Few college students get a chance to participate in a film festival while still in school—unless you’re a Ball State student. Through a unique collaboration involving Ball State’s College of Fine Arts (CFA), College of Communication, Information, and Media (CCIM), and the Indianapolis-based arts organization, Heartland Films, the immersive learning experience, Radiance Cinema, was born. 

 Launched in academic year 2023-24, Radiance Cinema is a year-long immersive program that engages students in professional film production work, giving them the opportunity to show their films in the Indy Shorts International Film Festival, the largest short films festival in the Midwest, hosted by Heartland Films in Indianapolis. 

During its inaugural year, students learned from program faculty and staff from Heartland Films who shared their filmmaking insight and expertise. Students from both the Department of Theatre and Dance and the Department of Media united their respective talents to create and produce short films, giving them not only valuable experience for their future careers, but also deepening their sense of purpose.  

“Radiance Cinema has completely reshaped my life and has pushed me to become more creative, more introspective, and truly helped guide me into corners of film that feel like home,” shared C.E. Fischer, a media production major.  

Mark Cabus, assistant teaching professor of Acting and an executive producer for Radiance Cinema, believes this program will empower Ball State students to succeed. “My hope for Radiance Cinema students is that they have fully satisfying and successful careers in film and television.” 

For C.E., the program delivered more than just practical experience; it enabled deep connections and valuable lessons. “I have developed life-long connections, colleagues, and friends that I otherwise never would have crossed paths with,” C.E. said. “The program taught me how to overcome hardship and struggle rather than avoid it.” 

After a successful first year, the program received generous support from Jill (‘92) and Peter Lacy whose philanthropic contribution will ensure the sustainability and longevity of the program. A 1992 graduate, Jill is President of the Lacy Foundation, a private charitable foundation committed to making Central Indiana a caring, thoughtful, and thriving community. She also serves on the Ball State University Foundation’s Board of Directors.  

Eager to support a program aligned with their commitment to Ball State and their passion for Central Indiana, the Lacy’s are helping catapult the program from its incubator stage into a well-resourced experience for students and film professionals alike. “My dream for the program itself,” Mark shared, “is for it to become a model for other film curriculums to create meaningful partnerships with their local film and television communities all over the country.”