Our Film, Theater and Web Projects

Heartland has supported the production of three feature films made in the American Midwest. Eclipse Award Winning Waterwalk, Pilot Error, grand prize winner at the Silicon Beach Film Festival, and Coming Up For Air the winner of seven best feature awards including the Grand Prize at the Culver City Film Festival in Los Angeles. Heartland supported the world premiere of the play Old Heart in Detroit and west Michigan. A film production is underway.

OLD HEART THE MOVIE

Now in production in West Michigan and the Netherlands, Old Heart is adapted from the award winning Peter Ferry novel and the play that opened in Detroit and Muskegon in 2022 and 2023. The film is set for release in the spring of 2025 for the 80th anniversary of World War 2 European liberation.

This timely World War 2 interracial love story begins as 85 year-old Army veteran Tom Johnson is being moved to assisted living by his family.  At the last minute he disappears on a flight to the Netherlands to rediscover the love of his life, Jewish translator Sarah van Praag. 

Shortly after the fall 1944 Allied liberation of southern Netherlands they helped smuggle food and supplies to starving residents of northern cities trapped behind Nazi lines. Their plan to marry fell apart and now Tom is determined to find Sarah and resume their life together.

Acclaimed by critics, this bitterwsweet love story will play across America, the Netherlands and Canada. The screenplay has won ten best feature awards at festivals worldwide. For more information contact Roger Rapoport at rogerdrapoport@me.com or call him at (231) 720-0930.

THE NUCLEAR REACTOR NEXT DOOR

Heartland’s newest project is a podcast, the Nuclear Reactor Next Door. It features Beyond Nuclear’s Kevin Kamps on the dangerous and unprecedented plan to restart the Palisades Nuclear Reactor in South Haven, Michigan.

OUR FILM PROJECTS

In The Time We Have Left - In the 2000 presidential election more than 80 million eligible voters did not go to the polls. In this timely new web series dedicated to getting out the vote in 2024, two famous political leaders debate the future of democratic government. A compelling look at many of the reasons why high voter turnout is critical to our nation’s future, this series tells a unique and though provoking story. Featuring outstanding actors Doug Mancheski and Jeffrey Holmes, In The Time We Have Left, focuses on turning out the critically important nonvoter group in the fall election. Their voices need to be heard now more than ever.

Feature Films

Heartland has supported the production of three feature films made in the American Midwest, Eclipse Award Winning Waterwalk, Pilot Error, grand prize winner at the Silicon Beach Film Festival, and Coming Up For Air the winner of seven best feature awards including the Grand Prize at the Culver City Film Festival in Los Angeles.

COMING UP FOR AIR Coming Up For Air is one of those rare films that explores a range of topics - from the complex relationship between parents and their adult children to suicide, from athletic prowess to homelessness, from depression to recovery - with compassion, clarity, and truth, all while not sensationalizing these issues nor painting one-dimensional victims or villains.

Robert Sheehan, CEO Community Mental Health Association of Michigan.

Coming Up For Air has won dozens of other honors for cast and crew and been selected for 30 festivals worldwide. The film has screened at hundreds of locations worldwide, the International Crisis Intervention Training national conference, suicide prevention conferences, universities, schools, medical centers, and community events.

Heartland has cosponsored more than 60 mental health related events that focus on the key role caregivers play helping those in need quickly access effective mental health care. These community conversations follow screening of the feature film. Recently the film opened the International Crisis Intervention Training Conference in Pittsburgh, an event that hosted 1,500 law enforcement officers.  In September the film was featured at the Cinetopia Selects festival in Ann Arbor with the cosponsorship of Michigan Medicine and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. In 2023 special Coming Up For Air community mental screenings are set for Michigan, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Vermont, California, Pennsylvania, Alabama and Wales.

All of these events include mental health professionals who can help guide those in need to readily available community services including mobile crisis teams. For more information on scheduling one of these virtual events please contact Roger Rapoport at rogerdrapoport@me.com or call (231) 720-0930.

We gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the Shaw and Betty Walker Foundation and the Tyler-Little Family Foundation, Tom and Renee Boldt, Dorothy Johnson, Norm and Ilene Tyler and Jan Deur.

OUR THEATER PROJECTS

OLD HEART tells the story of African American GI Tom Johnson who joins forces with 24-year-old Sarah van Praag and the Dutch resistance to smuggle food and supplies from the liberated south across Nazi lines to starving cities in the northern Netherlands. Their brief love affair collapses at the war’s end, and sixty years later Johnson, about to be sent off to assisted living by his family, disappears on a flight to Amsterdam. While his children desperately try to locate him, Johnson is determined to track down Sarah.

Mission

OUR MISSION AND VALUES

The purpose of the Heartland Independent Film and Drama Forum (a 501(c)3 nonprofit) is to promote the production and distribution of award-winning independent films in the American midwest. The Forum's goal is to tell stories via both feature and documentary films that inform and enlighten audiences. Focusing on America’s central concerns including mental health, suicide prevention, the justice system, and discrimination, all of these projects reach a wide national and international audience. Film projects, related events, articles and books developed in Michigan and other midwestern states draw on first rate talent from the region. These projects tell vital stories often overlooked by the media. These films create new opportunities for producers, directors, actors, crew and educators who have made a name for themselves in the midwest. The Forum also reaches a wide audience by distributing films in America and abroad through theaters, performing arts centers, colleges, schools and libraries. Wide international audiences are reached via DVD and streaming. 

