35th Heartland Film Festival Announces Winners, Awards $80,000 in Cash Prizes

"The Fish Don't Care When It Rains" and "Take Me Home" win $20,000 Grand Prizes, Will Poulter and "Union County" Honored with Pioneering Spirit and Richard D. Propes Social Impact Awards

Media Contact: Director of Marketing, Jessica Chapman
jchapman@heartlandfilm.org 

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(October 18, 2026 ) INDIANAPOLIS - The 35th Heartland Film Festival (HFF) announced the 2026 award winners and presented $80,000 in cash prizes to recipients at its Awards Brunch this morning at Tinker House Events. The 11-day festival concludes later today with in-person and virtual screenings. The festival's Closing Night film, "The Debut" from Jesse Eisenberg and A24, will screen to a sold-out crowd at The Tobias Theater at Newfields this evening. 

“The films honored this year exemplify what Heartland Film has championed for 35 years: stories that deepen our understanding of one another and remind us of the resilience, courage and compassion that connect us," said Artistic Director Greg Sorvig. "From deeply personal journeys to urgent social issues, these filmmakers have created work that stays with us long after the credits roll. Their artistry and humanity reflect exactly what we're made of, and we're proud to celebrate their achievements through these awards.”

The Awards Brunch for the 35th Heartland Film Festival was held on Sunday, October 18 at Tinker House Events. The festival awarded $80,000 in cash prizes to filmmakers, including $20,000 for the Narrative and Documentary Grand Prize-winning films. Since 1992, Heartland Film has presented $4 million in cash prizes – the largest total amount awarded by any film festival in North America. 

World premiere documentary feature "The Fish Don't Care When It Rains," directed by Jennifer Msumba & Siobhan McDonnell, was the morning's big winner with two awards, taking both the $20,000 Documentary Feature Grand Prize and the $2,000 Richard D. Propes Documentary Social Impact Award. Co-director/producer Siobhan McDonnell and executive producer Wanda Bryant Hope accepted the awards in person with co-director and film subject Jennifer Msumba and producer Tony Armer celebrating via video call. "The Fish Don't Care When It Rains" is about autistic artist Jen Msumba, who spent years inside the Judge Rotenberg Center, where painful electric shocks were used as behavioral “treatment.” After seven years, Jen escaped and fought back. The documentary tells her story through testimony, music and art, exposing systemic failures while celebrating resilience, creativity, hope and justice.

The $20,000 Narrative Feature Grand Prize was accepted by executive producer Lydia Storie for Liz Sargent's film "Take Me Home." The film is about Anna, a 38-year-old Korean adoptee, who cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting each othersʼ needs. When a Florida heat wave shatters their family and Annaʼs routine, her future is uncertain until she creates a world where she can thrive. 

Heartland Film has the distinct honor of being the only festival in the world sanctioned by the Stewart Family to present an award in honor of classic film actor Jimmy Stewart. "Home from the Vietnam War," directed by Mat Hames, received the $5,000 Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award. This documentary, which had its World Premiere at the festival, follows a decorated U.S. veteran who is haunted by nightmares as he returns to Vietnam with a friend who fled the war as a child. The Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award is particularly fitting for this year's festival with the Opening Night film "JIMMY." The film focuses on the most transformative season in Jimmy Stewart’s life—from winning the Academy Award® to becoming a combat pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps at the beginning of World War II and rising to the rank of colonel, only to return home broken and disheartened. Both films feature American heroes haunted by nightmares and PTSD stemming from their military service and the men who served alongside them lost along the way.

Will Poulter attended the Awards Brunch and was honored with the Pioneering Spirit Award at the Heartland Film Festival. The Pioneering Spirit Award celebrates an individual in the prime of their career who embodies Heartland Film's mission – someone whose work has inspired conversation, ignited imagination and shifted perspectives. Recent honorees have included Sam Davis, Greg Kwedar, Ben Proudfoot, Doug Blus, Matthew Modine and Colman Domingo. Poulter also accepted the $2,000 Richard D. Propes Narrative Social Impact Award for the film, "Union County," with the director Adam Meeks. Will Poulter and Noah Centineo deliver pitch-perfect performances as brothers Cody and Jack Parsons, each navigating a court-mandated drug rehabilitation program in a pocket of rural Ohio hit hard by the opioid epidemic. 

