Liz Sargent’s Take Me Home and The Fish Don’t Care When It Rains, directed by Jennifer Msumba & Siobhan McDonnell, have won the Feature Grand Prizes at the 35th Heartland Film Festival.
Executive producer Lydia Storie accepted the $20,000 Narrative Feature Grand Prize for Liz Sargent’s Take Me Home about Anna, a film about 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.
In a statement, the jury said, “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!”
World premiere documentary feature “The Fish Don’t Care When It Rains,” directed by Jennifer Msumba & Siobhan McDonnell, received three festival awards including the $20,000 Documentary Feature Grand Prize, the Overall Documentary Audience Choice Award 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 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!” said the jury in a statement.
Home from the Vietnam War, directed by Mat Hames, received the $5,000 Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award, as well as the Official Selection Documentary Audience Choice 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 in connection 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. The film also resonated with audiences and was named the Official Selection Documentary Audience Choice Award winner.
Will Poulter 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.
There were two additional films that both received jury and audience choice honors. World Premiere “Too Soon,” directed by Jeff Dickamore-Florence & Aurora Florence, received the $2,500 Best Narrative Premiere Award and the Official Selection Narrative Audience Choice Award. “Seniors” by Lance Clark won the $2,000 Indiana Narrative Award and the Indiana Narrative Audience Choice Award.
“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.”
`Elizabeth Kaznak-Hall, vice 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. World Premiere “Maybe We Should” by AJ Tesler received the $10,000 Allen Whitehill Clowes Narrative Award and “Loving Karma” by Johnny Burke & Andrew Hinton received the $10,000 Allen Whitehill Clowes Documentary Award.`
Other Audience Choice Award highlights include “Elsinore” starring Andrew Scott from Focus Features (Spotlight Narrative Audience Choice Award), National Geographic Documentary Films’ “Carl Sagan: We Are Made of Star Stuff” (Spotlight Documentary Audience Award Winner) and Independent Film Company’s animated Alzheimer’s disease drama “Tangles” (Spotlight Animated Audience Choice Award).
2026 Heartland Film Festival Award Winners
Narrative Feature Grand Prize ($20,000 Cash Prize) Underwritten by Lilly Endowment
“Take Me Home,” directed by Liz Sargent (USA)
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.
Documentary Feature Grand Prize ($20,000 Cash Prize) Underwritten by Lilly Endowment
“The Fish Don’t Care When It Rains,” directed by Jennifer Msumba & Siobhan McDonnell (USA)
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.
Pioneering Spirit Award Honoree Will Poulter
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.”
Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award ($5,000 Cash Prize) Underwritten by The Stewart Foundation
“Home from the Vietnam War,” directed by Mat Hames (USA, Vietnam)
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.
Humor & Humanity Award ($2,000 Cash Prize)
“Love-Love” directed by Thomas Leisten Schneider (USA, France)
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.
Richard D. Propes Narrative Social Impact Award ($2,000 Cash Prize) Underwritten by Lisa and Jeff Breall
“Union County” directed by Adam Meeks (USA)
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.
Richard D. Propes Documentary Social Impact Award ($2,000 Cash Prize) Underwritten by Lisa and Jeff Breall
“The Fish Don’t Care When It Rains,” directed by Jennifer Msumba & Siobhan McDonnell (USA)
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.
Allen Whitehill Clowes Narrative Award ($10,000 Cash Prize)
“Maybe We Should,” directed by AJ Tesler (USA)
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.
Allen Whitehill Clowes Documentary Award ($10,000 Cash Prize)
“Loving Karma,” directed by Johnny Burke & Andrew Hinton (India)
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.
Best Narrative Premiere Award ($2,500 Cash Prize) Underwritten by Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation
“Too Soon,” directed by Jeff Dickamore-Florence & Aurora Florence (USA)
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?
Best Documentary Premiere Award ($2,500 Cash Prize) Underwritten by Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation
“All American Girls” directed by Christy Wegener (USA)
“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.
Hoodox Indiana Spotlight Documentary Award ($2,000 Cash Prize)
“First Five,” directed by Grant Guffin (USA)
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.
Indiana Spotlight Narrative Award ($2,000 Cash Prize)
“Seniors,” directed by Lance Clark (USA)
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.
Overall Narrative Audience Choice
“JIMMY,” directed by Aaron Burns (USA)
“JIMMY” is the untold true story of America’s most beloved actor and the iconic role that saved him, focusing on the most transformative season in Jimmy Stewart’s life-from winning the Academy Award® for Best Actor in “Philadelphia Story” to enlisting and becoming a combat pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps at the beginning of the World War II. He flew 20 missions over Europe, rising to the rank of colonel by the end of the war, only to return home broken and disheartened. Then, George Bailey and “It’s a Wonderful Life” came calling.
Overall Narrative Audience Choice
“I Play Rocky,” directed by Peter Farrelly (USA)
The film is an electrifying true story about an unknown actor with an unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write “Rocky”—he was meant to be Rocky Balboa. Told “no” at every turn, Sylvester Stallone bets everything on himself, holding the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds. The result is the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie. Special presentation of Amazon MGM Studios.
Overall Documentary Audience Choice
“The Fish Don’t Care When It Rains,” directed by Jennifer Msumba & Siobhan McDonnell (USA)
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.
Spotlight Narrative Audience Choice
“Elsinore,” directed by Simon Stone (United Kingdom)
The deeply emotional and inspirational true story of Ian Charleson, a gifted actor whose greatest challenge becomes his greatest triumph. Facing his own mortality with unflinching honesty, wit, and grace, Charleson delivers a courageous performance that becomes a source of healing and inspiration for those around him. Special presentation of Focus Features.
Spotlight Documentary Audience Choice
“Carl Sagan: We Are Made of Star Stuff,” directed by Nanette Burstein
An intimate portrait of visionary astronomer, author and television star Carl Sagan, whose groundbreaking ideas transformed our understanding of the cosmos and human existence. Special presentation of National Geographic Documentary Films.
Spotlight Animated Audience Choice
“Tangles,” directed by Leah Nelson (USA)
A young woman is forced to return to the conservative small town where her bizarre family lives to take care of her mother, having to deal with the cruel reality of her mom’s Alzheimer’s disease and become the daughter they need. Featuring a voice cast including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Seth Rogen and Wanda Sykes. Special presentation of Independent Film Company.
Official Selection Narrative Audience Choice
“Too Soon,” directed by Jeff Dickamore-Florence & Aurora Florence (USA)
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?
Official Selection Documentary Audience Choice
“Home from the Vietnam War,” directed by Mat Hames (USA, Vietnam)
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.
Indiana Spotlight Narrative Audience Choice
“Seniors,” directed by Lance Clark (USA)
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.
Indiana Spotlight Documentary Audience Choice
“The Protectors,” directed by Jeremy Whitham (USA)
Living on his own for the first time, a 55-year-old artist with disability creates a comic book to honor the protectors in his life, including his late father.
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