Tallgrass Film Association is honored to present the 2016 Ad Astra award to actress and filmmaker Heather Matarazzo. Star of the Closing Night Gala film GIRL FLU, Matarazzo has dedicated her career to the cinematic arts and has made a decidedly Stubbornly Independent impact on the film world.

Heather began her career as a child actress and was hailed for
her breakout role as Dawn Weiner, at age 11, in the 1996 Sundance Film Festival hit WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, directed by Todd Solondz. The film won the Grand Jury Award at Sundance and prizes from the Berlin Film Festival and the National Board of Review.

She would go on to appear in television series including TOWNIES, ROSEANNE, NOW AND AGAIN (earning Young Artist and Young Star Award nominations) and THE L WORD, and lend her talents to studio films including Taylor Hackford’s THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE, Garry Marshall’s THE PRINCESS DIARIES, COMPANY MAN, 54, SISTERS and some of the coolest independent films of the past decades including SAVED!, HURRICANE STREETS, Eli Roth’s HOSTEL: PART II and Ash Christians’ MANGUS! (Official Selection of the 2011 Tallgrass Film Festival, which she also produced.)

Heather made her Broadway debut in The Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of THE WOMEN, with Jennifer Tilly, Cynthia Nixon, Jennifer Coolidge, and Amy Ryan.

She is masterful at delivering a wealth of great characters, and has proved equally adept at both comedy and drama. Her charm, humor and enviable talent have made her an independent film mainstay, and will continue to do so for many years to come. Please join us in honoring Heather Matarazzo with the Ad Astra Award following a retrospective 20th anniversary screening of WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE. (SUN. OCT. 16 3:45 PM | THE ORPHEUM)

The Ad Astra Q&A with Heather Matarazzo will be hosted by Amy Nicholson, Chief Film Critic for MTV News.

Of WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, Nicholson says, "The film blew my mind when I saw it in 1995, back when I still had to beg my parents for a ride to the movie theater. It's one of the first independent movies I ever saw and it's no stretch to say it shaped the film fan I'd become. I'm so excited to sit down with Heather Matarazzo and a room of DOLLHOUSE fans and talk about this little movie that made a huge impact on our culture.”  

The Q&A will follow the film screening on Sunday, Oct. 16, 3:30pm at the Orpheum.

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• Vimeo Stubbornly Independent Gala Award goes to DELINQUENT: Saturday Night Gala Screening, $5,000 cash prize from Vimeo; one-night theater rental from AMC Theaters ($5,400); one Annual AMC Movie Pass ($1,250); and the one-of-a-kind Jake Euker Stubbornly Independent Tap Handle Award from Van Chase Studios.
   
• Vimeo Audience Award Winning Narrative Feature: $2,500
   
• Vimeo Audience Award Winning Documentary Feature: $2,500
   
• Vimeo Audience Award Winning Short Film: $1,000