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By Don Ward
Editor
INDIANAPOLIS (November 2005)
– “Madison” movie co-writer and director Bill
Bindley received a Crystal Heart Award Saturday, Oct. 15, at the
Heartland Film Festival’s Crystal Heart awards ceremony, held
at Conseco Fieldhouse.
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Photo
provided
“Madison”
movie director
and co-scriptwriter Bill Bindley accepts
his Crystal Heart Award on Oct. 15.
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Bindley and his brother, Scott,
who co-authored the movie script as part of a film class project
while attending Northwestern University, were both honored by the
festival during its 14th annual festival black-tie gala. The Bindleys
are natives of Indianapolis. Today, Bill lives in Los Angeles, and
Scott resides in Arizona.
The movie “Madison” enjoyed a limited national release
to theaters last April by distributor MGM. It was among the last
movies to be released under the MGM name before the company was
taken over by Sony Pictures. Sony released a DVD of the movie on
Sept. 13. A raw cut of the movie “Madison” was screened
at the 2001 Heartland Film Festival. The screening attracted dozens
of Madison residents and extras who had appeared in the film.
The Heartland Film Festival this year honored several independent
dramatic films and documentaries during its three-day run at three
screening locations in Indianapolis. “End of the Spear”
received the grand prize award of $50,000. It represented the largest
single cash prize awarded by a film festival. In all, cash prizes
totaled more than $100,000.
“End of the Spear” was produced by Bill Ewing and Jean
Clymer and starred actor Louie Leonardo. The stirring film, which
confronts the issues of violence and forgiveness, is set in a remote
Amazon village and is based on a true story of Jim Elliott and Nate
Saint.
A record 24 dramatic, documentary and
animated shorts and features were screened at the festival after
having been selected from 558 submissions. Actor Judge Reinhold
emceed the awards ceremony.
Among the documentaries was “Shakespeare Behind Bars,”
a film made last year about a Shakespeare program conducted among
inmates at the Luther Luckett Correctional Center in La Grange,
Ky. The film, which stars Curt Toftland, director of Louisville’s
Shakespeare program, was screened in August at the inaugural Bluegrass
Independent Film Festival.
Since the film’s production, similar programs have been initiated
at other prisons, and the troupe of inmates has been allowed to
perform at other prisons. Director Hank Rogerson of Los Angeles
attended the screening and answered questions afterward. His wife,
Jilann Spitzmiller, produced the film. He said he is negotiatiing
TV rights with several companies. Rogerson accepted a Crystal Heart
Award at the festival.
Another prison-based documentary, “The Innocent,” recounted
Illinois’ prison reform to help avoid sending innocent people
to death row. “Earthling” recounted Wolfgang Bayer’s
fascinating world of nature photography with his family.
Bayer’s story is told through the eyes of his son, Tristan.
It offers amazing photography from the Bayer family’s travels.
• For more about
the festival and this year’s winners, visit: www.heartlandfilmfest.org.
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