14th Annual Fest Offers Nine Days of National & International Film Screenings, Events and Special Guests

From October 13-21, 2005 the 14th annual Heartland Film Festival® will again showcase the best Truly Moving Pictures in cinema from around the world. Heartland President Jeffrey L. Sparks announced the winning films and event lineup at the annual Crystal Heart Awards Announcement Celebration on Thursday. A record 23 films were selected as award winners from 558 submissions for best meeting Heartland’s mission.

The 2005 Festival will bring nearly 40 films to Indianapolis – boasting a wide variety of dramatic, animated and documentary films, two World Premieres, one U.S. Premiere, a student Academy Award® Gold Medal winner, a four-time Crystal Heart Award winner, a “Classic Crystal Heart Award Winners” sidebar and much more.

“We're excited about each of the films and the talented filmmakers who will be a part of this year’s Festival. We know our audience will discover some of the most inspired storytelling we’ve had to date,” said Jeffrey L. Sparks, president of Heartland Film Festival. “There is something for all ages and tastes in this exciting lineup.”

Following are the 2005 Heartland Film Festival Crystal Heart Award winners:


Dramatic Features
“A Bear Named Winnie” | Simon Vaughan & Kim Todd
“A Mind of Her Own” (World Premiere) | Owen Carey Jones
“End of the Spear” | Jim Hanon & Bill Ewing
“Five Children and It” |James Stern
“Innocent Voices” | Lawrence Bender & Oscar Torres
“Pearl Diver” | Sidney King


Documentary Features
“Dear Francis,” (World Premiere) | David Mahanes, Brent Gudgel & Jason Djang
“Earthling” | Tristan Bayer & Wolfgang Bayer
“In a Nutshell: A Portrait of Elizabeth Tashjian” | Don Bernier
“Kathryn: The Story of a Teller” | Norton Dill & Ann Wheeler
“Shakespeare Behind Bars” | Hank Rogerson & Jilann Spitzmiller
“The Innocent” | Michael Husain & Lauri Feldman

Dramatic Shorts
“Lift” | Hugues Dalton & Jeff Garton
“Midnight Clear” | Gary Wheeler
“Wood Diary” | David Meyers

Documentary Shorts
“Shadow of the Swan – A Composer’s Story” (US Premiere) | Laura Paglin

Animated Shorts
“The Baseball Card Shop” | Kelly Kennedy
“The Man Who Walked Between the Towers” | Michael Sporn
“Winter/En Hiver” | Andy Collen & Amy Blumenstein-Collen

The Jimmy Stewart Memorial Crystal Heart Award-winning student films:
“A Kiss on the Nose” | Laura Neri
“Knock Knock” | Jaron Henrie-McCrea
“A Silent Night” | Andy Nguyen
“Thin Ice” | Jeffrey Courter & Tim Sutherland

More than $100,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to this year’s 23 award-winning films, including a $50,000 grand prize for best dramatic feature. The cash prizes and Crystal Heart Awards will be presented at the annual Crystal Heart Awards Ceremony on Saturday, October 15 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The public will have an opportunity to view the winning films from October 14-20 at AMC Castleton Arts, AMC Greenwood Park 14 and the Indiana History Center in the Frank and Katrina Basile Theater.

Besides great films, this year’s Festival boasts an exciting program of events for everyone.

Heartland’s Opening Night Event on October 13 features an appearance by one of the hottest actors in Hollywood – Dakota Fanning – along with director/screenwriter John Gatins and a premiere of DreamWorks’ “Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story” at the IMAX Theater. Kurt Russell (“Sky High,” “Miracle”), Dakota Fanning (“War of the Worlds,” “Man on Fire”) and Kris Kristofferson (“Blade I & II”) star in this drama about a father who, for the love of his daughter, sacrifices almost everything to save the life of an injured racehorse and bring the promising filly back to her former glory. “Dreamer” producers Mike Tollin and Brian Robbins will be honored with the Saab Pioneering Spirit Award at the Crystal Heart Awards Gala for their creative spirit in filmmaking and for supporting Heartland’s mission. Tollin and Robbins have won two Heartland Truly Moving Picture Awards for “Coach Carter” and “Radio” and three Crystal Heart Awards for “Hardwood Dreams,” “Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream” and “Hardwood Dreams: Ten Years Later.”

The Festival continues with the opening night of film screenings on Friday, October 14 and exclusive filmmaker Q&A sessions with audiences. Additional events include an opportunity to meet filmmakers and special guests at the Filmmakers’ Brunch; a special screening of “The 12 Dogs of Christmas” at the Kids’ Movie Party; and an all-day education seminar on October 17 with industry-renowned director Ken Kwapis, whose credits include some of the most groundbreaking shows on television (“ER,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Freaks and Geeks,” “The Office”) and seven features (including “He Said, She Said” and the Truly Moving Picture Award-winner “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”).

The Festival closes October 21 with a special screening of Warner Bros.’ “Duma” at the Indiana History Center with special guest director Carroll Ballard (“The Black Stallion,” “Fly Away Home”) scheduled to attend. This Truly Moving Picture Award recipient tells the adventurous tale of an unbreakable bond of friendship between a cheetah named Duma and an intrepid young boy named Xan (Alexander Michelatos), who faces the true test of love when he must cross the whole of Southern Africa to return his best friend to his rightful home in the wild.