blog
02-01-11 Great Press! The January 2011 issue of St. Louis Magazine featured a story about Scott and Ed's next marriage bus, where they will successfully have transported over 100 couples to Iowa. Early February, ALIVE Magazine announced its 2011 Buzz List, a list of dedicated movers and shakers of Saint Louis. This year's Buzz List included Scott and Ed for their work on marriage equality.
01-26-11 Ed Reggi was invited to present at the Saint Louis Pecha Kucka on January 26th. Pecha Kucha is a highly stylized way of spreading powerful ideas to an audience. Reggi adapted the Heartland Transport film to the Pecha Kucha requirements of 20 slides, 20 seconds each, for a total of 6:40 minutes. This event is located at The Bridge, Downtown St. Louis. Reggi will update this blog after the presentation.
01-15-11 What a wonderful audience we had last night at B'nai El Congregation in Frontenac Missouri. Scott and Ed had an excellent shabbat dinner with the amazing congregation before beginnng Friday night services at one of the oldest Reform Jewish congregations west of the Mississippi. Heartland Transport was a huge success to the 75 participants who participated in the screening and Q&A session that immediately followed. The event had everyone from 8-80 years old asking questions about marriage equality and our marriage equality buses. Thank you Rabbi Plotkin for inviting us to share our mitzvah with your congregation.
12-01-10 Heartland Transport returns to Iowa. On Sunday December 5th, Iowans can attend the fabulous Davenport LGBT Film Festival and say "I DO" support marriage equality and our film. This is not the first time Heartland Transport; has screened in its second home state; however, it's for sure the first Iowa LGBT Film Festival.
11-01-10 Heartland Transport comes back to the heartland in November. On Sunday November 7th, Chicagoans can see our marriage bus on the silver screen during the Reeling 29: The Chicago International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and on Sunday November 21st, St. Louisians can watch our documentary at the Tivioli during the St. Louis International Film Fesitval. Both cities have already screened Heartland Transport; however, the second time is always better!
10-10-10 It's official: Heartland Transport premieres on the Documentary Film Channel in 5 days. Our story about marriage has played in festivals, coffee houses, Equality award events, universities, colleges, and inside lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community centers since January 1, 2010. The Documentary Channel has licensed to broadcast our short until 2012. On October 15th, some 50 million satelite subscribers will have the ability to watch Heartland Transport.
09-25-10 The Human Rights Campaign just presented its Equality Award to two long-time leaders in St. Louis’ lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, to Scott Emanuel and Ed Reggi. “You couldn’t ask for two people who better exemplify a life of ‘No Excuses'," stated HRC Gala Dinner co-chair Don Eakins.
08-10-10 We screened at two new Film Festivals this August for Heartland Transport, the 13th Annual Hardacre Film Festival in
Tipton, Iowa and the Rhode Island International Film Festival in
Providence, Rhode Island. The entire crew of Heartland couldn't be more pleased with picking up a variety of Film Festivals all over the United States. Especially before the very important election coming up in November.
07-27-10 It has been a busy summer for Heartland Transport. Our little short documentary film about marriage equality has been playing at Film Festivals, coffee houses, Universities, Colleges, and inside LGBT community centers all over the United States. The Documentary Channel has shown interest in our 8 minute film and has licensed to broadcast it for the next 2 years. Over 50 million subscribers will soon be able to watch Heartland Transport. We are very excited! Our next push in 2011 are Jewish Film Festivals and LGBT Film Festivals. Our film had great success with various International Film Festivals and we hope 2011 will allow even more audiences to discover our story about marriage.
06-05-10 At the Unite + Fight Conference, Ed Reggi spoke about his project tranporting couples from Missouri to Iowa to marry. He urged everyone to get
married in Iowa, "take a bus, ride a bike, walk to Iowa."
Conveniently, Rachel Miller's girlfirend (a native of Moline, IL actually can
walk to Iowa. It's just across the river.) On Friday June 4, Rachel and Lindsey will held a short march to raise awareness of marriage equality issues in Illinois. They applied for their marriage licenses at the Rock Island County Clerk's Office. After being denied, they walked 1 mile across Centennial Bridge to the Davenport office and filed their paperwork. Shortly after they marched back to the Quad Citians Affirming Diversity to watch Heartland Transport.
05-21-10 Cody Stokes attended the New York City premiere of Heartland Transport at this year's Rooftop Film Festival in Brooklyn, New York City. The evening's screening was sold-out. Background: the Rooftop Film Festival takes place in New York City over the summer and uses the backdrop of the Hudson River for the films selected. "Over 1200 New Yorkers met, partied and completely came to a dead silence stop when Heartland came up on the screen," said Cody Stokes. "It was the most magical moment for me as a filmmaker." The New York Rooftop screening helped draw more National attention toward the short documentary about marriage equality.
05-15-10 The Center Project was the host location for the first screening of Heartland Transport in Mid-Missouri. Ed Reggi and Scott Emanuel were on hand to answer questions and answers about the film and their marriage equality project. The result of the screening is interest of having a bus leaving from Columbia, Missouri later this year.
05-07-10 Ed Reggi and Scott Emanuel were at it again. The 4th Marriage Equality Bus transported another 12 couples to Iowa City. It was a wonderful day for everyone. That brings the total number of marriages to 58 organized by the Heartland Transport. Another bus is scheduled for August 13th.
04-18-10 Heartland Transport wins the Best Heartland Documentary Short at the KC Film Festival. Cody Stokes receives award from festival organizers at Award Gala Sunday evening.
04-17-10 Cody Stokes, Amanda Stokes and Ed Reggi attend the 2010 KC Film Fesitval in Kansas City, MO. Heartland Transport screens before a sold-out audience at the AMC Main Street theatre downtown Kansas City.
04-13-10 Heartland Transport receives letter of acceptance from Dan Nuxoll, Program Director at Rooftop Films
03-28-10 Cody Stokes, Ed Reggi and Scott Emanuel along with a dozen of the original couples featured in Heartland Transport attent the St. Louis QFest screening of Heartland Transport at the Tivoli Theatre in University City, MO. Heartland Transport screened directly before the feature documentary Mississippi Queen. The St. Louis screening of Heartland Transport was well received and many thanks goes out to Chris Clark with Cinema St. Louis for allowing Heartland Transport to screen with such a wonderful complimentary feature.
03-27-10 Ed Reggi and Scott Emanuel presented Heartland Transport at the St. Louis People's Settlement camp on Friday March 26. The film was screened outside at the Fireman's Memorial Park downtown St. Louis. The audience were members of a coalition to end poverity, hunger, unemployment, discrimination and war.