Four films honored by Heartland Film won 11 Oscars® including Best Picture and Indianapolis Native, Brendan Fraser, for Best Actor

Media Contacts:
Heartland Film | Jessica Chapman, Director of Marketing jchapman@heartlandfilm.org | 317.750.3902

(March 13, 2023) - The 95th Academy Awards® took place on Sunday, March 12. Four films honored by Heartland Film won 11 Oscars® including "Everything Everywhere All At Once" for Best Picture. 

Indianapolis native Brendan Fraser, took home the Academy Award® for Best Actor for his performance in “The Whale.” The film closed the 31st Heartland International Film Festival with a sold-out crowd.  

“Congratulations to ‘An Irish Goodbye,’ ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ ‘The Whale,’ and ‘Women Talking' on last night’s big wins at the Academy Awards," said Artistic Director Greg Sorvig. “These stories resonated deeply with our audiences, and we are thrilled to be a part of their journeys here at Heartland Film!” 

The full list of Academy Award® Winners can be found here. 

A24's "The Whale" by Darren Aronofsky won two Academy Awards®. 

“When we saw Brendan’s performance early last fall, we knew that ‘The Whale’ had to close the 31st Heartland International Film Festival,” said Greg Sorvig. “We witnessed something special in the theater that day and knew Brendan’s name would be called come March. Congratulations, Brendan!” 

Another A24 film won seven Oscars®, the most Academy Awards® of the year, including Best Picture. "Everything Everywhere All At Once" had a 500+ seat sell-out advance screening with Heartland Film. 

“Fresh, visionary, and endearing, 'Everything Everywhere All at Once’ has redefined what is possible at the Academy Awards,” said Greg Sorvig. “The team’s passion was palpable, and we were so excited to watch history being made with each of the film’s seven wins!”  

United Artists Releasing's "Women Talking" by Sarah Polley screened at the 31st Heartland International Film Festival and received the IFJA Best Special Presentation Award.

“One of the most moving, personal, and devastating stories in years, ‘Women Talking’ was adapted masterfully for the screen by Writer/Director Sarah Polley,” said Greg Sorvig.  

The short film "An Irish Goodbye," screened at the 2022 Indy Shorts International Film Festival and received the Best Comedy Short and Comedy Audience Choice Awards.  

“Every year, there are 'must program’ shorts that we see through the submissions process, and ‘An Irish Goodbye’ was one of those films,” said Greg Sorvig. “It’s a programmer’s dream to find a film that balances empathy, comedy, and story like we see in this film. It was only fitting that it was crowned the winner. Happy birthday, James!” 

Heartland Film is a nonprofit arts organization that runs the 11-day Heartland International Film Festival in October, the Academy Award®-Qualifying Indy Shorts International Film Festival in July, the Truly Moving Picture Award and other year-round programs. Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, Heartland Film was founded in 1991 with the mission to curate, promote and celebrate thoughtful and engaging films from diverse perspectives. Over the years, Heartland Film has presented $3.5 million in cash prizes – the largest total amount awarded by any film festival in North America – presented 200+ studio films with the Truly Moving Picture Award, and showcased more than 2,000 feature and short films, including ten Oscar®-winning short film titles. The 32nd Heartland International Film Festival is scheduled for October 5-15, 2023, and the 6th Indy Shorts International Film Festival was held July 18-23, 2023. For more information, visit HeartlandFilm.org.

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