The Heartland International Film Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana has been a staple of the city since 1992. It has grown from a four-day event with fewer than 20 films to an 11-day celebration with over 300 feature films and 100 filmmakers. At this festival, a variety of awards are given out to recognize the best films and performances. The SIGNIS Jury Award, Religion Today Film Festival (201), Maui International Film Festival (201) Best Feature Film voted by the public, Chicago Israeli Film Festival (201) Best Actor: Makram Khouri, Israel Academy Awards (201), Lolly Award chosen by the public for best film, International Queer Film Festival (201) Best Documentary, Parallel Film Festival (2012) Audience Award, Docaviv Film Festival (201) Best of Festival, Docs Without Borders Film Festival (201) Audience Award, Indy Film Fest (201) Audience Award, Best Documentary Short Film; Sedona International Film Festival (201) Mitákuye Oyás'i (film inclusion award), Central States Indie FanFilmFest (201), Indy Shorts International Film Festival (201), Circle City Film Festival (201) Merit Award, Special Mention; Accolade Global Film Competition are all awards that have been given out at this festival. The JCC partners with organizations such as Heartland Films and WFYI to release or screen films with important topics related to the Jewish experience.
One such film was about Jenni Berebitsky, a 33-year-old member of the Indianapolis Jewish community who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The awards given out at this festival are highly sought after and recognize excellence in filmmaking. The Maui International Film Festival awarded a Best Feature Film voted by the public in 201 and the Chicago Israeli Film Festival awarded Best Actor: Makram Khouri in 201. The Israel Academy Awards gave out an award in 201 and the Lolly Award chosen by the public for best film was given out at the International Queer Film Festival in 201. The Parallel Film Festival gave out an Audience Award in 2012 and Docaviv Film Festival gave out a Best of Festival award in 201. The Docs Without Borders Film Festival gave out an Audience Award in 201 and Indy Film Fest gave out an Audience Award and Best Documentary Short Film award in 201. The Sedona International Film Festival gave out a Mitákuye Oyás'i film inclusion award in 201 and Central States Indie FanFilmFest gave out an award in 201. The Indy Shorts International Film Festival gave out an award in 201 and Circle City Film Festival gave out a Merit Award and Special Mention in 201. Finally, Accolade Global Film Competition gave out an award in 201. The Heartland International Film Festival is a great opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their work and be recognized for their achievements. With so many awards being given out each year, it is clear that this festival is dedicated to recognizing excellence in filmmaking.
