Heartland Film announced last week that WTIU Public Television’s documentary Major Taylor: Champion of the Race will be part of its lineup for the 33rd Heartland International Film Festival, taking place Oct. 10 to 20 in Indianapolis and Noblesville.
The 11-day festival, which was named on MovieMaker Magazine’s Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World for 2023, will showcase more than 110 feature films – 28 World/North American/U.S. Premieres, 73 regional premieres, 20 Special Presentations from major distributors, and 10 Indiana Spotlight films, including Major Taylor.
Major Taylor: Champion of the Race explores the life and legacy of track cycling champion, civil rights activist, and Hoosier hero Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor. Born in Indianapolis in 1878, Taylor was the world’s first black sports superstar by the turn of the 20th century. Called “the fastest man in the world” by reporters, Taylor’s talent in cycling – the most popular and lucrative sport of the era – was celebrated by leading publications across the globe and by notable figures such as Booker T. Washington and Theodore Roosevelt.
On the track, Taylor captured more than 20 world records during his career. Off the track, he was an early civil rights pioneer who fought for greater social opportunities for African Americans in the heart of Jim Crow America.
Major Taylor will be screened two times during the Heartland International Film Festival: 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12 at Landmark Glendale 12 (6102 N. Rural St., Indianapolis) and at 3:45 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18 at Living Room Theaters (745 E. 9th St. Suite 810, Indianapolis). Major Taylor producer and director Todd Gould will attend both events and participate in Q&A sessions following the screenings.
Tickets to the Heartland International Film Festival can be purchased at HeartlandFilmFestival.org or at the theater 30 minutes before the film starts.
The Heartland International Film Festival selection is one of several honors that Major Taylor has recently received. In May, Todd Gould was named the winner of the Marshall “Major” Taylor Trailblazer Award for his work on the documentary. This award was a joint presentation by the Bronzeville Trail Task Force, a citizen activist group dedicated to preserving and promoting the historical legacy of Chicago’s African American community, and U.S. Representative Jonathan L. Jackson (D-Ill.-1). Then in June, Major Taylor was screened on Capitol Hill before members of Congress, staffers, and journalists. Finally, starting this November, 299 PBS affiliate stations across the country will begin airing Major Taylor.
Watch a trailer and learn more about Major Taylor: Champion of the Race at wtiu.org/majortaylor.
Major funding for Major Taylor: Champion of the Race is made possible by the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation with additional funding by the IU Student Foundation and support from the Al Cobine Recognition Endowment Fund, Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, and the WFIU/WTIU Documentary Programs Fund.
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