For Heartland International Film Festival Director of Programing Greg Sorvig, this year’s lineup has a personal connection.
“How often do movies of your heroes get made and you get to showcase them as our top events?” Sorvig said. “Bryan Stevenson and Mr. Rogers are two of my top heroes,”
“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” opens the festival Oct. 10 at The Toby Theater at Newfields in Indianapolis. Tom Hanks stars as Fred Rogers in the film. The festival’s lineup, which runs Oct. 10 to 20, was announced Sept. 12 at The Toby at Newfields.
The festival ends Oct. 20 at The Toby with “Just Mercy,” which stars Michael B. Jordan as social justice activist Stevenson, who is the founder/executive director the Equal Justice Initiative. The film, which includes Jamie Foxx and Brie Larson, centers in a true story of Stevenson’s role in clearing a man imprisoned for murder.
“I think this is the biggest and boldest lineup,” Sorvig said. “We have four amazing Oscar contenders for event films. We have a great stacked lineup and I couldn’t be more proud to deliver it here. This is unprecedented, I don’t think we’ve ever had this caliber of a film lineup.”
“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” premiered at the Toronto Film Festival Sept. 7. The film will be released in theaters Nov. 22.
“I think as it stands now, we are the only film festival to be featuring it as the opening-night film,” Sorvig said.
Among the Indiana Spotlight films will be Carmel 19-year-old Ashton Gleckman’s documentary, “We Shall Not Die Now.” Gleckman, 19, directed the film and conducted the interviews of Holocaust survivors.
Among the anniversary series films shown will be the 40th anniversary of
“Breaking Away.” Actor Dennis Christopher is scheduled to attend the screening of the film, which focuses on Indiana University’s Little 500.
There will be a record 200-plus feature films and 400 film screenings. For more, visit heartlandfilmfestival.org.
