill. Eighteen-year-old Amal embarks on a desperate search for work, navigating the harsh realities of survival, hope and resilience amidst an uncertain future.
	Blackmoll | 2024 | Germany, United States | Alessia Mandanici | 19m | A seven-year-old girl sets out to justify the mysterious world of her dementia-suffering grandmother.
	Éiru | 2024 | Ireland | Giovanna Ferrari | 13m | When the water mysteriously disappears from the well in a warrior clan’s village, an intrepid child descends into the belly of the Earth to retrieve it.
	Les mousses | 2024 | France | Guillaume Schmitt-Bailer | U.S. Premiere | 5m | At elementary school, Ponge, a nine-year-old girl, tries her best to play soccer with the boys who won’t pass her the ball. Annoyed, she isolates herself and comes face to face with a group of colorful young girls who are about to upset the established order in the playground. They call themselves: Les mousses!
	Rise | 2025 | Zimbabwe | Jessica J. Rowlands | Midwest Premiere | 21m | A charismatic young boy who lives on a rubbish dump in Zimbabwe must convince a reclusive boxing coach to teach him to fight to find safety and strength in a world that has left him behind.
	Single Residence Occupancy | 2024 | United States | Omer Ben Shachar | Midwest Premiere | 10m | A Chinese immigrant living in a single residence occupancy apartment receives news that her family’s application for better housing is denied, and grapples with how to share the news with her children.
	When Big People Lie | 2024 | United States | Gianfranco Fernández-Ruiz | Midwest Premiere | 13m | Eight-year-old Elvis witnesses a dramatic family shift when his mother arranges a green card marriage.

The Shine Global Resilience Awards were created to honor films that highlight the strength, dignity, and power of children in the face of adversity. This year marks the third year Shine Global has partnered with Indy Shorts to present a short film award after presenting awards previously to the short documentary Ayenda (2023, directed by Marie Margolius) and the live action short Unibrow (2024, directed by Nedda Sarshar). Additional past winners of  Shine Global Resilience Awards include the feature documentaries Daughters (2024, Directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae), Name Me Lawand (2023, Directed by Edward Lovelace), and Lift (2022, Directed by David Petersen), Los Frikis (2024, written and directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz) in partnership with Nantucket Film Festival, Okthanksbye (2023, Nicole Van Kilsdok) with ReelAbilities Film Festival, and the animated children’s films Savages (2024 directed by Claude Barras) and Dounia – The Great White North (2024, directed by Marya Zarif and André Kadi) in partnership with the New York International Children’s Film Festival. 

In addition, Indy Shorts will also screen the Oscar-nominated live action short film Anuja written and directed by Adam J. Graves and produced by Suchitra Mattai, which was an official selection at last year’s Indy Shorts. The film tells the story of brilliant nine-year-old Anuja (Sajda Pathan), who works in a garment factory in Delhi, India with her 17-year-old sister Palak (Ananya Shanbhag).  When given a chance to attend school, she must make a difficult choice for her and her sister’s future. Anuja screens Friday, July 25 @ 9:30 PM at The Amphitheater at Newfields as part of the Summer Nights: Oscar Shorts program. Tickets are available here.

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About Shine Global
Shine Global is a nonprofit media company that improves the lives of children by telling powerful stories to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce and support inspiring films and compelling content about underserved children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on Capitol Hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

Since our founding in 2005, Shine Global films have won more than 100 major awards, including an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject for Inocente, an Academy Award® nomination for Best Live Action Short for Anuja, and an Academy Award® nomination and two Emmys® for War/Dance. Recent films include the documentary-animation hybrid Liyana, the hit documentary The Eagle Huntress, Through Our Eyes: Homefront which is available on HBOMax, the Ariel Award winner Home Is Somewhere Else, and Comedy Against the Odds which is currently in film festivals.

ABOUT SHINE GLOBAL’S RESILIENCE AWARDS
This program recognizes and celebrates the films and filmmakers that highlight the resilience and strength of children in the face of adversity. The awards are open to films of any genre that showcase children overcoming challenges, such as poverty, violence, illness, and discrimination, and demonstrate their resilience, courage, and determination.

About Heartland Film

Heartland Film is a nonprofit arts organization that runs the 11-day Heartland International Film Festival in October, the Academy Award®-Qualifying Indy Shorts International Film Festival in July, the Truly Moving Picture Award and other year-round programs. Based in Indianapolis, Heartland Film was founded in 1991 with the mission to curate, promote and celebrate thoughtful and engaging films from diverse perspectives. Over the years, Heartland Film has presented $3.5 million in cash prizes – the largest total amount awarded by any film festival in North America – presented 200+ studio films with the Truly Moving Picture Award, and showcased more than 2,000 feature and short films, including 10 Oscar®-winning short film titles. MovieMaker Magazine named both the Indy Shorts and Heartland International Film Festival on the top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World list for 2025. The 8th Annual Indy Shorts International Film Festival is scheduled July 22-27, 2025 and the 34th Heartland International Film Festival runs October 9-19, 2025. For more information, visit www.HeartlandFilm.org.