
Heartland International Film Festival has introduced the complete 2023 lineup for the thirty second annual competition, together with upcoming Paul Mescal flicks All of Us Strangers and Foe.This 12 months’s competition theme is “YOU CAN’T LOOK AWAY.” In complete, there shall be over 120 movie screenings over the competition’s 11-day schedule, each in particular person and just about.
Taking place October 5-15 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the competition will open with HBO and TIME Studios’ documentary The Lionheart about Dan Wheldon, the two-time Indy 500 winner who handed away out of the blue 10 years in the past.
Netflix’s historic drama Rustin starring Colman Domingo as civil rights chief Bayard Rustin shall be featured as a centerpiece movie, and the closing evening movie shall be Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers starring Paul Giamatti from Focus Features.
Searchlight’s All of Us Strangers, directed by Andrew Haigh, will play within the narrative options and the particular presentation sections. Starring Mescal and Fleabag star Andrew Scott, the movie takes place one evening in a near-empty tower block in modern London, when Adam (Andrew Scott) has an opportunity encounter with a mysterious neighbor, Harry (Paul Mescal), which punctures the rhythm of his on a regular basis life.
Prime Video’s Foe, directed by Garth Davis, relies on the novel of the identical title by Iain Reid. It takes place within the 12 months 2065, following married couple Hen (Saoirse Ronan) and Junior (Mescal) on their distant American farm. When Junior is pressured to go on a protracted expedition to area, he leaves behind a clone of himself to deal with his spouse. You can watch the trailer right here.
HIFF was featured in MovieMaker’s 2023 Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals within the World listing. Heartland Film was based in 1991 with the mission to curate, promote and rejoice considerate and interesting movies from numerous views.
See the complete lineup under, courtesy of HIFF. Find ticketing data right here.
Also Read: Carmen Is ‘a Musical Anti-Musical’ About Star-Crossed Love, Struck on the Border
thirty second Heartland International Film Festival Lineup
Film Title | Director(s) | Country | Premiere Status
**World Premiere
*US Premiere
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
26.2 TO LIFE | Christine Yoo | USA | Indiana Premiere
Three males convicted of homicide undertake working a marathon inside jail on a quest for redemption and freedom — or one thing prefer it.
A BINDING TRUTH | Louise Woehrle | USA | Midwest Premiere
Two highschool classmates in 1965, one Black, one white share the identical final title however little else. Their story, rooted within the South, can be America’s story – one among slavery’s legacy and our present racial divide.
A Disturbance within the Force | Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak | USA | Indiana Premiere
Travel again to a galaxy far, distant—the notorious “Star Wars Holiday Special.” Dive into the thriller of the way it occurred and why 45 years later it has turn out to be, a lot to the chagrin of George Lucas, the final word cult basic amongst “Star Wars” followers.
A Song Film By Kishi Bashi: “Omoiyari” | Justin Taylor Smith, Kaoru Ishibashi | USA, Japan | Midwest Premiere
Internationally acclaimed composer and songwriter Ok Ishibashi (professionally know as “Kishi Bashi”) embarks on a private quest by creating his music in areas related to the Japanese American Incarceration throughout WWII. Courtesy of MTV Documentary Films.
Another Body | Sophie Compton, Reuben Hamlyn | USA | Midwest Premiere
“Another Body” follows a school scholar’s seek for solutions and justice after she discovers deepfakes of herself circulating on-line.
**Art & Soul: A Portrait of Nancy Noel | Alex Kosene | USA | World Premiere
A journey into the thoughts artistic of Nancy Noel, one of the prolific feminine artists of our time.
Art for Everybody | Miranda Yousef | USA | Midwest Premiere
Thomas Kinkade’s pastoral landscapes made him probably the most collected and despised painter of all time. After his surprising demise, his household discovers a vault of unseen work that reveal a fancy artist whose life and work embody our divided America.
Between the Rains | Andrew H. Brown, Moses Thuranira | Kenya | Midwest Premiere
Filmed over the course of 4 consecutive years throughout document low annual precipitation in northern Kenya, “Between the Rains” is a characteristic collaboration with the Turkana-Ngaremara neighborhood that seeks to grasp the experiences of a childhood caught inside a standard tradition that could be a casualty of local weather change.
Black Barbie | Lagueria Davis | USA | Indiana Premiere
Through intimate entry to a charismatic Mattel insider, Beulah Mae Mitchell, BLACK BARBIE delves into the cross part of merchandise and illustration as Black ladies attempt to raise their very own voices and tales, refusing to be invisible.
THE BODY POLITIC | Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough | USA | Midwest Premiere
With unfettered entry, “THE BODY POLITIC” follows Baltimore City’s idealistic younger mayor into workplace, the place he places his private and political future on the road to save lots of his beloved metropolis from continual violence.
The Bright Path: The Johnny Bright Story | Jerald Harkness | USA
“The Bright Path: The Johnny Bright Story” chronicles the lifetime of African American Johnny Bright trailblazer who modified College soccer without end.