Dr. James B. Lemler, president of Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, presented the inaugural Allen Whitehill Clowes Awards. Chosen from among the Festival's Official Selections, the Allen Whitehill Clowes Narrative Award and Allen Whitehill Clowes Documentary Award recognize films that embody exceptional artistic achievement while exploring themes at the core of Allen Whitehill Clowes’ mission: love, heart, connection and community. These awards aim to honor filmmakers whose work resonates deeply and remind us of the power of storytelling to unite and uplift. Both awards include a $10,000 cash prize underwritten by the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation.

On Saturday, the festival hosted the 4th Annual PitchDox Main Event presented by Hoodox. Five documentary filmmaking teams pitched their projects and competed for $40,000 in awards, made possible by generous support from the Herbert Simon Family Foundation. The $15,000 Grand Prize went to "In My Yard" by Jess Dunn. Blending macro cinematography, archival footage and hand-crafted animation, this short documentary reveals the extraordinary world that emerges when native plants reclaim an ordinary urban backyard. The $10,000 Audience Choice Award was awarded to "Angie's" by Austin Keough. "The Moth Keeper" by Aaron Winneroski, "The Sound of Progress" by Samuel Pigott and "Trailblazer" by Sha Collier each received $5,000 for being a finalist. Hoodox is a nonprofit organization on a mission to support and share stories that connect Hoosiers, spark conversations and inspire positive change in Indiana.

The 2026 festival theme "What We're Made Of" is inspired by our 35th anniversary, and the idea that the films we’ve watched together over the years have exposed us to new stories, altered our perspectives and ultimately become what we’re made of. The 2026 Heartland Film Festival showcased 100 films, including 24 World/U.S. Premieres, 36 regional premieres, 24 Spotlight Screenings from major distributors and 8 Indiana Spotlight films.

Festival screenings continue through Sunday, October 18, at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Living Room Theaters and Newfields. Select award-winning titles will also be available to stream through Sunday, October 25. 

Audience Choice Award Winners will be announced on Monday, October 19, in the categories of Overall, Narrative, Documentary, Special Presentation Narrative, Special Presentation Documentary and Indiana Spotlight. Voting for audience choice awards will close at 11:59 PM EDT on Sunday, October 18. 

The full film lineup, schedule and tickets for the 35th Heartland Film Festival can be found at HeartlandFilmFestival.org.

Anna, a 38-year-old Korean adoptee, cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting each othersʼ needs. When a Florida heat wave shatters their family and Annaʼs routine, her future is uncertain until she creates a world where she can thrive.

Jury statement: "For its tender, unsentimental portrayal of disability, caregiving and the fragile ecosystem of family, this film moved us with its honesty and emotional resonance. Anchored by a striking performance by Anna Sargent, the film grants its central character the fullness too often denied to people with cognitive disabilities. Congratulations to "Take Me Home" as the Narrative Feature Grand Prize Winner!"

Jury members include Sarah Goher, Lana Link and Nani Sahra Walker.

After seven years inside the Judge Rotenberg Center, where painful electric shocks were used as behavioral “treatment,” autistic artist Jen Msumba escaped and fought back. "The Fish Donʼt Care When It Rains" tells her story through testimony, music and art, exposing systemic failures while celebrating resilience, creativity, hope and justice.

Jury statement: "The winning documentary has done this in an astonishing, profound and extraordinary way, with the subject using their art as a form of resistance and resilience to shine a light on a dark and brutal reality. The film’s central figure illustrates – sometimes literally – what they had to endure and overcome over the course of their life, and how they used their art to emerge more powerful than ever. Congratulations to "The Fish Don't Care When It Rains" as the Documentary Feature Grand Prize Winner!"

Jury members include Cindy Meehl, Jeff Nucera and Christine Turner.

The Heartland Film Festival’s Pioneering Spirit Award honors an individual who embodies Heartland Film's mission: a person who is in the prime of their career and whose work has inspired conversation, ignited imagination and has shifted perspectives. Recent past honorees include Oscar winners and nominees Sam Davis, Doug Blush, Greg Kwedar, Ben Proudfoot and Colman Domingo. 

