Denise Blane didn’t plan to build her filmmaking career in Indiana.

Like many emerging filmmakers, she assumed the path forward meant leaving. Los Angeles. Atlanta. Somewhere with a clearer front door into the industry. But what started as a temporary stop back home turned into something else entirely. A community. A set of relationships. A series of opportunities that didn’t just keep her here, but convinced her to build here.

In just a few years, Blane has moved from production assistant to camera department to director, navigating an industry that rarely offers straight lines. Her work spans commercial sets, documentary storytelling, and now narrative filmmaking, all while carving out space in a market still finding its footing.

Her breakout documentary, Justice 4 Three, grounded her in something deeper than craft. It taught her what it means to carry a story, not just tell one.

At 27, Blane is part of a new generation of filmmakers building their careers here, not elsewhere.

Special thanks to Kan-Kan for opening their doors to us for Denise’s photoshoot.

Polina Osherov: Let’s start at the beginning. Where did you grow up, and what kind of kid were you?

Denise Blane: I was born and raised in Indianapolis. I went to Pike High School, grew up on the west side, and then went to the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, where I got a degree in communications with a concentration in film.

I always knew I wanted to do film since I was like 10 years old. DVDs were very important to me because they had the special features tab. The first one I remember was for John Q, and they showed how they made a fake body for a surgery scene. I was just fascinated. Everybody else wanted to watch the movie, and I wanted to watch how it was made.

From there, I started making videos with my cousins. Really bad ones. Windows Movie Maker. But I’ve always been directing. I’ve gone back and watched videos of me telling my sister what to do on camera when I was little, and I didn’t even realize that’s what I was doing.

PO: Where did that creativity come from?

DB: My parents are both creative. My mom sings and paints. She sings in church, but if I had her voice, I would not just be singing in church. I’d have albums out. My dad can draw incredibly well. Like realistic drawings. But he chose a more traditional work path.

They’ve always supported me. Always shown up. My whole family does. Even for the smallest things. We are like 15 deep at everything. So I can’t say I came from a place where people didn’t believe in me. That’s never been my story.

PO: You almost left Indiana. 

DB: Yeah. I really thought I was going to leave. I had friends in LA. I was looking at Atlanta because it’s such a hub for Black filmmakers. I was like, okay, I’ll give it six months and then I’m gone.

But when I came back to Indy, I got connected with the film community here, and they took me in. And every job I was getting was from people in Indianapolis, not from anywhere else. So then it became a real decision. Do I leave and start over, or do I build something here?

PO: What did that early path actually look like?

DB: I started as a PA, just running around. But you don’t really learn as much there.

Then I moved into the camera department. Second AC, then first AC. That’s where I got most of my gigs. I never thought I’d be there because I’m not super technical, but those people really embraced me. They let me ask questions. They taught me things. And that experience helped me so much as a director, because now I understand what I’m asking people to do.

PO: You’re now building something with Boiling Cactus. What’s the intention there?

DB: Boiling Cactus is a new production company and I’m the head of creative.

Our goal is to build up narrative and documentary work here. Because right now, most of the work is commercial. And people want to do more than that.

There’s so much talent here. People just need opportunity. They need pathways. They need funding. We’re trying to figure out how to make it possible for people to stay.

PO: You mentioned the fact that many people don’t even know a film community exists here.

DB: Yeah. I didn’t know. I lived here my whole life and didn’t know. And I think that’s a huge problem. People grow up thinking they have to leave, so they don’t even look for what’s here. And then the community never grows because people don’t stay long enough to build it. We need something big to come out of Indianapolis so people are like, oh, this happens here.

PO: I’m curious what you’ve seen when it comes to who gets opportunities and how people get brought into the fold.

DB: Yeah. I think what happened for me doesn’t happen for a lot of people. I was adopted into the scene. People gave me opportunities. My name got into rooms.

But a lot of times I’m on set, and I’m the only one. The only woman, the only Black person, the only gay person. That happens all the time. And I know there are other talented people who should be there.

