Heartland Film Festival Opening Night: JIMMY

Date and Time

• Thursday, Oct 8, 2026  5:30pm - 9pm

Location

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Details

Celebrate the start of the 35th Heartland Film Festival with the Festival World Premiere of "JIMMY," a new biopic celebrating the life and legacy of beloved Hollywood icon Jimmy Stewart.

Experience this special Opening Night celebration at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, with members of the film team in attendance, including director Aaron Burns and lead actor KJ Apa. Help us kick off 35 years of Heartland Film with an unforgettable evening of film and celebration.

Schedule
5:30 PM | Doors Open & Red Carpet
6:30 PM | Film Screening & Extended Q&A
9:00 PM | VIP After Party (sold out)

The untold true story of America’s most-beloved actor and the iconic role that saved him, "JIMMY" focuses on the most transformative season in Jimmy Stewart’s life—from winning the Academy Award® for Best Actor in "The Philadelphia Story" to enlisting and becoming a combat pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps at the beginning of 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.