In addition the Forum presents these inspiring, entertaining and informative films through educational television and other non-theatrical distribution channels. The forum supports many special events and VIP receptions with filmmakers, actors, screenwriters and cinematographers. From large community theaters to college theaters, the Forum reaches a diverse audience, drawing support from across the country and abroad.

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OTHER PROJECTS

Podcast: The Nuclear Reactor Next Door

Heartland is partnerning with Beyond Nuclear, a nonprofit that aims to educate and activate the public about the connections between nuclear power and nuclear weapons and the need to abandon both to safeguard our future. In a breaking news podcast series Beyond Nuclear’s Kevin Kamps, explains the unpredecented risk of restarting the Palisades nuclear power reactor in South Haven, Michigan. Kamps, helped lead a successful campaign to shut down this dangerous reactor in 2022 that was supposedly going to be decomissioned. He explains why the bipartisan plan to put this Lake Michigan shoreline plant in the hands of a controversial company that has never operated a nuclear reactor is a mistake.

Web Resource

Heartland has created In Our Own Words, a unique website featuring the complete victim impact statements of more than 200 women who spoke at the sentencing of Michigan State University sports medicine Dr. Larry Nassar. This important resource that includes a searchable database documents the case histories of women who were victims of this trusted physician. Created with our media partner, the University of Michigan Daily, this site has become an important research tool useful to anyone who wants to know more about this landmark case that is beginning to transform the legal landscape in Michigan and beyond.

Justice Through Storytelling

Heartland supports  the work of Justice Through Storytelling which advocates for women defending their lives against an intimate abuser.  Women in the America, according to the CDC, are more likely to be killed by an intimate abuser, spouse or boyfriend than a stranger.  When women have defended their lives many have ended up in prison due to a lack of understanding by prosecutors, judges and juries.

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TRAINING AND OPPORTUNITIES

Interns

An important Heartland mission is our work with student interns through our affiliated production companies. These training opportunities give students an opportunity to gain valuable production experience that will help them pursue careers in the film world. Heartland sponsored productions also give many young actors their first opportunity to appear in feature films, an important step from stage productions to motion pictures and television work. 

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What we are doing now

The Heartland board includes Producer/author Roger Rapoport, Bill Loxterman, longtime communications director at Muskegon Community College, Jacqui Bernhardt a drama teacher and director working Muskegon Community College and Catholic Central, veteran community leader Jeff Closz. Our emeritus board member Jean Pataky chaired the Muskegon Community College English Department. Here are some of our current projects.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Old Heart

Heartland supported the May 2022 world premiere of Old Heart at the Redford Theater in Detroit and the Overbrook Theater in Muskegon Michigan in May 2023. The play is now being adapted for a feature film to be released in spring 2025 for the 80th anniversary of World War 2 liberation. A dynamic website on the history behind this story is at https://www.rogerrapoport.com/blacktheater

Details are at oldheartmovie.com

This drama, adapted from the award winning Peter Ferry novel tells the story of African American GI Tom Johnson who joins forces with 24-year-old Sarah van Praag and the Dutch resistance to smuggle food and supplies from the liberated south across Nazi lines to starving cities in the northern Netherlands. Their brief love affair collapses at the war’s end, and sixty years later Johnson, about to be sent off to assisted living by his family, disappears on a flight to Amsterdam. While his children desperately try to locate him, Johnson is determined to track down Sarah.

“Thoroughly enjoyed the play. Melanie Lamrock was outstanding.”
-Peter Bhatia, the Detroit Free Press

Heartland plays an active role in supporting community film events including appearances by acclaimed actors like Richard Riehle (The Fugitive, Office Space), Hollywood documentary producer Gene Gamache, Actor and Director Robert Cicchini, author/historian Dr. William Anderson, prosecutor D.J. Hilson and producer Andrew Sacks. In addition Heartland has also supported the documentary work of Justice Through Storytelling.

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AVIATION SAFETY

Book and online course

The success of the Heartland supported feature film Pilot Error has inspired an acclaimed new book, Angle of Attack: Air France 447 and The Future of Aviation Safety. Great notices for this book, now in its third printing, has led to creation of an online training course on high altitude flying with co-author 777 Captain Shem Malmquist. Their new book Grounded: How To Solve The Aviation Crisis focuses on important lessons learned from the 737 MAX set to be ungrounded after a 20 months devoted to solving automation problems that led to two crashes. Read the latest from Malmquist and Rapoport in this up to the minute Detroit Free Press article on unanswered questions about the MAX.

Our Team

DIRECTOR

Roger Rapoport

SECRETARY

Jeff Closz

BOARD MEMBERS

Bill Loxterman
Jacqui Bernhardt
 

Projects

Old Heart

In The Time We Have Left

Coming Up For Air
In Our Own Words (Larry Nassar)
Justice Through Storytelling
Pilot Error
Angle of Attack
Waterwalk

Contact

Email: rogerdrapoport@me.com
Phone: (231) 720-0930 (voice only)