There is a lot of working with who you know. And I think that’s where things get a little stuck.

PO: Do you see people tending to stay within their own circles when it comes to crews and collaborators?

DB: Yeah, I think that’s part of it. I don’t think it’s that people don’t like each other. I think it’s comfort. It’s culture. You go where you feel like you belong.

But I think we’re better together. I really do. And I think that starts with networking. Going to things even if you’re not the majority in the room. I do that. I go to both. And I think more people should.

PO: You seem comfortable navigating different environments. Where did that come from for you?

DB: Yeah. I went to Pike, which is a predominantly Black high school, and then I went to Saint Francis, where I was one of the only Black people in my classes.

I thought about going to an HBCU, but my mom told me, if you go into the corporate world, it’s going to look like this school. You need to learn how to be comfortable in those spaces.

And I did that. I learned how to navigate both. So now I feel like I can exist in both spaces. And I think that’s why I feel like I could help bridge that gap.

PO: That’s interesting. Because you’re describing something that’s bigger than just film sets.

DB: Yeah. It’s definitely bigger than film.

But I think film is a place where you can actually see it play out really clearly. Who’s on set. Who gets called. Who gets brought back. And I think if we were more intentional about mixing those spaces, we’d create better work too.

PO: You recently went full-time freelance. That’s not a small decision.

DB: No. I had a job at UPS, and I was trying to work around it. Going to set after work, taking days off. And I hated it. I knew it wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing. So I quit. And I didn’t tell my parents for like two and a half months. (laughs)

At first, it was great. Then winter came, and it slowed down. And I was like… did I mess up? I was literally about to go back to UPS. And then I got a call for a TV show shooting here. That was a big moment for me.

You just have to hold out. You have to believe. Because this industry is unpredictable. It’s not like a job where you clock in every day. It’s you. You are responsible for every opportunity.

PO: What’s made you resilient enough to handle that?

DB: Justice 4 Three.

That project was hard. It was really hard. It was about a hate crime in Fort Wayne, and one of the boys was my cousin. And over time, the story became really centered on my family. So for a year, I’m reliving that grief over and over.

I’m sitting across from my grandmother while she’s crying, telling me this story, and I have to stay in director mode. Not granddaughter mode. That taught me how to be professional in the hardest way possible.

So now, when things get hard on set, it’s like… nothing is going to be more emotionally taxing than that.

PO: You’ve also been thrown into the deep end technically.

DB: Yeah. A lot.

One of my first jobs as a first AC was super technical. Pulling focus on a zoom lens, everything moving, everything changing. I was stressed. But I did it. And after that, everything else felt easier. That’s been my experience across the board. I get thrown into the deep end, and I come out stronger. I think it’s the best way to learn.

PO: You think of filmmaking as problem solving. How does that play out in real time on set?

DB: When something goes wrong, it’s like, okay. Let me not freak out. Let me figure out how to fix this. And I’ve started applying that to my life too.

PO: You’ve accomplished a lot already, but you don’t seem like you’re slowing down.

DB: I’m not. I have big goals. I want to be on the 30 under 30 list. I’ve practiced my Oscar and Emmy speeches a thousand times. (laughs)

But I don’t feel like I’m where I want to be. I celebrate small wins, but I don’t let myself sit in them too long. Because I don’t want to get stagnant. I’m always chasing what’s next.

PO: Who inspires you?

DB: Ryan Coogler. I’ve loved his work since Fruitvale Station.

Issa Rae. I just watched her masterclass, and I feel like I relate to her a lot. Somebody gave her a chance, and she built from there.

And Gina Prince-Bythewood. I feel like we’re similar in some ways too.

PO: Last question. What keeps you here?

DB: The community. I wanted to leave. I really did. But the people here invested in me, and I invested back. And now it feels like there’s something here worth building. Not just for me, but for other filmmakers who want to stay too.

This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our friends at Life in Indy.