PRESS RELEASES
Heartland Truly Moving Pictures Contend for Hollywood's Top Honors
January 29, 2007
Indianapolis, IN— Heartland Film Festival® is proud to have three Truly Moving Picture Award winners and one Official Heartland Selection among the films nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for a prestigious Academy Award®. Heartland films receiving nods from the Academy this year are “Cars,” “Happy Feet,” “The Little Matchgirl” and “The Queen.” |
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“From the beginning we knew these films would capture the hearts and imaginations of movie fans,” said Jeffrey L. Sparks, President and CEO of Heartland Film Festival. “We’re thrilled that more and more Heartland Truly Moving Pictures – films that enrich and inspire – are receiving the national recognition and attention they deserve. It proves that Heartland continues to honor filmmaking at its best.”
Most notably, “The Queen” picked up nominations in six categories, including Best Motion Picture of the Year and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Helen Mirren). The intimate portrait of the Royal Family following the death of Princess Diana closed the 2006 Heartland Film Festival. Additional nominations for the film include Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score and Best Achievement in Directing for Stephen Frears as well as Best Achievement in Costume Design for Consolata Boyle, who attended the Festival’s closing night screening last October.
Two of the three films nominated for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year are also Truly Moving Picture Award winners. “Cars” and “Happy Feet” are both contenders for the honor. “Cars” also earned a nod for Best Original Song, “Our Town” by Randy Newman.
“The Little Matchgirl,” one of the short films screened at the 2006 Heartland Film Festival, earned high praise in its nomination for Best Animated Short Film.
The 79th Annual Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2006 will be televised live on Sunday, February 25 from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Visit www.oscar.com to see the complete list of nominees.
Previous Heartland Film Festival and Truly Moving Picture Award winners with Oscar ties include: “In America,” “Asylum,” “Birthday Boy,” “Brother Bear,” “The Chorus (Les Choristes),” “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” “Cinderella Man,” “The Collector of Bedford Street,” “Finding Neverland,” “Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport,” “Most,” “Sound and Fury,” “Tsotsi” and "Visas & Virtue." Other Heartland honorees recognized by the Academy are: "The Apostle," “Amistad," "Apollo 13," "Babe," "Dead Man Walking," "Enchanted April," "Fly Away Home," "Forrest Gump," "Life is Beautiful," "Mr. Holland's Opus," "A River Runs Through It," "Saving Private Ryan," "Schindler's List," "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Shine.” Visit www.TrulyMovingPictures.org to learn more about these films.
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 films from around the world and presents $200,000 in cash prizes and Crystal Heart Awards to the Festival’s top entries. This includes a $100,000 Grand Prize for Best Dramatic Feature underwritten by the Max Simon Charitable Foundation, a $25,000 Award for Best Documentary Feature and a $10,000 Vision Award for Best Short Film underwritten by Vision Racing. The remaining $65,000 is shared among the Crystal Heart and Jimmy Stewart Memorial Crystal Heart Award winners. Heartland has awarded more than $1.6 million in 15 years to support filmmakers in their quest to create Truly Moving Pictures.
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