Chasing Chasing Amy | Sav Rodgers | USA | Indiana Premiere
When a younger filmmaker units out to grasp the ’90s LGBTQ+ rom-com that saved his life, he’s pressured to confront sophisticated truths of his personal, that may change who he’s without end.
Cowboy Poets | Mike Day | UK/ Scotland | Midwest Premiere
Every 12 months since 1985, cowboys have gathered on the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering to share their heartfelt poems. This unlikely Western is a celebration of the artistic course of and our have to create, collect, and share. An impressionistic have a look at the fashionable West in turbulent occasions.
Deep Rising | Matthew Rytz | USA | Indiana Premiere
This beautiful fly-on-the-wall environmental doc can be a gripping and up-to-the-minute story of geopolitical, scientific, and company intrigue that exposes the harmful machinations of a secretive group empowered to extract huge quantities of metals from the deep seafloor. Narrated by Jason Momoa, “Deep Rising” illuminates the important relationship between the deep ocean and sustaining life on Earth. Courtesy of MTV Documentary Films.
DOWNWIND | Mark Shapiro, Douglas Brian Miller | USA | Indiana Premiere
Hiroshima. Nagasaki. Mercury, Nevada? The latter was the positioning for the testing of 928 nuclear weapons from 1951 to 1992.
Dusty & Stones | Jesse Rudoy | USA, Eswatini (often known as Swaziland at time of filming) | Indiana Premiere
Two struggling nation music singers from the African Kingdom of Swaziland journey to Texas hoping to win massive at a neighborhood battle of the bands.
**Friends & Neighbors | Benjamin Wagner | USA | World Premiere
In this deeply private documentary, “Mister Rogers & Me” Director, Benjamin Wagner, explores the impression of acute and continual stress on a inhabitants through which nervousness, melancholy, and dysregulation are epidemic, and discovers a path to resilience for himself and his neighbors.
**From This Small Place | Taimi Arvidson | USA, Bangladesh | World Premiere
A six-year-old Rohingya boy named Hossain comes of age on the earth’s largest refugee camp because the disaster round him grows more and more harmful.
Go On, Be Brave | Miriam McSpadden, Brian Beckman | USA | Indiana Premiere
Go On, Be Brave is the story of 1 lady’s race towards time – a analysis of ALS and an try on the unimaginable – to be the primary particular person with ALS to finish a marathon in all 50 states.
*Golden Land | Inka Achté | Finland, Sweden, Norway | U.S. Premiere
When Mustafe and his household transfer again to Somaliland in East Africa, after 25 years in Finland, a small nation in Northern Europe hailed because the happiest on the earth, their seek for gold turns into one thing extra profound.
The Grab | Gabriela Cowperthwaite | USA | Indiana Premiere
An investigative journalist uncovers the cash, affect, and alarming rationale behind covert efforts to regulate probably the most important useful resource on the planet, within the newest exposé from filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite (“Blackfish”).
Greener Pastures | Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian | USA
Greener Pastures is an pressing and intimate have a look at American farming, informed by means of the tales of farmers residing on the intersection of local weather change, globalization & a psychological well being disaster.
HELEN|BELIEVE | Dylan Mulick | USA
“HELEN|BELIEVE” tracks Helen Maroulis, America’s first feminine Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling (Rio ’16), from being one of the best wrestler on the earth right into a collection of concussions, pressured retirement and institutionalization, by means of her PTSD struggles and ultimately into her comeback on the Tokyo Olympics and World Championships in Oslo.
The Herricanes | Olivia Kuan | USA | Midwest Premiere
The Houston Herricanes have been part of the primary ladies’s full deal with soccer league within the Seventies. Their unknown story is one among dedication, braveness, and power. Despite adversity and hardship, they fielded a crew purely for the love of the sport. What they began is a motion that’s nonetheless in movement at the moment.
**The Hidden Power of Purpose | Elliot Kotek | USA | World Premiere
The Hidden Power of Purpose, narrated by Debbie Allen, bridges inspiring tales of people who’ve discovered function of their lives with the insights of main scientists whose work affirms that residing with function improves well being and longevity. Courtesy of AARP Studios.
Hollywood’s Finest | Claire Hannah Collins | USA | Midwest Premiere
Three moms struggle to create a household: Mckenzie, a younger lady in restoration who turned pregnant whereas residing in a tent; Cat, her nomadic mother; and Leslie, the social employee along with her personal historical past of dependancy, housing insecurity, and dropping youngsters to foster care.
IN THE SHADOW OF BEIRUT | Stephen Gerard Kelly, Garry Keane | Lebanon, Ireland, Germany, USA | Indiana Premiere
From the makers of “GAZA” (Sundance 2019), comes a brand new cinematic odyssey that penetrates deep under the floor of Beirut, a nonetheless stunning, but deeply troubled metropolis getting ready to monetary collapse.
Interpreters Wanted | Robert Ham | USA | Midwest Premiere
“Interpreters Wanted” is a documentary 14 years within the making that follows the story of two Afghan interpreters as they journey by means of years of Russian occupation, then Taliban rule after which try to assist the U.S. after the assaults on 9/11.
