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February 2026
Best USA Documentary Feature
Monthly Winner
Ryan John Andrews
The Heart Is Waking Up
“Ryan John Andrews is a first-time filmmaker from a lumberjack family in rural northwest Montana. He is currently completing a second feature documentary on disappearing rural occupations and the culture around ghost beliefs in Vietnam.”
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Images of “The Heart Is Waking Up”
About the director
Meet Ryan John Andrews
Biography
Ryan John Andrews is a first-time filmmaker from a lumberjack family in rural northwest Montana. He is currently completing a second feature documentary on disappearing rural occupations and the culture around ghost beliefs in Vietnam.
Achievements
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The Heart Is Waking Up follows poet singer-songwriter Jacob Milstein as he wrestles with what it takes to live as an artist and to love the world. -
Mostly free of explanation, this mesmerizing experimental music documentary explores performances, poems, and intimate moments along the road between Nashville, Oklahoma, and Montana, featuring fellow musicians and family members.
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Directed by first-time filmmaker Ryan John Andrews, the film explores meaning, divinity, despair, music, and poetry.
About “The Heart Is Waking Up”
The Heart Is Waking Up follows poet singer-songwriter Jacob Milstein as he wrestles with what it takes to live as an artist and to love the world. Mostly free of explanation, this mesmerizing experimental music documentary explores performances, poems, and intimate moments along the road between Nashville, Oklahoma, and Montana, featuring fellow musicians and family members. Directed by first-time filmmaker Ryan John Andrews, the film explores meaning, divinity, despair, music, and poetry.
Reviews
Reviews coming soon.
Best USA Short 