 Will Poulter is an Emmy-nominated and BAFTA award-winning actor and is one of the most versatile actors working today. Will Poulter made his feature film debut in "Son of Rambow," earning a British Independent Film Award nomination for Most Promising Newcomer. His film career continued with "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," "We're the Millers," "The Revenant," "Detroit," "War Machine," "Midsommar," "Maze Runner," "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," "On Swift Horses," "Death of a Unicorn," I Love Boosters" and "Warfare."

Will Poulter's television work has been equally distinguished, with acclaimed performances in "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch," "The Underground Railroad," Dopesick," "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" and "The Bear."  

Poulter has been outspoken about the power of film and its lasting impact on society and overlooked communities. In a recent interview, Will shared that “I can’t ignore the opportunities there are in film to affect social change,” and that is especially evident in "Union County." 

Haunted by nightmares, a decorated U.S. veteran returns to Vietnam with a friend who fled the war as a child. Fifty-seven years later, they journey to one of the warʼs bloodiest battle sites, confronting the soldiers they once fought and long-buried memories in a powerful search for healing and reconciliation.

After their grandmotherʼs death, two estranged brothers: Andy, who suffers from schizophrenia, and Jeff, an actor searching for meaning, set out on a roadtrip to find their father, a disgraced former professional tennis player living near the Salton Sea. Starring Beck Bennett, Haley Joel Osment, Chris Elliott, Penelope Ann Miller and Loan Chabanol.

Will Poulter and Noah Centineo are brothers Cody and Jack Parsons, each navigating a court-mandated drug rehabilitation program in a pocket of rural Ohio hit hard by the opioid epidemic. Special presentation of Oscilloscope Laboratories.

After seven years inside the Judge Rotenberg Center, where painful electric shocks were used as behavioral “treatment,” autistic artist Jen Msumba escaped and fought back. "The Fish Donʼt Care When It Rains" tells her story through testimony, music and art, exposing systemic failures while celebrating resilience, creativity, hope and justice.

Frustrated by a medical system failing their autistic daughter, Laurie and Louie chase Louie's vision of a therapy farm where kids with special needs can thrive. Ground down by startup struggles, tragedy and a strained marriage, they must risk everything one last time to see it built. Starring Heather Graham, Jeremy John Wells and Kevin Nealon.

As a struggling young boy, Lobsang Phuntsok found healing in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Years later, he returned to the Indian Himalayas to found Jhamtse Gatsal, a home for vulnerable children. "Loving Karma" follows Lobsang, Tashi and the children she now helps to raise, asking whether community can heal even the deepest wounds.

After meeting the day of their spousesʼ funerals, a young widow and widower form a two-person, music therapy-style support group. But when they start to catch feelings, they are faced with the question everyoneʼs asking, is it too soon?

"All American Girls" explores inclusivity in U.S. historical narratives through the famed American Girl brand, which was brought to life by legendary entrepreneur, Pleasant Rowland.

This is the story of the first five recruits of Bob Knight and their four-year journey to revive the basketball program at Indiana University. It is an intimate account of what took place as told by players, coaches and media during the 1971-1975 seasons, the lasting impact they had on the program and their enduring legacy in college basketball.

Jury members include Jesse Carfield, Marisol Gouveia and Andie Redwine.

When a troubled teen begins community service at a retirement home, he's recruited for a secret treasure hunt by a stubborn veteran with unfinished business. But as the unlikely duo's misadventure unfolds, they discover something they didn't realize was missing: friendship, purpose and a sense of belonging neither saw coming.

Juried by the Indiana Film Journalists Association.

Heartland Film is a nonprofit arts organization that runs the 11-day Heartland Film Festival in October, the Academy Award®-Qualifying Indy Shorts 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 from diverse perspectives. Over the years, Heartland Film has presented $4 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 13 Oscar®-winning short film titles. MovieMaker Magazine named both the Indy Shorts and Heartland Film Festival on the top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World list for 2023, 2024 and 2025. The Heartland Film Festival was ranked the #1 Best Film Festival by the USA TODAY 2026 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards. The 9th Annual Indy Shorts Film Festival ran July 21-26, 2026 and the 35th Heartland Film Festival is scheduled for October 8-18, 2026. For more information visit, www.HeartlandFilm.org.

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