It’s Only Life After All | Alexandria Bombach | USA | Indiana Premiere
Blending 40 years of dwelling films, uncooked movie archive, and intimate present-day verité, a poignant reflection from Amy Ray & Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls – the enduring folks rock duo. A well timed look into the obstacles, activism, and life classes of two queer mates who by no means anticipated to make it massive.
**Jailhouse to Milhouse | Buddy Farmer | USA | World Premiere
“Jailhouse to Milhouse” follows the brave journey of actor Pamela Hayden, the voice of Milhouse on “The Simpsons.” After overcoming large obstacles all through her life, she now reaches out to others who’ve fallen by means of the cracks.
JessZilla | Emily Sheskin | USA | Indiana Premiere
Jesselyn Silva, a 15-year-old woman from New Jersey, is a 3x nationwide boxing champion. As Jess is on the precipice of creating the Olympic crew, she faces her hardest battle but, a most cancers analysis.
Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection | Randy Martin | USA | Indiana Premiere
The private struggles of pop celebrity Karen Carpenter are heard in her personal voice by means of never-before launched recordings, and thru the tales of those that knew her, labored along with her, and whom her music impressed.
Liminal: Indiana within the Anthropocene | Zach Schrank | USA
Liminal: Indiana within the Anthropocene is a meditative aerial movie that illustrates our state as a microcosm of this new planetary epoch. Entirely filmed with drone cameras by Indiana Aerials and accompanied by an unique rating written by Fort Wayne composer Nate Utesch (aka Metavari), Liminal reveals a compelling and uncanny view of Indiana in all its options and types.
The Lionheart | Laura Brownson | USA | Midwest Premiere
When Dan Wheldon, two-time Indy 500 Champion, is killed in one of many worst crashes in IndyAutomobile historical past, it shakes motorsports to its core. Now ten years later, Dan’s two boys comply with of their father’s footsteps as they work by means of their loss the one method they understand how: getting behind the wheel to race. Opening Night courtesy of HBO and TIME Studios.
Medora | Andrew Cohn, Davy Rothbart | USA
In America’s basketball heartland, 4 boys from rural Medora, Indiana struggle to finish their highschool’s crew’s dropping streak, as their dwindling city faces the specter of extinction. Special tenth anniversary retrospective screening.
Merkel | Eva Weber | United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany | Midwest Premiere
Driven by in depth archive materials and incisive interviews, “Merkel” tells the astonishing story of how a triple political outsider – a girl, a scientist, and an East German – turned Germany’s first feminine chancellor and the de facto chief of the free world.
The Mission | Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine | USA | Midwest Premiere
In 2018, a younger American missionary, John Chau, was killed whereas trying to contact one of many world’s most remoted peoples on distant North Sentinel Island. “The Mission” uncovers the gripping story past the headlines. Special presentation of National Geographic Documentary Films.
Mom & Dad’s Nipple Factory | Justinsuperstar | USA | Indiana Premiere
When Randi is identified with breast most cancers, her husband Brian, a conservative Midwest household man, embarks on a unprecedented journey to spice up her morale and builds a homespun prosthetic nipple enterprise that’s saved secret from their mates, their church and their 5 youngsters.
Nathan-ism | Elan Golod | USA | Midwest Premiere
After WWII, Nathan Hilu, an 18-year-old Jewish American soldier from New York, was assigned to protect the highest Nazi warfare criminals on the Nuremberg Trials. With brutish traces and sketches, Hilu obsessively documented these reminiscences for the following 70 years.
No Legs. All Heart. | Pablo Durana | USA | Midwest Premiere
After years of dependancy and a life altering accident, André Kajlich fights to be the primary double amputee bicycle owner to finish the bone-crushing 3,082mile, Race Across America, revealing a take a look at of spirit and the ache endured to carve our personal path in life.
Out There: A National Parks Story | Brendan Hall | USA | Midwest Premiere
Two childhood mates embark a ten,000 mile street journey by means of the U.S. nationwide parks, revealing a profound tapestry of tales from the individuals they meet alongside the best way.
Patria y Vida: The Power of Music | Beatriz Luengo | USA, Spain| Indiana Premiere
Six rappers have rewritten Cuban historical past and sparked a lyric battle for human rights by means of a music referred to as “Patria y Vida”. The music has turn out to be a revolution within the streets of Cuba and the world, being banned by the federal government, which imprison individuals for the easy reality of listening to it.
Patrol | Camilo de Castro, Brad Allgood | Nicaragua, USA | Midwest Premiere
In Nicaragua’s threatened rainforest, indigenous rangers struggle to show the darkish reality of battle beef as unlawful cattle ranchers endanger its survival.
PRE FAB! | Todd Thompson | USA, UK | Indiana Premiere
The final Beatles story to be informed about the way it all started. Before the Fab Four, there was PRE FAB! –the story of 1 man, his drums and the largest band the world would ever know!
