PRESS RELEASES
"The Hip Hop Project" Receives the Heartland Truly Moving Picture Award
May 10 , 2007
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Indianapolis, IN – Having already captured “Best Documentary” at the 2006 Heartland Film Festival®, “The Hip Hop Project” has received the prestigious Heartland Truly Moving Picture Award from Heartland Truly Moving PicturesTM, announced today by Jeffrey L. Sparks, president and CEO of the Indianapolis-based organization. Executive produced by Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah, the film offers an inspirational story of a group of New York teenagers who transform their life stories into powerful works of art using hip hop as a way of self-expression and self-development. |
Distributed worldwide by THINKFilm, “The Hip Hop Project” traces the evolution of an award-winning outreach program created by Kazi, a formerly homeless teenager turned youth mentor, who creates a safe environment in which he challenges disadvantaged young people to express themselves freely and write music about the real issues affecting their lives.
“We are proud to honor a film that not only entertains audiences, but that proves music and the arts can offer hope and self-transformation,” said Sparks. “‘The Hip Hop Project’ is well deserving of our Truly Moving Picture Award, and we hope it will be seen by audiences everywhere.”
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 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.
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Local/Regional Relations Lisa Dudeck |
National Public Relations Lynda Dorf / Alfred Hopton |