INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indy Film Fest returned for its 21st year on Wednesday night.

The annual celebration of cinema was to feature work produced across the country. However, the opening night was to feature “Last Days of Summer,” a drama shot in Indianapolis.

IUPUI graduate Alex Rodgers directed the movie. Parts of the film were shot in the Woodruff Place neighborhood as well as The Historic Artcraft Theatre in Franklin. The film was making its premiere at the festival.

“Last Days of Summer” producer Zac Cooper has been to Indy Film Fest before. He says it’s a full-circle moment for him and the rest of the cast crew. “It’s just great to help produce another filmmaker’s work. Many other people helped out. Now we actually get to open at the Indy Film Fest, which is huge.”

“Last Days of Summer” joins two feature-length films and a handful of short films with ties to Indiana in the festival’s Hoosier Lens category. In total, over 100 movies, documentaries and short films will be shown over seven days at the Kan-Kan Cinema and Brasserie on the city’s near-east side and the Living Room Theatres in the downtown Bottleworks District.

Many West Coast-based filmmakers were coming to the fest for the first time.

Joanna Fong produced “Britney Lost Her Phone.” She said the comedy film is “a social commentary on modern technological conveniences and the good and bad that can come with it.

“At the end of the day, though, it doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

Dave Tappan directed the short sci-fi film “Universe 25.” He said, “It’s about a woman and she’s trapped in this room where, every 30 days, she gets a new roommate. It’s essentially a thought experiment about what would you do if you could no longer know anyone longer than 30 days.”

It’s not just scripted films being featured. Documentaries will include “Tuluwat Reclaimed,” directed and produced by Michelle Hernandez. She said, “It’s a story about my tribe. It’s important to me because it is a story about us reclaiming our island back and the process it took to do that.”

All-access passes for festivalgoers to catch screenings they choose are available, or people interested in certain films can get admission into individual showings. For a full schedule and to purchase tickets, visit the Indy Film Fest website.

Indy Film Fest schedule

• Opening Night: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Living Room Theatres, 745 E. Ninth St. Indianapolis.
• Screenings: Thursday-Sunday, Kan-Kan Cinema and Brasserie, 1258 Windsor St., and the Living Room Theatres.
• Awards Night” 8 p.m. Saturday, Circle City Industrial Complex, 1125 E. Brookside Ave.
• Award Winner Screenings: May 4 and 5, Kan-Kan Cinema and Brasserie.