Q | Jude Chehab | Lebanon, USA | Indiana Premiere
An intimate portrayal of a quest for love and acceptance at any value, “Q” depicts the affect of a secretive matriarchal non secular order on filmmaker Jude Chehab’s household and the unstated ties and penalties of loyalty which have bonded her mom, grandmother, and herself to the mysterious group. A love story of a distinct variety, “Q” is a multigenerational story of the everlasting seek for which means.
**Sandtown | Isaiah Smallman | USA | World Premiere
A filmmaker returns to his hometown neighborhood in West Baltimore, the place he hopes to rediscover his previous, reckon along with his white privilege and reconnect with the neighborhood that raised him.
Sisters of Ukraine | Mike Dorsey | USA | Midwest Premiere
Volunteers from Barcelona journey to a convent in Ukraine to assist refugees and households of troopers combating within the warfare, bringing a bunch of them on a three-day journey throughout Europe to housing in Spain.
Sloane: A Jazz Singer | Michael Lippert | USA | Indiana Premiere
Filmed days earlier than her closing reside recording in New York City, jazz legend Carol Sloane displays on her storied however largely unknown profession involving everybody from Ella Fitzgerald to The Rolling Stones.
The Space Race | Lisa Cortés and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza | USA | Midwest Premiere
“The Space Race” uncovers the little-known tales of the primary Black pilots, engineers and scientists that turned astronauts. Special presentation of National Geographic Documentary Films.
Story & Pictures By | Joanna Rudnick | USA | Midwest Premiere
Let us let you know a narrative concerning the boundary pushers who form souls and provides youngsters unusual goals. The stars of “Story & Pictures By” are altering the narrative for the following technology.
**THUNDER ROLLS! The World of Blind Baseball | Robert Arnove, Susanne Schwibs | USA | World Premiere
How can people who’re blind and visually impaired play baseball? “THUNDER ROLLS! The World of Blind Baseball” tells the story of how that is doable. The documentary follows the Indy Thunder Beep baseball crew and their coach, Darnell Booker, of their quest to win a World Championship. This is a spirited, humanistic sports activities story that operates on many ranges of leisure and social significance. Narrated by Jesse Eisenberg.
**UnBroken | Beth Lane | USA | World Premiere
Seventy-five years after the outstanding escape of seven Jewish siblings who evaded Nazi seize, the daughter of the youngest baby embarks on a world quest to uncover solutions about her household’s extraordinary survival and the excellent bravery of the German strangers who helped them.
*Volcano Man | James Crawley | Australia | U.S. Premiere
When filmmaker James Crawley discovers his father’s hidden video tapes, he units out to disclose the actual Richard Crawley, an eccentric photographer and documentarian who lives atop a dormant volcano and lifestyle is totally explosive.
We Dare To Dream | Waad al-Kateab | United Kingdom | Midwest Premiere
As the Refugee Olympic Team prepares to compete on the Tokyo Olympics, “We Dare to Dream” chronicles their hopes and needs as they struggle for a greater life.
Wine, Women, & Dementia | Kitty Norton | USA | Indiana Premiere
Seeking therapeutic and luxury in neighborhood, a dementia household caregiver roadtrips the U.S. to swap caregiver tales of affection, humor, devotion, and demise with different dementia caregivers who share this hilariously heartbreaking end-of-life journey.
HORROR FEATURES
*Et Tu | Max Tzannes | USA | US Premiere
A darkish comedy thriller a couple of director pushed to insanity throughout a regional manufacturing of Julius Caesar. Starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Malcom McDowell.
NEW LIFE | John Rosman | USA | Indiana Premiere
A mysterious lady on the run, and the resourceful fixer assigned to deliver her in. Their two distinctive tales inextricably hyperlink, because the stakes of the pursuit rise to apocalyptic proportions.
Stopmotion | Robert Morgan | UK | Midwest Premiere
Ella Blake is a stop-motion animator who’s struggling to regulate her demons after the lack of her overbearing mom. Suddenly alone on the earth, she embarks upon the creation of a macabre new puppet movie, which quickly turns into the battleground for her sanity. Special presentation of Shudder.
When Evil Lurks | Demián Rugna | Argentina | Midwest Premiere
Two brothers race to stop the spawning of evil incarnate as an epidemic of demonic possessions spreads by means of their rural neighborhood. Special presentation of Shudder.
INDIANA SPOTLIGHT FEATURES
**Art & Soul: A Portrait of Nancy Noel | Alex Kosene | USA | World Premiere
A journey into the thoughts acreative of Nancy Noel, one of the prolific feminine artists of our time.
**Bloom | Mark Totte | USA | World Premiere
A Midwestern lady in her late-60’s takes off on a street journey throughout America, wandering by means of reminiscences and reckoning along with her previous.
The Bright Path: The Johnny Bright Story | Jerald Harkness | USA
“The Bright Path: The Johnny Bright Story” chronicles the lifetime of African American Johnny Bright trailblazer who modified College soccer without end.
Greener Pastures | Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian | USA
“Greener Pastures” is an pressing and intimate have a look at American farming, informed by means of the tales of farmers residing on the intersection of local weather change, globalization & a psychological well being disaster.
