PRESS RELEASES
"A Mighty Heart " Receives the Heartland Truly Moving Pictures Award
June 25, 2007
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Indianapolis, IN – Based on the real-life kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, “A Mighty Heart” has received the prestigious Heartland Truly Moving Picture Award from Heartland Truly Moving Pictures™. The film stars Academy Award® winning actress Angelina Jolie as Mariane Pearl and Oscar® nominee Dan Futterman as Daniel Pearl. “A Mighty Heart” is directed by Michael Winerbottom (“The Road To Guantanamo”) and produced by Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner for Plan B Entertainment and Andrew Eaton for Revolution Films. |
Distributed by Paramount Vantage, “A Mighty Heart” is based upon the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl while researching a story on terrorist Richard Reid. While conducting his investigation in Karachi, Pakistan, Pearl was kidnapped and subsequently beheaded by Islamic militants. It was the spirit of her husband’s courage that led Mariane Pearl to write about her loss in her biography A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl. Her reason for writing her memoirs was to introduce Daniel’s unborn son Adam to the father he would never meet.
“Films like ‘A Mighty Heart’ capture the essence of the human spirit,” said Jeffrey L. Sparks, president and CEO of the Indianapolis-based organization. “Mariane’s courage to overcome a personal tragedy and be able to share this experience with an audience is the essence of a Truly Moving Picture Award winner.”
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 |