Heartland Film Festival 2009

This documentary short is about the remarkable journey out of poverty for a group of illiterate women from the impoverished village of Belsi in Nepal. The women are now helping other women and their families rise out of poverty.

In Northern Uganda, four U.N. workers complete a much needed food delivery to a remote and war-torn village. Meanwhile, a food truck en route to an adjacent refugee camp is hijacked. It is up to the four U.N. workers to try to keep both villages alive. Heartland Film Content Key: V (Implied violence and mild peril)

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, a group of New York Broadway artists comes down to New Orleans to make a change. Reopening the doors of the storm-damaged St. Mark's Community Center, they hold auditions for the musical Once On This Island and stage the show with 13 kids from the community. After the Storm captures the lives of the kids and crew as they turn a gym into a theater, come together as a company, and create hope and purpose in the midst of devastation and despair.

Americana tells the story of two classmates, Tim and Anthony, who wrestle with their decision to enlist in the military. The film shows the twosome as they finish up their senior year in high school, before shipping off to boot camp. Their decision is placed in a global context as it is juxtaposed with moments between locales and Americans in Istanbul, Belgrade, Hiroshima and Ho Chi Minh City. Heartland Film Content Key: AT (Contains Adult Themes, not of interest to young children), SL (Strong language), V (Implied violence and mild peril)

Another Harvest Moon is a tender drama about four elderly Americans coping with life in a nursing home. Frank, Ella, Alice and June gather each morning for a game of cards. They have become a family to one another. One morning Frank reveals to Ella that he can no longer remember his wife's face and that he doesn't want to live to endure another debilitating stroke. As Frank ponders his decision and his next move, his friends and family must confront their own feelings about faith, dignity and our obligations to our loved ones. Heartland Film Content Key: AT (Contains Adult Themes, not of interest to young children), V (Implied violence and mild peril)

True dedication is evident in the form of Paul Mawhinney who has given his entire life to amassing what has become the world's largest record collection. Paul has over a million albums in his possession, including the world's first flat record made in 1881. Due to health issues and a struggling record industry, Paul is being forced to sell his most prized collection.

Frankie is dying. Irene hasn't forgiven him. Frankie needs help, and Irene is the one he turns to. He must go home one last time. And, like so many times before, Irene is extending herself beyond her common sense. The two set out on a journey that becomes more than getting home; confronting the past, love, understanding and self-discovery. Barking Water is a tale of great love that looks at what brings us all together. It's a tale of home, and what it takes to get there. Heartland Film Content Key: AT (Contains Adult Themes, not of interest to young children)

Beauty is a story about a disconnected girl who struggles to make a living. It is a stranger's kindness that lifts her spirits, and gives her hope to see with a new perspective.