**Hellcat | Jack Lugar | USA | World Premiere
An growing old rock star returns dwelling years after disappearing, following the demise of his son. He believes that he’s higher off lifeless till he meets a troubled child who reveals him a brand new path to life.
Liminal: Indiana within the Anthropocene | Zach Schrank | USA
Liminal: Indiana within the Anthropocene is a meditative aerial movie that illustrates our state as a microcosm of this new planetary epoch. Entirely filmed with drone cameras by Indiana Aerials and accompanied by an unique rating written by Fort Wayne composer Nate Utesch (aka Metavari), Liminal reveals a compelling and uncanny view of Indiana in all its options and types.
**THUNDER ROLLS! The World of Blind Baseball | Robert Arnove, Susanne Schwibs | USA | World Premiere
How can people who’re blind and visually impaired play baseball? THUNDER ROLLS! The World of Blind Baseball tells the story of how that is doable. The documentary follows the Indy Thunder Beep baseball crew and their coach, Darnell Booker, of their quest to win a World Championship. This is a spirited, humanistic sports activities story that operates on many ranges of leisure and social significance. Narrated by Jesse Eisenberg.
NARRATIVE FEATURES
7000 Miles | Amy Glazer | USA | Midwest Premiere
A passionate pilot is challenged by her grandmother to reside life on her personal phrases, however finds herself at a crossroads when that would imply revealing her grandmother’s long-buried secrets and techniques.
The Accidental Getaway Driver | Sing J. Lee | USA | Midwest Premiere
During a routine pickup, an aged Vietnamese cab driver is taken hostage at gunpoint by three not too long ago escaped Orange County convicts.
A Great Divide | Jean Shim | USA | Indiana Premiere
The Lee household depart the Bay Area for a contemporary begin within the rural expanses of Wyoming, solely to come across hostility and xenophobia of their new neighborhood. How they confront these points will break them – or make them stronger.
A Little Prayer | Angus MacLachlan | USA | Indiana Premiere
A person tries to guard his daughter-in-law when he discovers his son is having an affair, touching upon quite a lot of points within the fashionable South. Starring David Straithairn, Celia Weston, Jane Levy, and Anna Camp. Special presentation of Sony Pictures Classics.
All of Us Strangers | Andrew Haigh | United Kingdom, USA | Indiana PremiereOne evening in his near-empty tower block in modern London, Adam (Andrew Scott) has an opportunity encounter with a mysterious neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal), which punctures the rhythm of his on a regular basis life. Special presentation of Searchlight Pictures.
All the Wrong Ingredients | Nicholas Livanos | USA | Midwest Premiere
A pushed chef reluctantly companions along with his out-of-control imaginary good friend to make a genius dessert earlier than he’s blacklisted from the world of superb meals. But what occurs to the remainder of his life when he throws his ambition into overdrive?
Amerikatsi | Michael Goorjian | Armenia | Indiana Premiere
Unjustly imprisoned in Soviet Armenia, Charlie quickly discovers he can see into a close-by condominium from his cell window – the house of a jail guard. Filled with heat and humor, Amerikatsi celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.
Animalia | Sofia Alaoui | France, Morocco, Qatar | Indiana Premiere
As she nears the top of her being pregnant, Itto and her in-laws discover their lives turned the wrong way up by a supernatural occasion.
Asog | Seán Devlin | Philippines, Canada | Midwest Premiere
JAYA is a non-binary Filipino comic who survived Super Typhoon Haiyan. “Asog” follows Jaya on a street journey to a drag pageant and alongside the best way they encounter Filipinos enduring the impacts of local weather change.
Avenue of the Giants | Finn Taylor | USA, Czech Republic | Midwest Premiere
The true story of Herbert Heller. A 74, he shares the many years lengthy secret of his miraculous escape from Auschwitz and the Birkenau demise march with Abbey, a teen in disaster. In sharing mutual secrets and techniques, they each discover some therapeutic.
*Banu | Tahmina Rafaella | Italia | U.S. Premiere
Accused of being an unfit mom by her influential husband, Banu fights for the custody of her son amid the chaos of the ultimate days of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.
Better Half | Patrick Henry Phelan | USA | Midwest Premiere
A one evening stand goes terribly improper when Arturo and Daphne discover themselves magically fused collectively…down there. The haphazard journey to come back undone may simply reveal what they’d been lacking all alongside.
Big Boys | Corey Sherman | USA | Indiana Premiere
A teenage boy’s surprising crush turns a tenting journey right into a weekend of self-discovery on this heartwarming coming-of-age comedy.
**Bloom | Mark Totte | USA | World Premiere
A Midwestern lady in her late-60’s takes off on a street journey throughout America, wandering by means of reminiscences and reckoning along with her previous.
**Brave the Dark | Damian Harris | USA | World Premiere
Based on a real story in 1986, small city USA. Brave the Dark tells the story of a homeless teen struggling to search out his function and the braveness to confront the darkness of his previous. When in style drama trainer, Stan Deen, takes on a troubled child, Nate, nobody fairly ready him for the journey he was enterprise or the darkish secrets and techniques Nate is hiding. “Brave the Dark” is a heartwarming story about a teen who finds his true father.
