Debut director Sarah Goher’s Egyptian coming-of-age drama Happy Birthday and Cindy Meehl’s documentary about a sculptor’s magnum opus, Jimmy & the Dragons, won the $20,000 grand prizes at the Heartland International Film Festival.
In addition, Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot earned the $5,000 Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award for his film The Eyes of Ghana, about 93-year-old documentarian Chris Hesse. The festival, which ran for 11 days and ended Sunday, gave out more than $60,000 in cash prizes.
The Overall Narrative Audience Choice Award Winner was James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg, about the trials of Nazi war criminals. The film, an awards-season contender, stars Michael Shannon, Rami Malek, and Russell Crowe.
The Overall Documentary Audience Choice Award Winner was Ben Knight and Berne Broudy’s Best Day Ever, which follows two adaptive mountain bikers, Greg Durso and Allie Bianchi, as they navigate their disabilities and find support, friendship and joy in their rural Vermont riding community.
Heartland’s jurors called Happy Birthday, which won the Narrative Feature Grand Prize, “a beautifully crafted film that grips you from the very first frame and leaves you breathless by the end. The sorrow achieved in the final shot lingered with the jury long after the credits rolled. The jury would like to also give special recognition to Doha Ramadan, whose breakout performance as young Toha was truly remarkable, and we look forward to seeing her future work.”
Jurors said of Jimmy & the Dragons, which won the Documentary Feature Grand Prize: “As filmmakers ourselves, we were particularly captivated by a story that beautifully illuminates the process of creating art and the profound ways dedication to one’s craft shapes a lifetime. The remarkable skill, relationships and love portrayed in this film felt transcendent and infused with courage, challenges and hope—messages that resonate deeply within our community and inspire all of us to be the best versions of ourselves.”
The Heartland International Film Festival is one of MovieMaker’s 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee and 25 Coolest Film Festivals.
Heartland International Film Festival 2025 Winners
Other winners, as described by Heartland, include:
Humor & Humanity Award ($2,000 Cash Prize)
“Tight & Nerdy,” directed by Jeff Nucera & Jonathan Ruane (USA)
This award honors a film that best combines comedy and empathy to inspire filmmakers and audiences through the transformative power of cinema.
“Tight & Nerdy” is a hilarious and unexpectedly moving portrait of the fearless women behind the world’s first (and only) burlesque tribute to “Weird Al” Yankovic.
Richard D. Propes Narrative Social Impact Award ($2,000 Cash Prize)
“Shakti” directed by Nani Sahra Walker (USA & Nepal)
A single mother enrolls her nine-year-old daughter in painting lessons in Kathmandu until her child suddenly catches a mysterious illness. When doctors are unable to pin down a diagnosis, her strong-willed mother turns to a local shaman who reveals shared trauma that leads mother and daughter down a path of redemption.
Richard D. Propes Documentary Social Impact Award ($2,000 Cash Prize)
“Comparsa,” directed by Vickie Curtis & Doug Anderson (Guatemala, USA)
“Comparsa” immerses audiences in the intensity of Ciudad Peronia, Guatemala, where sisters Lesli and Lupe use art to heal deep wounds. They face extreme rates of femicide, and after 41 girls are killed in a State-run facility, they decide to act. They overcome histories of abuse with a joyful festival.
Best Narrative Premiere Award ($2,500 Cash Prize)
“Shakti,” directed by Nani Sahara Walker (USA & Nepal)
A single mother enrolls her nine-year-old daughter in painting lessons in Kathmandu until her child suddenly catches a mysterious illness. When doctors are unable to pin down a diagnosis, her strong-willed mother turns to a local shaman who reveals shared trauma that leads mother and daughter down a path of redemption.
Best Documentary Premiere Award ($2,500 Cash Prize)
“À demain sur la Lune” directed by Thomas Balmès (France)
Amandine is 39 when she is diagnosed with incurable cancer and given just a few months left to live. She is admitted to the palliative care unit of Calais Hospital, in northern France, where she meets an unexpected companion: Peyo, a horse with the unique ability to sense when death is near. With his trainer Hassen, he visits the most fragile patients to soothe them in their final days.
Hoodox Indiana Spotlight Documentary Award ($2,000 Cash Prize)
“The Tenderness Tour,” directed by Andie Redwine (USA)
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?
Narrative Special Presentation Audience Choice Award
“Rental Family,” directed by HIKARI (Japan, USA)
Set against modern-day Tokyo, “Rental Family” follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.
Special presentation of Searchlight Pictures.
Documentary Special Presentation Audience Choice Award
“John Candy: I Like Me,” directed by Colin Hanks (USA)
The film explores the life and legacy of the iconic funnyman Candy, who died of a heart attack in 1994 at the age of 43.
Special presentation of Prime Video.
Narrative Official Selection Audience Choice Award
“A Simple Machine,” directed by Mark Alan Hoffman (USA)
“A Simple Machine” is a story of self-reliance, the ingenuity of simple tech, and the conflict between individual freedom and consumer culture. It was shot in Portland, Oregon, by the award-winning cinematographer Kevin Fletcher and scored by Mark Orton (“The Holdovers”, “Nebraska”) and stars Richard Blackmon in a breakout lead role.
Documentary Official Selection Audience Choice Award
“Tight & Nerdy,” directed by Jeff Nucera and Jonathan Ruane (USA)
“Tight & Nerdy” is a hilarious and unexpectedly moving portrait of the fearless women behind the world’s first (and only) burlesque tribute to “Weird Al” Yankovic.
Indiana Spotlight Audience Choice Award
“The Tenderness Tour,” directed by Andie Redwine (USA)
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?
Horror Audience Choice Award
“Queens of the Dead,” directed by Tina Romero (USA)
Drag queens and club kids battle zombies craving brains during a zombie outbreak at their drag show in Brooklyn, putting personal conflicts aside to utilize their distinct abilities against the undead threat.
Indiana Film Journalists Association Award
“Blue Moon,” directed by Richard Linklater (USA, Ireland)
On the evening of March 31, 1943, legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) confronts his shattered self-confidence in Sardi’s bar as his former collaborator Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott) celebrates the opening night of his ground-breaking hit musical “Oklahoma!”.
Special presentation of Sony Pictures Classics.
Main image: Happy Birthday, directed by Sarah Goher, winner of the Heartland International Film Festival’s Narrative Feature Grand Prize. Courtesy of Heartland.