Will Poulter will travel to Indianapolis to be honored at the 35th annual Heartland Film Festival, where his recent drama "Union County" will receive a special presentation on Oct. 17. The film, released by Oscilloscope Laboratories, stars Poulter and Noah Centineo as brothers Cody and Jack Parsons, who are working through a court-mandated drug rehabilitation program in a part of rural Ohio devastated by the opioid epidemic. Following the screening, Poulter will be recognized at the festival's awards brunch.
The Heartland Film Festival runs Oct. 8-18 this year and will present more than 100 independent films, including 24 world or U.S. premieres, 36 regional premieres, 24 Spotlight Screenings and eight Indiana Spotlight titles. The festival's opening night will feature the previously announced world premiere of the Jimmy Stewart biopic "Jimmy." "Wild Horse Nine" will serve as the Centerpiece selection, while "The Debut" will close out the festival.
Other major narrative, documentary and animated features on this year's slate include "A Talent for Murder," "All of a Sudden," "Bedford Park," "Bitter Christmas," "Carl Sagan: We Are Made of Star Stuff," "Clarissa," "Elsinore," "Gentle Monster," "I Play Rocky," "In Waves," "Iron Boy," "La Bola Negra," "Love of Your Life," "Mouse," "Nuisance Bear," "Once Upon a Time in Harlem," "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York," "Possible Love," "Rehearsals for a Revolution," "Tangles," "Tender Loving Care" and "Union County."
"As we celebrate the 35th Heartland Film Festival, I'm incredibly excited to share a lineup that reflects everything Heartland Film stands for: bold storytelling, unforgettable artistry and films that do more than entertain," said Heartland's artistic director Greg Sorvig. "This year's festival features an extraordinary mix of premieres, major studio spotlights, acclaimed international cinema, powerful documentaries and inspiring Indiana-made stories, giving audiences the chance to discover both emerging voices and celebrated filmmakers."
Heartland Film is a nonprofit arts organization based in Indianapolis that was founded in 1991 with a mission to curate, promote and celebrate thoughtful and engaging films from diverse perspectives. In addition to the 11-day Heartland Film Festival held each October, the organization runs the Academy Award-qualifying Indy Shorts Film Festival in July, the Truly Moving Picture Award and other year-round programs. Over the years, Heartland Film has awarded $4 million in cash prizes — the largest total amount given out by any film festival in North America — presented more than 200 studio films with the Truly Moving Picture Award, and showcased over 2,000 feature and short films.
Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