Chocolate Lizards | Mark L. Bristol | USA | Midwest Premiere
A failed actor stranded in a small Texas city meets up with an oil driller who wants him and a miracle to hit a wildcat effectively in 30 days.
End of the Rope | Charlie Griak | USA | Indiana Premiere
When a household mysteriously disappears from the city of Schafer, North Dakota, suspicion lands on a sociopathic farmhand, and the whole neighborhood rises as much as take justice into its personal palms. Based on true occasions.
Fancy Dance | Erica Tremblay | USA | Indiana Premiere
Following her sister’s disappearance, a Native American hustler (Lily Gladstone) kidnaps her niece from the kid’s white grandparents and units out for the state powwow in hopes of protecting what’s left of their household intact.
Free Time | Ryan Martin Brown | USA
Drew quits his job after which shortly decides he needs it again.
Hard Miles | RJ Daniel Hanna | USA | Midwest Premiere
A powerful-willed social employee at a youth jail assembles a biking crew of teenage convicts and takes them on a transformative 1000-mile experience.
**Hellcat | Jack Lugar | USA | World Premiere
An growing old rock star returns dwelling years after disappearing, following the demise of his son. He believes that he’s higher off lifeless till he meets a troubled child who reveals him a brand new path to life.
The Holdovers | Alexander Payne | USA | Midwest Premiere
From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, “The Holdovers” follows a curmudgeonly teacher (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep faculty who’s pressured to stay on campus throughout Christmas break to babysit the handful of scholars with nowhere to go. Eventually, he types an unlikely bond with one among them — a broken, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) — and with the varsity’s head cook dinner, who has simply misplaced a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). Closing Night, particular presentation of Focus Features.
Jericho Ridge | Will Gilbey | United Kingdom & Kosovo | Indiana Premiere
Trapped and with out backup, a small city cop fights for her life when her distant sheriff’s workplace is focused by murderous attackers.
Know Your Place | Zia Mohajerjasbi | USA | Indiana Premiere
Amidst the panorama of a remodeling metropolis, a younger boy confronts the fact of change and loss.
Late Bloomers | Lisa Steen | USA | Indiana Premiere
An aimless 28-year-old Brooklynite lands within the hospital after drunkenly breaking her hip being silly. An encounter with a cranky aged Polish lady who speaks no English results in a job caring for her. Neither likes it, however it’s time to develop up
Little Brother | Sheridan O’Donnell | USA | Midwest Premiere
After a latest suicide try, Jake drives his neurodivergent older brother throughout the American West whereas the 2 reconcile with the traumas of their previous as a way to forge a brand new bond.
**Long December | Thomas Torrey | USA | World Premiere
Nearing the top of one other financially troublesome 12 months and feeling pressured to lastly quit on his goals, struggling musician Gabe Lovell wonders if his break is simply across the nook when his rock star cousin affords him a spot within the closing present of his tour.
Lost Soulz | Katherine Propper | USA | Indiana Premiere
A younger rapper leaves the whole lot behind and embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery, music, and friendship within the coronary heart of Texas.
Match Me If You Can | Marian Yeager | USA | Midwest Premiere
When an internet matchmaking service rejects her as “unmatchable,” a quick-witted programmer’s rant makes her an web sensation…and places her on a romantic collision course with the equally nerdy man who runs the corporate that rejected her.
NEW LIFE | John Rosman | USA | Indiana Premiere
A mysterious lady on the run, and the resourceful fixer assigned to deliver her in. Their two distinctive tales inextricably hyperlink, because the stakes of the pursuit rise to apocalyptic proportions.
*On Marriage: Wishful Syncing | John HSU | Taiwan | U.S. Premiere
As the saying goes, “a devoted coronary heart makes needs come true”, what it actually means may be we should heed our interior voice. In order to win again his spouse’s coronary heart towards her candy childhood good friend, a determined husband decides to make use of a digital mind-reading system “moon blocks” that’s nonetheless underneath growth.
The Persian Version | Maryam Keshavarz | USA | Midwest Premiere
When her household reunites in New York City for her father’s coronary heart transplant, Leila navigates her relationships at arm’s size in an effort to maintain her “actual” life separate from her household life. Special presentation of Sony Pictures Classics.
Ramona At Midlife | Brooke Berman | USA | Midwest Premiere
“Ramona at Midlife” is a humorous, touching and poignant exploration of a girl making room for herself.
The Secret Art of Human Flight | H.P. Mendoza | USA | Indiana Premiere
A grieving widower turns into obsessive about a mysterious self assist ebook he finds on the darkish internet written by an eccentric guru, which guarantees to unlock the facility to fly.
Shudderbugs | Johanna Putnam | USA | Indiana Premiere
Samantha Cole returns to her childhood dwelling within the wake of her mom’s mysterious demise, spiraling down a rabbit gap of grief, suspicion and isolation.
