10 Hollywood Movies Filmed in Indiana

Indiana may not be the first state that comes to mind when discussing Hollywood film locations, but it has served as the authentic backdrop for several major studio productions.

From real-life sports stories to action thrillers and architectural indie films, directors have chosen Indiana for its realistic small-town settings, university campuses, and preserved historic sites.

The most iconic film shot in Indiana is Hoosiers (1986), widely considered one of the greatest sports movies ever made.

It was filmed almost entirely in real Indiana towns like New Richmond and Knightstown, using actual school gyms and casting local extras to portray 1950s basketball culture with accuracy.

Other standout titles include Breaking Away, filmed entirely in Bloomington, and Rudy, which used the real Notre Dame campus in South Bend.

1. Hoosiers (1986)

Widely regarded as one of the best sports films of all time, Hoosiers is the quintessential Indiana movie. Based on the real-life story of Milan High School’s 1954 state basketball championship, the film was shot entirely in Indiana to reflect authentic Midwestern life.

Filming took place in more than a dozen locations across the state, including New Richmond (which stood in for the fictional town of Hickory), Knightstown (home to the iconic Hoosier Gym), and parts of Lebanon and Indianapolis.

The film not only used real Indiana high school gyms but also hired local extras for crowd scenes, maintaining a high level of realism. The Hoosier Gym is still preserved today and functions as a museum and event space.

2. Breaking Away (1979)

Breaking Away is a coming-of-age drama that captures the atmosphere of Bloomington, Indiana, home to Indiana University. The film centers around four working-class teens struggling with identity, class divisions, and aspirations in a college town.

The famous Little 500 bicycle race, which plays a central role in the story, was filmed on the actual IU campus.

Various Bloomington neighborhoods, college streets, and quarry areas were used, giving the film a strong geographic identity tied to Indiana limestone culture and college-town life.

3. Rudy (1993)

Another sports drama with deep Indiana roots, Rudy tells the real story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, a young man with dreams of playing football for Notre Dame.

Filming took place primarily on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend. Key locations include Notre Dame Stadium, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and the Grotto.

The university allowed the film to shoot during halftime of an actual football game, lending credibility to the crowd scenes. South Bend streets and bars were also used to depict Rudy’s working-class background.

4. A League of Their Own (1992)

Though primarily associated with baseball and the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, A League of Their Own filmed major sequences in Indiana. Huntingburg, Indiana, served as the location for several of the on-field scenes.

The Huntingburg League Stadium was refurbished specifically for the film. The production used real period uniforms and modified the stadium to reflect the 1940s.

Local townspeople were hired as extras, and Huntingburg briefly transformed into a 1940s Midwestern baseball town.

5. Public Enemies (2009)

@johnny_depp_and_vampires Public Enemies is a 2009 American biographical crime drama film directed by Michael Mann who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronan Bennett and Ann Biderman. It is an adaptation of Bryan Burrough’s 2004 non-fiction book Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI♡1933–34♡Set during the Great Depression the film chronicles the final years of the notorious bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) as he is pursued by FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale). Dillinger’s relationship with Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard) as well as Purvis’ pursuit of Dillinger’s associates and fellow criminals John “Red” Hamilton (Jason Clarke), Homer Van Meter (Stephen Dorff), Harry Pierpont (David Wenham) and Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) . . . #johnnydepp #sexiestmanalive #public #enemies #publicenemies #actor #movies #director #musican #singer #guitar #songwriter #passion #love #hollywoodvampires #painter #neverfeartruth #model #tattoos #dior #sauvage . #johnnydepp #tommyhenriksen #alicecooper #joeperry #glensobel #chriswyse #buckjohnson send much love Vanny xoxo #johnny_depp_and_vampire ♬ Criminal (Britney Spears Tribute) – The Singles

Directed by Michael Mann and starring Johnny Depp, Public Enemies tells the story of notorious gangster John Dillinger.

While much of the film was shot in Illinois and Wisconsin, several important scenes were filmed in Indiana, where Dillinger was actually from. The town of Crown Point, Indiana, was used to film the famous jail escape scene.

The production used the actual historic Lake County Jail, where Dillinger made one of his real-life escapes in 1934. The scene was recreated with strict historical accuracy, including period-correct vehicles and uniforms.

6. Columbus (2017)

This indie drama, critically acclaimed for its cinematography and quiet storytelling, was entirely filmed in Columbus, Indiana, a city known for its world-renowned modernist architecture.

Columbus uses these buildings not as background but as central visual elements reflecting the emotional landscape of the characters.

Sites like the Miller House, North Christian Church, and the public library are central to the film. It’s one of the rare movies that puts architectural heritage at the center of the narrative.

7. Hard Rain (1998)

Hard Rain (1998)
(Paramount Pictures) pic.twitter.com/2X4CgVsUH2

— Out of Context Movie Studio Logos (@OOCMovieLogos) February 11, 2024

Hard Rain is an action thriller starring Christian Slater and Morgan Freeman, set during a flood and filmed largely in Huntingburg, Indiana. The town was temporarily flooded by the production team using elaborate water tanks and rain effects.

Many of the action scenes were shot on practical sets built on location, making Huntingburg one of the most significantly transformed locations used in a 1990s action movie. The downtown area was heavily used and later restored after production.

8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Although mostly filmed in Alabama and Wyoming, one early scene in Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind takes place in Muncie, Indiana. The film opens with a domestic setting involving UFO phenomena in a Muncie suburb.

While most of these scenes were shot on a soundstage, the mention of Muncie helps ground the story in real Midwestern geography. The city has embraced its brief connection to the movie through local events and exhibitions.

9. The Judge (2014)

Starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall, The Judge filmed several rural scenes in Indiana, specifically in the towns of Shelburn and Cartersburg.

The production aimed for a Midwestern look and found it in Indiana’s small-town streets, railroads, and court buildings. Although some courtroom interiors were shot elsewhere, the exterior shots and town square sequences were authentically Indiana.

The film emphasizes the atmosphere of family tension and rural tradition.

10. Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Though primarily set in Chicago, parts of Stranger Than Fiction, starring Will Ferrell, were filmed in Indiana. The film’s crew used locations in Hammond and East Chicago for supporting industrial scenes and transitional shots.

The fictional tone of the film is balanced by these real Midwestern backdrops, giving the movie a grounded feel during otherwise whimsical moments.

Conclusion

Indiana has provided the visual foundation for a diverse range of Hollywood films, from legendary sports dramas like Hoosiers and Rudy, to indie architectural pieces like Columbus, and action thrillers like Hard Rain.

While each film uses Indiana differently, the common thread is authenticity: filmmakers come here for real American settings that can’t be recreated on a backlot.

If you’re only visiting one filming location, the Hoosier Gym in Knightstown offers the most complete and accessible movie experience. It’s preserved exactly as seen in the film Hoosiers and open to the public year-round.

For fans of cinema and American culture, Indiana’s filming locations offer more than trivia; they are real, tangible sites where pivotal scenes were created using real towns, real gyms, and real people.