Award-winning correspondent for Extra and Indianapolis native Carlos Diaz emceed the glamorous awards ceremony. Special guests Greg Paul (Trustee of The Stewart Foundation and COO of CastleRock Entertainment), Angelo Pizzo (Hoosiers, Rudy), Rachel Seiferth (Big Game, Henry Poole is Here) and Ralph Winter (X-Men, Fantastic Four) presented awards. Heartland paid special tribute to Marketing and Distribution Executive Bob Berney (Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, Whale Rider) with the Pioneering Spirit Award for his creative spirit in filmmaking and for supporting the vision of Heartland.
"It is our great pleasure to present the Pioneering Spirit Award to Bob Berney," said Jeffery L. Sparks, president and CEO of Heartland Truly Moving Pictures." Bob has been tied to many award-winning and critically-acclaimed films, and we applaud him for his work in bringing these powerful and inspiring movies to the masses."
During the program, Heartland honored 17 dramatic and documentary short and feature-length films. Five student films received Jimmy Stewart Memorial Crystal Heart Awards and 12 films were honored with Crystal Heart Awards. These films were selected from more than 600 international film submissions for best meeting Heartland's mission and demonstrating excellence in filmmaking.
The filmmakers honored with Crystal Heart Awards were: Amal - Director/Writer Richie Mehta; Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh - Producer/Director Roberta Grossman; Captain Abu Raed - Executive Producer David Pritchard and Director/Writer Amin Matalqa; Karla's World - Director Charlotte Sachs Bostrup; Montaña de Luz - Producer Elisa Stone and Producer/Director Matthew Leahy; Pray the Devil Back to Hell - Producer Abigail Disney and Director Gini Reticker; Second Hand Wedding - Producer/Director Paul Murphy; Slow - Producer/Director/Writer Kurt Kuenne; Stranded: I've Come From a Plane that Crashed on the Mountains - Director/Writer Gonzalo Arijón; Terra - Director/Writer Aristomenis Tsirbas; War Child - Producer Afshin Molavi and The Watchmaker's Son - Director Brandon McCormick.
The filmmakers honored with the Jimmy Steward Memorial Crystal Heart Award included: 15-40 - Director Christian Bagger; As We Forgive - Producer Thomas Hinson and Producer/Director Laura Waters Hinson; Gaining Ground - Director Marc Brummund; Victoria - Producer/Director Charles Sommer and The Wall - Director/Writer Michael Lloyd Green.
Heartland also recognized the 15 films selected from November 2007 to date as recipients of the Truly Moving Picture Award, including: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Bucket List, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Enchanted, Forever Strong, Henry Poole is Here, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, The Kite Runner, Penelope, Phoebe in Wonderland, Tinker Bell, Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna), Wall"E and Young@Heart.
Additional special guests at this year's Crystal Heart Award Gala included: Producer Adam Abel and Producer/Director Ryan Little, Forever Strong; Director Mark Pellington, Henry Poole is Here; Director Brad Raymond, Tinker Bell; Featured Individual Adolfo Strauch, Stranded: I've From a Plane That Crashed on a Mountain; Editor Mariana Blanco, GO; Producer/Director Donald Boggs, A Ripple of Hope; Producer/Director/Writer Susan Morgan Cooper, An Unlikely Weapon; Producer/Director/Writer John Corey, Lost in the Fog; Producer/Director/Writer Donnie Eichar, Victory Over Darkness; Producer Rachel Goble and Producer/Writer Rachel Sparks, SOLD: Cat; Producer/Director/Writer Jerald Harkness, The Game of Change; Producer/Director/Writer Marc Havener, And What Remains; Executive Producer, J. Scott MacGregor and Producer Wayne Lachman, Life for a Child; Director Martin Moore, Auschwitz: If You Cried, You Died; Producer/Director/Writer Doug Passon, Letter of Thanks; Director/Writer Annie Quick, Souvenirs & Shiny Things.
In addition to the total $200,000 awarded, winning filmmakers received a Crystal Heart Award designed by Mark Aronstam and Aronstam Fine Jewelers. The $100,000 Grand Prize Award for Best Dramatic Feature was underwritten by the Max Simon Charitable Foundation, the $25,000 Award for Best Documentary Feature was underwritten by Godby Heating, Air Conditioning, Plumbing & Electrical and the $10,000 Vision Award for Best Short Film was underwritten by Vision Racing. To date, Heartland has awarded more than $2 million to support filmmakers in their quest to create uplifting and inspiring films.
(This story is a press release from the Heartland Film Festival.)