*Sight | Andrew Hyatt | USA | U.S. Premiere
A world-renowned eye surgeon takes on the unimaginable activity of saving a blind orphan’s sight, solely to be met with reminiscences of his personal traumatic previous and understand his personal power can solely take him to this point. Starring Greg Kinnear.
Simón | Diego Vicentini | Venezuela & USA | Midwest Premiere
Barely escaping the clutches of the oppressive Venezuelan dictatorship, freedom fighter Simón should now fight his trauma and guilt as he builds his case for asylum so as to have the ability to keep within the USA.
Smoking Tigers | Shelly Yo | USA | Midwest Premiere
Over one summer season spent at an elite educational bootcamp, a lonely Korean American teenager hides her true id to slot in, solely to find the bittersweet pains of maturity.
Solar Wind Alley | Anastasia Lobkovski | Finland | Indiana Premiere
Alice lives along with her youthful sisters within the rural Finnish village, in the home their mom construct earlier than she previous away. She needs to guard her youthful sisters and shelter them from the world.
Summer of Violence | Nicki Micheaux | USA | Indiana Premiere
Refusing legislation faculty to pursue poetry, a sheltered school grad, minimize off from her father’s cash, struggles to outlive whereas residing in Denver in the course of the Summer of Violence in 1993.
The Taste of Things | Anh Hung Tran | France | Midwest Premiere
Set in France in 1889, the movie follows the lifetime of Dodin Bouffant as a chef residing along with his private cook dinner and lover Eugénie. They share a protracted historical past of gastronomy and love however Eugénie refuses to marry Dodin, so the meals lover decides to do one thing he has by no means completed earlier than: cook dinner for her. Special presentation of IFC Films.
Tiger Stripes | Amanda Nell Eu | Germany, Taiwan, France, Malaysia | Indiana Premiere
Zaffan (12) struggles with puberty, discovering a terrifying secret about her bodily self. Her failed makes an attempt to hide the inevitable lead her mates to search out out who she actually is, they usually assault her. As Zaffan is additional provoked by her personal neighborhood, she quickly learns that embracing her true self is the one reply to her freedom.
**To Fall In Love | Michael Lewis Foster | USA | World Premiere
When a girl meets along with her estranged husband as a last-ditch effort to save lots of their marriage, she discovers that their love won’t be sufficient to maintain them collectively.
The Visitor | Martín Boulocq | Bolivia, Uruguay | Indiana Premiere
An ex-convict father disputes custody of his solely daughter with an influential evangelical pastor.
TOKYO COWBOY | Marc Marriott | USA | Indiana Premiere
A Japanese businessman goes on an unwitting journey of self-discovery when he takes an organization journey from Tokyo to a Montana cattle ranch.
Where the Road Leads | Nina Ognjanović | Serbia | Indiana Premiere
An surprising go to radically modifications the lifetime of a small remoted place in Serbia. Jana (18) will do the whole lot to save lots of the stranger that she thinks will take her removed from there.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt | Raven Jackson | USA | Indiana Premiere
A lyrical, decades-spanning exploration throughout a girl’s life in Mississippi, the characteristic debut from award-winning poet, photographer and filmmaker Raven Jackson is a haunting and richly layered portrait, an exquisite ode to the generations of individuals and locations that form us. Special presentation of A24.
All of Us Strangers | Andrew Haigh | United Kingdom, USA | Indiana Premiere
One evening in his near-empty tower block in modern London, Adam (Andrew Scott) has an opportunity encounter with a mysterious neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal), which punctures the rhythm of his on a regular basis life. Special presentation of Searchlight Pictures.
A Little Prayer | Angus MacLachlan | USA | Indiana Premiere
A person tries to guard his daughter-in-law when he discovers his son is having an affair, touching upon quite a lot of points within the fashionable South. Starring David Straithairn, Celia Weston, Jane Levy, and Anna Camp. Special presentation of Sony Pictures Classics.
Anatomy of a Fall | Justine Triet | France | Indiana Premiere
For the previous 12 months, Sandra, her husband Samuel, and their 11-year-old son Daniel have lived a secluded life in a distant city within the French Alps. When Samuel is discovered lifeless within the snow under their chalet, the police query whether or not he was murdered or dedicated suicide. Samuel’s suspicious demise is presumed homicide, and Sandra turns into the principle suspect. Winner of the Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival 2023. Special presentation of NEON Rated.
Foe | Garth Davis | Australia
Academy Award® nominees Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal star in Foe, a haunting exploration of marriage and id set in an unsure world. Hen and Junior farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior’s household for generations, however their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger (Aaron Pierre) reveals up at their door with a startling proposal. Special presentation of Prime Video.
Four Daughters | Kaouther Ben Hania | France, Tunisia, Germany, Saudi Arabia | Indiana Premiere
This riveting exploration of insurrection, reminiscence, and sisterhood reconstructs the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her 4 daughters, unpacking a fancy household historical past by means of intimate interviews and clever reenactments to look at how the Tunisian lady’s two eldest have been radicalized by Islamic extremists. Special presentation of Kino Lorber.
