Heartland announces 30th annual festival awards
"All These Sons” and “Americanish” win $20,000 Grand Prizes, “Mass” wins FIPRESCI Award, and “Procession” wins Richard D. Propes Documentary Social Impact Award.
The 30th Heartland International Film Festival (HIFF) announced its 2021 award winners and recipients of more than $60,000 in cash prizes via its Virtual Awards Presentation this morning. The 11-day Festival continues through Sunday, October 17, with in-person and virtual screening opportunities. Encore screenings of select winners will take place today and this weekend across Indianapolis.
“I would like to express my complete gratitude to all the filmmakers who have created the incredible lineup of films in our 30th Anniversary of the Heartland International Film Festival,” said Heartland Film President Michael Ault. “Congratulations to all the winning films; I wish we could give awards to every filmmaker as I know it takes endless hours and hard work to create the amazing films screened at our festival. Thank you to all the filmmakers for sharing your stories and inspiring our community.”
Major cash prizes were awarded to “Americanish” from Director Iman Zawahry ($20,000 Narrative Feature Grand Prize), “All These Sons” from Academy Award® nominee Bing Liu (“Minding the Gap” 2018) and Joshua Altman ($20,000 Documentary Feature Grand Prize), and “Stay Prayed Up” from Directors D.L. Anderson and Matt Durning ($5,000 Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award). In partnership with the Stewart Family, HIFF is the only festival in the world to have an award in honor of beloved actor Jimmy Stewart with a cash prize underwritten by the Stewart Family. The Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award and $5,000 cash prize is awarded to a one film in the HIFF lineup that best demonstrates the triumph of the human spirit through determination and the defiance of odds, humble vulnerability, and courage in the face of adversity.
The 30th Heartland International Film Festival is showcasing 143 films including 11 World Premieres, 8 U.S. Premieres, and 14 Event Titles. Screenings will continue through Sunday, October 17, at Living Room Theaters, Kan-Kan Cinema & Brasserie, and Newfields. The majority of award-winning films still have in-person and virtual screening opportunities over the weekend. Additional in-person screenings have been added to the schedule in categories: Narrative Feature Grand Prize Winner, Documentary Feature Grand Prize Winner, Indiana Spotlight Grand Prize Winner, Heartland Horror Award Winner, Humor and Humanity Award Winner, and the Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award Winner. View award-winners' screenings here.
The full film lineup, schedule and tickets for the 30th Heartland International Film Festival can be found at www.HeartlandFilmFestival.org.