Media Contact | Jessica Chapman
Director of Marketing | Heartland Film
jchapman@heartlandfilm.org | 317.750.3902
*Please note: This press release can be downloaded as a PDF or a Word Document. Download option buttons are available at the end.
(February 12, 2026) - Best of Fest: Heartland Film Festival Edition, presented by Heartland Film and The Historic Artcraft Theatre, returns on March 6 and 7. This mini movie series re-showcases four fan-favorite films from the 2025 Heartland Film Festival.
The schedule includes the festival's Overall Narrative Audience Choice Award winner, “Nuremberg,” and the Indiana Spotlight Audience Choice Award winner, “The Tenderness Tour.” Filmmakers from "25 Cats of Qatar" and "The Tenderness Tour" will be available after their respective screenings for audience questions.
"There are so many incredible films featured at the Heartland Film Festival that it can be challenging to catch all them all,” said Greg Sorvig, Artistic Director of Heartland Film. “Best of Fest is a unique second opportunity to see some of the most talked about films from the fall festival."
The four film screenings will be held at The Historic Artcraft Theater in Franklin, Indiana (57 N. Main Street, Franklin IN 46131). The 104-year-old theatre remains one of the most intact Art Deco movie houses in central Indiana and is listed on the Indiana State Register of Historic Places. Sticking with the theater's historically low prices, Best of Fest tickets are just $8.
"Watching movies at The Historic Artcraft Theatre is a one-of-a-kind experience. This year marks the 14th Best of Fest, and we are proud to continue this partnership replaying festival films at this timeless location," said Michael Ault, President of Heartland Film.
Best of Fest: Heartland Film Festival Schedule
- Friday, March 6 | 7:30 PM | "Nuremberg" | The Allies, led by the unyielding chief prosecutor Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon), have the task of ensuring the Nazi regime answers for the unveiled horrors of the Holocaust while a U.S. Army psychiatrist (Rami Malek) is locked in a dramatic psychological duel with former Reichsmarschall Herman Göring (Russell Crowe). Special presentation of Sony Pictures Classics.
- Saturday, March 7 | 1:30 PM | "25 Cats from Qatar" | Includes Q&A with Filmmakers | When Katy McHugh, owner of Milwaukee’s Sip and Purr Cat Café, learns of the feral cat crisis in Doha, Qatar, she creates a brave and unsanctioned plan to fly 25 cats from Doha back to Wisconsin for adoption. From Mye Hoang, the director of "Cat Daddies," this film offers a heartwarming, urgent look at strangers overcoming barriers to save lives.
- Saturday, March 7 | 4:30 PM | "The Tenderness Tour" | Includes Q&A with Filmmakers | In his hardest physical challenge to date, the complex, dedicated and irreverent activist Richard Propes fights for the very tour that saved his own life. Can Richard raise a million dollars to offset $155 million in medical debt when he's never raised more than $20,000?
- Saturday, March 7 | 7:30 PM | "Premarital" | Pastor Stewart’s beloved daughter Sophie is getting married in one week. There’s just one problem: Alan, her fiancé, is not a believer. Stewart enlists the help of his family in a carefully planned campaign to convert Alan to Christianity and save the otherwise doomed marriage.
Best of Fest: Heartland Film Festival tickets are available at HeartlandFilm.org and HistoricArtcraftTheatre.org.
About Heartland Film, Inc.
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, Heartland Film was founded in 1991 with the mission to curate, promote and celebrate thoughtful and engaging films. 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 10 Oscar®-winning short film titles. MovieMaker Magazine named both the Indy Shorts and Heartland International Film Festival on the Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World list for 2023, 2024 and 2025. The 9th Annual Indy Shorts Film Festival is scheduled for July 21-26, 2026 and the 35th Heartland Film Festival will run October 8-18, 2026. For more information, www.HeartlandFilm.org.
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