Heartland Receives Grant for 2005 Education Initiative

 

Heartland Film Festival® is once again poised to educate and nurture aspiring filmmakers, fans and students alike due to a financial investment from the Cinergy Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PSI Energy Inc. The receipt of a $7,500 grant to support Heartland’s 2005 educational initiative was announced today. During the past six years, Cinergy has donated nearly $30,000 to Heartland’s education initiative, which includes an annual seminar that offers creative insight into filmmaking and equips filmmakers with the tools necessary to make Truly Moving PicturesSM. The 2005 seminar, “Script to Screen,” will take place on Monday, October 17 during the 14th annual Heartland Film Festival, October 13-21, in Indianapolis. Seminar tickets cost $25 for adults, $15 for students and teachers and are available by calling toll-free 1-866-HFF-1010 or by visiting www.HeartlandFilmFestival.org.

 

The 2005 seminar will feature industry-renowned director Ken Kwapis and a panel of 2005 Crystal Heart Award-winning filmmakers moderated by Angelo Pizzo (producer and screenwriter of “Hoosiers,” “Rudy”) as they discuss script development, production and exhibition and answer questions about their experiences in the film industry. Kwapis’ 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”). Registration for “Script to Screen” will begin at 8:30 a.m. on October 17, and the seminar will last from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Lunch is not provided.

 

“The Cinergy Foundation continues to play an important role in ensuring the availability of numerous arts and cultural programs in Indiana, and we are honored to be among an extraordinary group of grant recipients,” said Jeffrey L. Sparks, president of Heartland Film Festival. “Heartland is thrilled to have the chance to continue to educate and nurture aspiring filmmakers.”

 

“The Heartland Festival captures the Hoosier spirit and values in way that we are proud to support,” said Cinergy Foundation President Joe Hale.  “It’s an event where creativity and positive values meet.”

 

The grant is part of more than $1.2 million that the Cinergy Foundation has awarded in Indiana so far this year. Grant applications are reviewed by appropriate area and district managers and by the Cinergy Foundation president. Decisions are based on need, benefit to the community and Cinergy’s own resources. Each year the Cinergy Foundation reinvests a portion of the pretax profits of its regulated operating companies in the communities it serves. Cinergy Corp. is the parent company of PSI Energy Inc. and The Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co., serving 1.5 million electric customers and about 500,000 gas customers in Indiana, southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky.

 

The mission of the Cinergy Foundation is to encourage initiative, creativity and collaboration by contributing to the total well-being of the community in three areas: (1) Art and Culture, (2) Lifelong Learning and (3) Healthy Communities. The Cinergy Foundation strives to be a recognized leader in corporate citizenship by creating proactive, innovative partnerships that improve the quality of life by reinvesting in the communities they serve.

 

Heartland Film Festival, a non-profit organization, was established in 1991 to recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life. Each October, Heartland screens Truly Moving Pictures from around the world, ranging from dramas to documentaries to animation. Heartland awards more than $100,000 in cash prizes and Crystal Heart Awards to the Festival's top entries, including a $50,000 grand prize for best dramatic feature. The Jimmy Stewart Memorial Crystal Heart Award-winners for the best student films and the Crystal Heart Award-winners share the remaining money. The Crystal Heart Award cash prizes are given in honor of Max Simon by his parents, Melvin and Bren Simon, through the Max Simon Charitable Foundation. In 14 years, Heartland has awarded more than $1.4 million to support filmmakers in their quest to create Truly Moving Pictures.

Return to list of press releases

For more information, please contact:
National and Local Public Relations
Lisa Dudeck
three-sixty group
Indianapolis, Indiana
Phone: (317) 633-1456
Fax: (317) 633-1461
E-mail: lisa@360grouponline.com