PRESS RELEASES
Heartland Adds "The Nativity Story" to Truly Moving Pictures List
December 1 , 2006
Indianapolis, IN — According to the Heartland Film Festival®, moviegoers shouldn’t miss the classic telling of the timeless story of Mary, Joseph and the birth of Jesus in “The Nativity Story” this holiday season. That’s exactly why Heartland is bestowing its prestigious Truly Moving Picture Award to the New Line Cinema film. The award recognizes theatrically-released films that exemplify excellence in filmmaking and Heartland’s mission to explore the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life. “The Nativity Story” joins an elite and ever-expanding list of films to receive the award and be deemed a Truly Moving Picture by Heartland. |
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Scheduled to open nationwide on December 1, “The Nativity Story” chronicles the arduous journey of two people, Mary and Joseph, a miraculous pregnancy and the history-defining birth of Jesus. This dramatic and compelling story comes to life in a major motion picture starring Keisha Castle-Hughes (“Whale Rider”) as Mary, Oscar Isaac (“Guerrilla”) as Joseph and Academy Award® nominee Shoreh Aghdashloo (“House of Sand and Fog”) as Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. “The Nativity Story” is directed by Catherine Hardwicke (“Thirteen,” “Lords of Dogtown”) from a screenplay by Mike Rich (“The Rookie,” “Finding Forrester”).
"We are proud to add Catherine Hardwicke's 'The Nativity Story' as an award-winner to our list of Truly Moving Pictures," said Jeffrey L. Sparks, President and CEO of Heartland Film Festival. "We know audiences around the world will be inspired by the film and its stunning retelling of this important story."
“The Nativity Story” joins other 2006 Truly Moving Picture Award recipients “Amazing Grace,” “Cars,” “Everyone’s Hero,” “Flicka,” “Glory Road,” “Happy Feet,” “The Lake House,” “Lassie,” “Nanny McPhee,” “The Queen,” “Saving Shiloh,” “Sophie Scholl – The Final Days,” “Take the Lead” and “Tsotsi.” Fifty-three (53) films have been honored since the award’s inception in 2000. To view Heartland’s complete list of Truly Moving PicturesSM, visit www.TrulyMovingPictures.org.
Heartland created the Truly Moving Picture Award as a way to honor theatrically-released films that demonstrate the Heartland purpose with excellence, inspiring and enriching lives. Submissions are received directly from studios and producers for consideration. Since the industry decides a film’s success based on the opening weekend box office, Heartland encourages audiences to attend a Truly Moving Picture on its first weekend.
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 $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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