Heartland Adds Award Winner to Lineup

 

Indianapolis, IN – Heartland Film Festival® is thrilled to announce the addition of a special screening to the 14th annual Festival lineup, October 13-21 in Indianapolis.

Heartland will present a special advance screening of David Hunt's “The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania” on Sunday, October 16 at 7 p.m. at the Indiana History Center. Produced by Patricia Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond") with Executive Producer Sarah Rush (“Catch Me If You Can,” “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde”), “The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania” documents the odyssey of Hollywood actress Sarah Rush, who returns to her roots in Pennsylvania and to the 50th anniversary celebration of the Bituminous Coal Queen Pageant. In this homage to small-town America, the miners and the moms, the bank tellers and the beauty queens remind us of the strength of a shared sacrifice and a collective spirit.   

“’The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania’ is a perfect film for the Heartland. It’s fun, touching and insightful,” said Jeffrey L. Sparks, president of the Heartland Film Festival. “We are very excited to add it to this year’s Festival lineup.”

Selected as a Crystal Heart Award winner, the documentary feature brings this year's total Crystal Heart Award winners to 24, the most Heartland has honored in a given year. The Festival honors films that celebrate the best aspects of the human journey. For more than a decade, the goal of Heartland has remained the same: to make a positive impact on American culture through film and to encourage moviegoers to see life differently.

David Hunt, Patricia Heaton and Sarah Rush are scheduled to attend the event and will participate in a question and answer session following the film.

The event is free and open to the public. Limited seating is available and will be granted on a first come, first serve basis. For information call Heartland’s toll-free ticket line at 1-866-HFF-1010 or visit www.HeartlandFilmFestival.org.

 

Synopsis

“The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania” documents the odyssey of Hollywood actress Sarah Rush back to her roots as a 16-year-old pageant winner, growing up in Southwestern, PA. “Coal Queens” is filled with colorful local characters, and is a humorous look at small town America.

The town of Carmichaels (population 556) and its vanishing way of life is a far cry from Hollywood. Coal mining has shaped this area of the country, instilling a strength and pride in its citizens. The film captures the spirit of the community during the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Coal Queen Pageant and the King Coal Festival in August of 2003. 

We travel with Sarah back to her hometown and subsequently to the State Theatre in Uniontown, where rehearsals for the pageant are underway. The contestants have won the right to represent each of 14 high schools from the area in the competition, which is comprised of talent, “the impromptu” question and answer session and the evening gown display. Through the lives of the girls and the events surrounding the pageant we learn more about them and the ties that bind the wider community. The film moves between trials of the pageant and the lives of the locals, especially the coal miners, who toil beneath the earth, knowing that the demise of their livelihood is just around the corner.

Director, Producer and Writer David Hunt

David Hunt's film credits include: "Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius" (Rowdy Herrington), "Eyes Wide Shut" (Stanley Kubrick), "Jade" (William Friedkin), "The Dead Pool" (Clint Eastwood), "Trip to Tunis" and "Closing Ranks."

His theatre credits include: "The Memory of Water" at the Manhattan Theatre Club, "Thérèse Raquin" and "Triumph of Love" at the La Jolla Playhouse, "Hamlet" at the Baltimore Center Stage and "Progress" at The Long Wharf.

His television credits include: In the U.S.- “Monk” (USA), “Numb3rs” (CBS), the TNT mini-series "The Grid," the CBS telepic "Murder on the Orient Express," the Sky/TV Fox UK thriller entitled "Bombmaker," “Everybody Loves Raymond” (CBS), "Miracle in the Woods" (CBS MOW), "The Dancer's Touch" (ABC MOW), "The Client" (CBS) and "Falcon Crest" (CBS). In England - "Beck" (BBC), "Dream Team" (Fox U.K.), "The Black Velvet Gown" (ITV-Emmy Award winner), "Anna Lee" (Carnival Films/ A&E) and "The Chief" (Anglia).

David was a schoolteacher and coach before he began his studies in New York with Larry Moss. He went on to graduate from the Advanced Program at the Juilliard School.

Producer Patricia Heaton

For nine seasons, Patricia Heaton played “Debra Barone” on the critically-acclaimed and highly-rated CBS comedy, "Everybody Loves Raymond." She recently received her sixth nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. She has won the Emmy in that category two years in a row. She has also won the Best Comedy Actress award from the Viewers for Quality Television and has recently received her third SAG nomination.

A student of New York's famed instructor, William Esper, Heaton made her Broadway debut in the gospel musical, "Don't Get God Started." She and fellow students then formed Stage Three. They took one production, "The Johnstown Vindicator," to Los Angeles, where Heaton's performance caught the eyes of casting directors.

Consequently, Heaton portrayed the producer/daughter in the television series "Room for Two." Her additional TV credits include the CBS telepic "A Town Without Christmas," the series "Someone Like Me," a regular role in "Women of the House" for CBS, and a recurring role on "thirtysomething." Most recently, Heaton starred in the TNT/Neil Simon production of "The Goodbye Girl." Her feature film credits include "Memoirs of an Invisible Man," "Beethoven," "New Age" and "Space Jam."

 

Executive Producer Sarah Rush Sarah Rush holds a BFA in Theatre Arts from Pennsylvania State University. She is a member of Actor's Studio and has studied under Uta Hagen, Herbert Berghof, Austin Pendleton and Milton Katselas. Primarily known for her expansive stage work, Rush's theatrical credits include director Gower Champion's revival of Thornton Wilder's “Our Town,” Sir Tony Richardson's re-staging of Shakespeare's “As You Like It” with Stockard Channing and by playing Laura at the South Coast Repertory Theatre's revival of Tennessee Williams' “The Glass Menagerie.” Other stage credits include “Toyer” with Kathleen Turner and Kevin Spacey at the Kennedy Center, “Inherit the Wind” with E.G. Marshall at the Paper Mill Playhouse, and by starring in acclaimed regional productions of “The Belle of Amherst,” “She Stoops to Conquer” and “Summer Smoke.”   As contract player for Universal Studios, Rush has guest starred in more than 50 television shows and movies, including “Battlestar Galactica,” “The Return of Maxwell Smart,” “The Prodigal” and “Talking to Strangers.” Recent film roles include Disney's “Max Keeble’s Big Move” (2001), Steven Spielberg's “Catch Me If You Can” (2002) and “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde” (2003).  Sarah Rush, who was crowned the 1972 Bituminous Coal Queen, lives in Los Angeles with her musician/technician husband, Fred Bova and daughter, Amanda Grace. 

About Heartland Film Festival
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 and 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.

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