The Holdovers | Alexander Payne | USA | Midwest Premiere
From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, “The Holdovers” follows a curmudgeonly teacher (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep faculty who’s pressured to stay on campus throughout Christmas break to babysit the handful of scholars with nowhere to go. Eventually, he types an unlikely bond with one among them — a broken, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) — and with the varsity’s head cook dinner, who has simply misplaced a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). Closing Night, particular presentation of Focus Features.
Indy Shorts Winners 1 | First of three award-winning brief movies from the 2023 Oscar-qualifying Indy Shorts International Film Festival.
Indy Shorts Winners 2 | Second of three award-winning brief movies from the 2023 Oscar-qualifying Indy Shorts International Film Festival.
Indy Shorts Winners 3 | Third of three award-winning brief movies from the 2023 Oscar-qualifying Indy Shorts International Film Festival.
The Lionheart | Laura Brownson | USA | Midwest Premiere
When Dan Wheldon, two-time Indy 500 Champion, is killed in one of many worst crashes in IndyAutomobile historical past, it shakes motorsports to its core. Now, ten years later, Dan’s two boys, Sebastian and Oliver, comply with of their father’s footsteps as they work by means of their loss the one method they understand how: getting behind the wheel to race. Opening Night, particular presentation of HBO and TIME Studios.
The Mission | Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine | USA | Midwest Premiere
In 2018, a younger American missionary, John Chau, was killed whereas trying to contact one of many world’s most remoted peoples on distant North Sentinel Island. “The Mission” uncovers the gripping story past the headlines. Special presentation of National Geographic Documentary Films.
Monster | Kore-eda Hirokazu | Japan | Indiana Premiere
When her son startsto behave stangely, a mom feels that there’s something improper. As the story unfolds by means of the eyes of mom, trainer and baby, the reality steadily emerges. In Japanese with English subtitles. Special presentation of Well Go USA.
Perfect Days | Wim Winders | Japan | Indiana Premiere
A janitor in Japan drives between jobs listening to rock music. Special presentation of NEON Rated.
The Persian Version | Maryam Keshavarz | USA | Midwest Premiere
When her household reunites in New York City for her father’s coronary heart transplant, Leila navigates her relationships at arm’s size in an effort to maintain her “actual” life separate from her household life. Special presentation of Sony Pictures Classics.
Robot Dreams | Pablo Berger | Spain, France | Indiana Premiere
Based on the favored graphic novel by the North American author Sara Varon, “Robot Dreams” tells the adventures and misfortunes of Dog and Robot in NYC in the course of the ’80s. Special presentation of NEON Rated.
Rustin | George C. Wolfe | USA | Midwest Premiere
“Rustin” shines a highlight on Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo), who, alongside giants like Martin Luther King Jr. and Ella Baker, dare to think about a distinct world and encourage a motion in a march towards freedom. Centerpiece, particular presentation of Netflix.
Silver Dollar Road | Raoul Peck | USA
A Black household in North Carolina battles many years of harassment by land builders making an attempt to grab their waterfront property, on this searing documentary by Oscar-nominated director Raoul Peck (“I Am Not Your Negro”). Special presentation of Prime Video.
Sometimes I Think About Dying | Rachel Lambert | USA | Indiana Premiere
Lost on the dreary Oregon coast, Fran (Daisy Ridley) finds solace in her cubicle, listening to the fixed hum of officemates and sometimes daydreaming to go the time. Special presentation of Oscilloscope Laboratories.
The Space Race | Lisa Cortés and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza | USA | Midwest Premiere
“The Space Race” uncovers the little-known tales of the primary Black pilots, engineers and scientists that turned astronauts. Special presentation of National Geographic Documentary Films.
Spotlight: Easerseals Disability Film Challenge
The Heartland International Film Festival is proud to as soon as once more companion with the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge to showcase the slate of 2023 Finalists and Winners. EDFC Founder Nic Novicki will be part of us in-person to current this 12 months’s lineup.
Stopmotion | Robert Morgan | UK | Midwest Premiere
Ella Blake is a stop-motion animator who’s struggling to regulate her demons after the lack of her overbearing mom. Suddenly alone on the earth, she embarks upon the creation of a macabre new puppet movie, which quickly turns into the battleground for her sanity. Special presentation of Shudder.
The Taste of Things | Anh Hung Tran | France | Midwest Premiere
Set in France in 1889, the movie follows the lifetime of Dodin Bouffant as a chef residing along with his private cook dinner and lover Eugénie. They share a protracted historical past of gastronomy and love however Eugénie refuses to marry Dodin, so the meals lover decides to do one thing he has by no means completed earlier than: cook dinner for her. Special presentation of IFC Films.
When Evil Lurks | Demián Rugna | Argentina | Midwest Premiere
Two brothers race to stop the spawning of evil incarnate as an epidemic of demonic possessions spreads by means of their rural neighborhood. Special presentation of Shudder.
Main Image: Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal in All of Us Strangers courtesy of Heartland Film.
First seem at Heartland International Film Festival Announces Full 2023 Lineup, Including Two Paul Mescal Movies