2004 Truly Moving Sound Award Winner 

It all begins as successful Scottish playwright J.M. Barrie (Johnny Depp) watches his latest play open to a ho-hum reaction among the polite society of Edwardian England. A literary genius of his times but bored by the same old themes, Barrie is clearly in need of some serious inspiration. Unexpectedly, he finds it one day during his daily walk with his St. Bernard, Porthos, in London’s Kensington Gardens. There, Barrie encounters the Llewelyn Davies family: four fatherless boys and their recently widowed mother (Kate Winslet).  MORE 

From Jean-Jacques Annaud, the acclaimed director of The Bear, comes an extraordinary motion picture event for the whole family.  Set not so long ago in a distant land, Two Brothers is the story of twin tiger cubs—one shy and gentle, the other, bold and fierce—who are born among the temple ruins of an exotic jungle, but are one day separated by fate.  The bold brother is sold off to a circus, where homesickness and living in a cage rob him of his spirit.  The shy cub becomes the beloved companion for the governor’s lonely young son, until an accident forces the family to give him away to a man who resolves to break his gentle nature and turn him into a fighter for sport.  When they are fully grown, the brothers find themselves reunited—but as forced enemies pitted against each other.  MORE 

America is a vast country – three thousand miles from end to end.  But it’s not the land that makes America so special – it’s the people.  Filmmaker Louis Schwartzberg packed up his camera and hit the road, with a goal of capturing both the unparalleled beauty of the land and the incomparable spirit of the people.  Through his movie, America’s Heart and Soul, you’ll have the chance to meet ordinary Americans with extraordinary stories.  Louis’ gift is his ability to connect with people, honestly capturing their values, dreams and passions in an awe-inspiring journey that reveals the stories – unusual, captivating, inspiring and emotional – that make us into something more than a collection of individuals.  America’s Heart and Soul is a celebration of a nation told through the voices of its people.  MORE

For some athletes, the ultimate win comes through a stroke of luck, but for Robert Tyre Jones, Jr., “Bobby Jones,” it was truly a stroke of genius.  His natural skill and uncanny passion for the game of golf earned him the title of “The Best Golfer in the World.”  But it was his style that set him apart.  A dashing smile.  Impeccable integrity.  Unrivaled intensity.  Legendary wit and intelligence.  An epic passion for life, born out of adversity.  For a brief moment in time, this incredible man became an American hero.  Bobby Jones - Stroke of Genius tells the story of that man.  MORE 

Based on the exciting true story of one of the greatest moments in modern history, Miracle is the inspiring story of the team that transcended its sport and united a nation with a new feeling of hope.  In 1980, the United States Ice Hockey team’s coach, Herb Brooks (KURT RUSSELL), challenged a ragtag squad of college kids to take on the awesome juggernaut from the Soviet Union – the greatest hockey team in the world – at the Olympic Games.  Despite the long odds, Team USA carried the pride of a nation yearning for a distraction from world events.  With the world watching, the team rose to the occasion, prompting broadcaster Al Michaels’ now-famous question to the millions viewing at home:  “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”  MORE 

With their two young daughters in tow, Johnny and Sarah emigrate from Ireland to New York City in pursuit of a dream. The family uses ingenuity and sheer strength of will to make the most of their new life. Ultimately it is their kindness to a stranger and that stranger’s response in return that builds their new home.  A semi-autobiographical story written and directed by Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father), whose previous films have won two Academy Awards and received a total of 13 Oscar nominations.  MORE

The powerful and playful bond between brothers, and man’s bond with nature, are explored with great drama and comedy in Walt Disney Pictures’ exciting new animated tale of brotherhood, bears and breathtaking outdoor adventure.  Driven by six great new songs from Academy Award® winner Phil Collins (including a sensational performance by legendary singer Tina Turner on the Collins-composed tune, “Great Spirits”), the film follows the incredible adventures of a young man named Kenai who is transformed into a bear.  From his new perspective, Kenai discovers the world through the eyes of another as he is befriended by a bear cub named Koda, has a hilarious encounter with a pair of misguided moose, and finds himself pursued by his own sibling.  MORE 

From the writer of The Rookie comes a dramatic and moving story inspired by events in the life of "Radio," a man who made an enduring impact on the lives of all those around him.  Radio focuses on the mentoring relationship between a high school football coach (Ed Harris) and Radio (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), known as "the same as everybody else, just a little slower than most," and how their unique friendship ultimately transforms the conservative attitudes of a small South Carolina town.  MORE

For 14-year old Walter (Haley Joel Osment), his great uncles’ farm in rural Texas is the last place on earth he wants to spend the summer. Dumped off by his mother, Mae (Kyra Sedgwick), in the middle of nowhere with two crazy old men and the promise that she’ll come back for him, Walter doesn’t know what to believe in.

Eccentric and gruff, Hub and Garth McCaan (Robert Duvall and Michael Caine) are rumored to have been bank robbers, mafia hitmen and/or war criminals in their younger days. The truth is elusive, although they do seem to have an endless supply of cash. Little by little, through stories spun against the backdrop of the dusty Texas night, an amazing story comes to life via Walter’s vivid, colorful imaginings – a tale set in a long-ago exotic, mysterious place where men rode stallions and fought with swords; where beautiful princesses tangled with treacherous sheiks; and where the two unlikely heroes lived an adventure most people only dream of.  MORE

A mysterious stranger, played by Anthony Hopkins, touches the life of a young boy and his small town. As an added bonus for Heartland Film Festival supporters, the film features two actors from 2002 Crystal Heart Award winning films: Anton Yelchin of Delivering Milo and David Morse of Diary of a City Priest.  MORE 

This compelling documentary recounts the expedition of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men who were trapped on the Antarctic ice for two years. The documentary combines diary excerpts and actual images from the expedition. Shackleton left behind beautiful photographs and 35mm film footage by inviting Frank Hurley, a gifted Australian photographer and cinematographer, on the original expedition. This is supplemented by Antarctic footage specifically filmed for this documentary. To watch this film is to experience the harrowing journey of an Antarctic expedition.  MORE

Gus Van Sant directs screen veteran Sean Connery and newcomer Rob Brown in this Truly Moving Picture. Brown plays a prep-school student who is as gifted on the basketball court as he could be in the field of writing. His writing gift is nutured along by Connery's reclusive character. The two characters challenge and inspire each other throughout their relationship.  MORE