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Dear Francis Documentary Wins Crystal Heart Award at 14th Annual Heartland Film Festival

Dave Mahanes, Brent Gudgel, and Jason Djang, Chronicle Project filmmakers, are pleased to announce `Dear Francis`, their first documentary film will receive the Crystal Heart Award. This will take place at the 14th Annual Heartland Film Festival from October 13th-21st in Indianapolis.

`We are pleased about the opportunity to bring awareness to the unbelievable devastation being caused by the HIV/AIDS crisis in Swaziland. Almost 40% of the population is infected,` says Producer Dave Mahanes. `Our goal for the movie is for Americans to understand and experience this pandemic in a more personal way than ever before by telling parts of the story through the eyes of two typical Americans. Hopefully through this film people will realize the average person can make a difference,` says Co-Director, Brent Gudgel.

Dear Francis puts a face to the AIDS pandemic as it chronicles the personal stories of two strangers and the Swazis they befriend. After the UN officially declared the small African kingdom of Swaziland to be the world`s most HIV-infectd nation, Lance and Kelly, two Texas college students with high ideals, great hopes, and a bit of naivete, embark on a most unconventional AIDS prevention program. Developing relationships with their students, they discover that the causes of this plague are much more disturbing and complex than they could have ever imagined. Through this unique story and interviews with Swaziland`s leading experts, the film highlights the hope of a nation`s future against seemingly insurmountable odds... one life at a time.

`This film is a powerful reminder that what matters most is that we choose to connect, take a chance that we can learn from each other and simply make the world a better place by sharing ourselves. The filmmakers did a brilliant job of letting life unfold and being in the right place to catch the beauty and tragedy of life,` says Sherry Simpson Executive Director, United Nations Association / Pasadena and Producer, Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony. Screenings will take place October 14th-20th at AMC Castleton Arts, AMC Greenwood Park 14 and the Indiana HIstory Center in the Frank and Katrina Basile Theater.