“Hazel’s Heart” to Make National Premiere This Christmas as True Story of Faith, Courage and Survival Reaches Audiences Nationwide

North Dakota farm girl’s heroic witness during 1920 blizzard arrives on major streaming platforms Dec. 23 following acclaimed world premiere

BISMARCK, N.D. — A powerful true story of faith, courage, and sacrificial love rooted in the frozen plains of North Dakota is now headed for a national audience. “Hazel’s Heart,” the feature-length film written and directed by University of Mary professor and filmmaker Daniel Bielinski, will make its national premiere this Christmas season following a widely praised world premiere in North Dakota earlier this fall.

Set for national video-on-demand release Dec. 23 on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play/YouTube Movies, Fandango-at-Home, Versant, Vubiquity, and DirecTV/AT&T, the film will also stream on Angel Studios beginning Dec. 18. Distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films, “Hazel’s Heart” tells the true story of 16-year-old Hazel Miner, a humble farm girl from Center, N.D., whose faith-filled courage during a devastating 1920 blizzard became one of the most stirring survival stories in American history.

Originally developed under the title “Hazel,” the film’s name was refined as it prepared for national release.

“In communication with our distributor Samuel Goldwyn, we decided that the name ‘Hazel’s Heart’ would have more marketing potential,” Bielinski said.

Produced by Canticle Productions, DN Cinematics, Samaco Films, and Stroop Fik Entertainment, the film stars Madelyn Dundon in the title role alongside SAG Award nominee Stelio Savante, Xavier Bielinski, Genevieve Bielinski, Timothy E. Goodwin, David Michael Reardon, Todd Terry, and Laurie Fortier. The film also features Grammy-nominated singer Franni Cash.

Faith, Sacrifice and Survival in the Great Plains

Set in rural North Dakota in 1920, “Hazel’s Heart” follows a determined teenage girl who fights to keep her two younger siblings alive during a brutal, white-out blizzard as her father leads a desperate rescue mission through subzero temperatures. The story unfolds over a perilous 25-hour stretch that tests the limits of human endurance and reveals the quiet power of sacrificial love.

“It’s a beautiful, true story of the courage and resilience, so powerfully embodied in this heroic young girl,” Bielinski said. “Hazel’s story is inspiring to me because she wasn’t an extraordinary person. She wasn’t a superhero. She was a very small and humble farm girl who found strength and heroism through sacrificial love. I think that’s what real heroism is, and I think that is how true faith manifests itself — in love.”

Bielinski, whose work includes the films “End of the Rope” and “Sanctified,” wrote the screenplay during a North Dakota blizzard, an experience that profoundly shaped the emotional tone of the story.

“I wrote the screenplay for ‘Hazel’s Heart’ during a three-day blizzard, when the streets were closed due to massive amounts of snow,” he said. “I sat in my bedroom, watching the snow fall out the window, and wept my way through the entire script. It was the perfect setting.”

From Local Premiere to National Platform

Following its world premiere in Bismarck and across North Dakota this fall, “Hazel’s Heart” quickly gained momentum, drawing packed audiences, emotional responses, and strong word-of-mouth praise for both its cinematic quality and its faith-rooted message.

Executive Producer Stelio Savante played a key role in securing the film’s national distribution deal.

“I’m thrilled to bring Dan and Samuel Goldwyn Films together to collectively honor Hazel’s legacy,” Savante said.

Samuel Goldwyn Films, one of the most respected independent distributors in the industry, has released Academy Award-winning and nominated films including “Another Round,” “The Man Who Sold His Skin,” and “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom,” along with a deep library of classic American cinema.

A Story the World Needs Now

While the film’s roots are firmly planted in North Dakota soil, Bielinski believes “Hazel’s Heart” speaks directly to a world hungry for hope.

“The world is full of ugliness, and it seems that movies and television relish almost exclusively in exploring the many facets of that ugliness,” Bielinski said. “While I think there’s merit in confronting the world with its sins and failures, I think it’s equally important to celebrate the beauties and the triumphs as well. In the end, Hazel Miner’s story is a beautiful and triumphant sacrifice.”

For Bielinski — who also serves as Director of Dramatic Arts and a Fellow in Catholic Studies at the University of Mary — the film is deeply personal and profoundly spiritual.

“It was important to me that we felt the Christianity of the story without being hit over the head with it,” he said. “Hazel’s story is quiet, humble and faithful — and that’s exactly what makes it so powerful.”

Bielinski’s work on “Hazel’s Heart” reflects his ongoing efforts to establish the University of Mary as a premier center for the performing arts. University of Mary students regularly assist with aspects of his film productions, as well as with theatre productions on campus, gaining hands-on experience in acting, design, production, and storytelling.

National Release Information

“Hazel’s Heart” will be released nationally Dec. 23 on all major digital platforms, with an exclusive Angel Studios streaming window beginning Dec. 18. Pre-orders are currently available on Apple TV. A trailer and additional information can be found at www.hazelmovie.com.

A media screener is available upon request for members of the press.