When it comes to his work and his roots, Hoosier filmmaker Christopher Allen doesn’t compromise for anyone, least of all for Hollywood.

Allen’s two most recent productions, time-travel romance “A Time for the Heart” and the “Quantum Leap” fan film “Quantum Leap: A Leap to Di For,” premiere April 18 at the Indiana State Museum IMAX.

“Heart,” Allen’s sixth feature, tells the fictional story of a woman who really existed: Johnnie Morgan (Laura Hammer), the daughter of Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan.

A space-time anomaly transports Johnnie from 1887 to present day, where she becomes involved with a historian who falls in love with her.

Allen said filming in Indiana, while it’s not the hotbed (or tax shelter) of other locales, has advantages.

“It’s so efficient to produce content here,” he said. “You are not crippled by unions or shooting permits. If I set up a camera on Franklin and Hollywood Boulevard, I’d be shut down in 10 minutes. Here it is very artist-friendly.”

That Hoosier hospitality, Allen said, allowed him to complete “A Leap to Di For” on a manageable budget. The Downtown Omni Severin let Allen and his crew film there, Meyer Plastics donated acrylic to re-create the show’s famous control panel, and local restaurants donated food.

“A Leap to Di For” finds the “Leap” hero — time-and-body traveler Sam Beckett (played in the original series by Scott Bakula) — thrown into the body of a young man in Paris. Soon, he is assigned to prevent the death of Princess Diana.

Copyright laws (and the potential for steep royalty fees) prevent fan films from generating a profit, meaning Allen’s “Leap” film won’t make him money.

But there are other benefits: He had a screening set up at the Leap Back convention in Los Angeles before the film was even finished, effectively giving his film a Hollywood premiere.

“It’s great exposure,” he said. “A guaranteed premiere in Hollywood? It’s a win-win situation.”

Allen noted that it was a previous fan film, the gleefully silly “Star Trek vs. Batman,” that helped him score his big-time premiere. The Leap Back organizers saw it, and when Allen approached them about the “Leap” fan film, they offered to screen it.

“They knew I wasn’t some 18-year-old kid shooting light sabers in his parents’ basement,” he said. “I actually had a few dollars behind my work.”

Showtime

“A Time for the Heart” and “Quantum Leap: A Leap to Di For” screens 7 p.m. April 18 at the Indiana State Museum IMAX, 650 W. Washington St.

Tickets: $13.50.

Info: www.imax.com/indy

“A Time for the Heart” trailer:

“Quantum Leap” trailer:

Christopher Allen’s YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/racsome