PRESS RELEASES
Heartland Film Festival Doubles Cash Prizes and Opens 2006 Call for Entries
March 15 , 2006
Heartland Awards $200,000 in Prize Money and Seeks Truly Moving Pictures for 15th Annual Festival
Heartland Film Festival® officials announced today the Festival is increasing its total prize money to $200,000. This includes doubling its Grand Prize for Best Dramatic Feature to $100,000, making it one of the largest single cash prizes given by a film festival worldwide. The increase is the largest amount offered in Heartland's history and is made possible by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. and the Max Simon Charitable Foundation. Besides the $100,000 Grand Prize for Best Dramatic Feature, the $200,000 prize money includes two new awards: a $25,000 cash prize for Best Documentary Feature and a $10,000 cash prize for Best Short Film. The remaining $65,000 will be shared among the 2006 Crystal Heart and Jimmy Stewart Memorial Crystal Heart Award winners.
“This substantial increase in prize money underlines Heartland’s continued commitment to honor filmmakers who celebrate the best of the human spirit,” said Jeffrey L. Sparks, president of Heartland Film Festival.
Heartland also opened its 2006 Call for Entries today, seeking Truly Moving PicturesSM for the 15th annual Festival, October 19-27 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Heartland once again invites filmmakers to submit independently-produced feature length, short and student films in dramatic, documentary and animation categories for the 2006 competition. Submissions will be evaluated for their achievement of excellence in filmmaking and promotion of Heartland’s mission. A committee of previous Crystal Heart Award recipients will review the submissions and select five dramatic features, five documentary features, five short films and two student films as winners. Heartland will present Crystal Heart Awards and $200,000 in cash prizes to the selected films during the Festival. Selected student films will receive Jimmy Stewart Memorial Crystal Heart Awards and cash prizes.
“Our vision is to share the power of moving pictures with audiences around the world,” added Sparks. “We are once again seeking films that unlock the potential of the human spirit, that enrich and inspire lives, and that exemplify excellence in filmmaking.”
Completed U.S. and international feature length and short films may be submitted by April 15, 2006 for early consideration and a reduced submission fee of $45 for features, $15 for shorts and $15 for student entries. Submission forms can be completed online at www.withoutabox.com, the international film festival submission system. Complete information and eligibility requirements are also available online at www.HeartlandFilmFestival.org. The regular deadline to submit films for the 2006 Heartland Film Festival is May 31 with deadline fees of $55 for features, $20 for shorts and $20 for student submission. One late submission deadline will be available only to entries filed through Withoutabox.
Last year international filmmakers submitted more than 550 films, and a record 24 winners were screened to more than 15,000 moviegoers. Heartland awarded more than $100,000 in cash prizes, including a $50,000 grand prize for best dramatic feature to Crystal Heart Award winner, “End of the Spear.” Producers Mike Tollin and Brian Robbins of Tollin/Robbins Productions received Saab Pioneering Spirit Awards for their creative spirit in filmmaking and for supporting Heartland’s mission. Additionally, Heartland presented the inaugural Vision Award and Audience Choice Awards. The Vision Award went to Laura Neri for her dramatic short, “A Kiss on the Nose.” The Audience Choice Award for Dramatic Feature went to “Innocent Voices” by producer Lawrence Bender; the Audience Choice Award for Documentary Feature to “Earthling” by Wolfgang and Tristan Bayer; and the Audience Choice Award for Short Film to “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers” by Michael Sporn.
2005 award-winning filmmakers had this to say about their Heartland Film Festival experience:
"Participating in the Heartland Film Festival is one of the highlights of my career in the film industry,” said Bill Ewing, Producer and Co-Writer of the 2005 Heartland Film Festival Grand Prize and Crystal Heart Award winner “End of the Spear.” “The sense of community among the filmmakers that Heartland achieves is truly amazing. It was an honor and privilege to be awarded the Grand Prize for ‘End of the Spear,’ and the prize money helped support a nationwide theatrical release of the film."
"The Heartland Film Festival was one of the highlights of our year!” said David Mahanes, Producer of “Dear Francis,” a 2005 Heartland Crystal Heart Award winner. “The Festival gave us an opportunity to share our film with a broader audience, and the prize money allowed us to continue promoting and distributing the film around the country. We were inspired by the other filmmakers and have made lasting friendships within the entertainment industry because of our experience at Heartland."
Heartland will celebrate 15 years of honoring Truly Moving Pictures during the annual Festival. Visit www.HeartlandFilmFestival.org to learn more about Heartland’s year-long anniversary celebration.
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 presents cash prizes and Crystal Heart Awards to the Festival’s top entries. 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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