PRESS RELEASES
"Gracie" Receives the Heartland Truly Moving Pictures Award
May 31, 2007
 |
Indianapolis, IN – Based on true events from the lives of the Shue family, “Gracie” has received the prestigious Heartland Truly Moving Picture Award from Heartland Truly Moving Pictures™, announced today by Jeffrey L. Sparks, president and CEO of the Indianapolis-based organization. The Shue family includes Academy Award®-nominated actress Elisabeth Shue and actor Andrew Shue, who co-star in the film. |
Both also serve as producers alongside noted filmmaker Lemore Syvan (“Sherrybaby”) through her New York-based Elevation Filmworks. The film is directed by Academy Award®-winning director Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”), whose participation in the project makes it even more of a family affair, as he is married to Elisabeth Shue.
Distributed by Picturehouse Entertainment, “Gracie” is inspired by experiences the Shue family shared in the 1970s. In the film, 15-year-old Gracie Bowen (Carly Schroeder) is a budding soccer star, having been practically raised on the field along with her brothers by a father who is a fanatic about the sport. Tragedy strikes when her older brother (Jesse Lee Soffer), a star player on the high school varsity team, is killed in a car accident. Gracie decides to deal with the loss by campaigning to take her brother’s spot on the team. She is met with swift opposition, including from her parents (Dermot Mulroney and Elisabeth Shue), who protest that she will be unable to take on the challenges of playing on the boys team. Eventually Gracie is given the chance to prove her capability on the field, ultimately bringing her family together in their grief.
“‘Gracie’ is an extraordinary achievement for the Shue family,” said Sparks. “In their collaboration, they have created a moving tribute which will surely touch a chord with moviegoers.”
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 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 |