PRESS RELEASES
"Ratatouille" Cooks with the Heartland Truly Moving Pictures Award
July 29, 2007
| Indianapolis, IN – This summers’ most-anticipated animated film, Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar’s “Ratatouille,” has received the prestigious Heartland Truly Moving Picture Award from Heartland Truly Moving PicturesTM. The film centers on a rat in Paris who wants to become a world-famous gourmet chef at a five-star restaurant. “Ratatouille” is directed by Academy Award®-winning director Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”) and produced by Brad Lewis for Pixar Animation Studios. |  |
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures, “Ratatouille” centers around a rat named Remy who dreams of becoming a great chef despite his family’s wishes and the obvious hindrance of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. Remy finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unwanted visitor in the kitchen at one of Paris’ most exclusive restaurants, Remy forms an unlikely partnership with Linguini, the garbage boy who inadvertently discovers Remy’s amazing talents. They strike a deal, ultimately setting in motion a hilarious and exciting chain of events that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down.
“A film about friendship, family and being who you are represents the essence of the human spirit and can unite audiences everywhere,” said Jeffrey L. Sparks, president and CEO of the Indianapolis-based organization. “‘Ratatouille’ is a special movie that captures the joy and warmth of what a Truly Moving Picture Award winner really is.”
Heartland Truly Moving Pictures, a non-profit organization, seeks to recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by expressing hope and emphasizing the best of the human spirit. Its flagship event, the Heartland Film Festival®, launched in 1991 and runs each October in Indianapolis, screening independent films from around the world. Each year, the Festival awards $200,000 in cash prizes and presents its Crystal Heart Awards to the top-judged submissions. Heartland has awarded more than $1.6 million to support filmmakers during the last 16 years. The organization’s Truly Moving Picture Award was created to honor films released theatrically that align with Heartland’s mission. By bestowing a watermark to honored films, the award allows studios and distributors to inform audiences of a film’s uplifting message and appeal. Heartland is also dedicated to its relationship with the National Collaboration for Youth and its expanding F.I.L.M., “Finding Inspiration in Literature and Movies,” project.
Local/Regional Relations Lisa Dudeck |
National Public Relations Lynda Dorf / Alfred Hopton |