Written and directed by Alejandro Monteverde, "Bella" took home the $100,000 Grand Prize for best dramatic feature, the largest cash award of any film festival in the world.

The film, in both English and Spanish, was one of several Hispanic-themed movies giving this year's festival a distinctive Latin flavor. It stars Eduardo Verástegui, a major TV star in Mexico.

"Hear and Now" won the prize for best documentary feature and $25,000. Writer/director Irene Taylor Brodsky documented the decision of her parents, both deaf, to undergo cochlear implant surgery at age 65, giving them the ability to hear for the first time.

The Vision Award for best short film and $10,000 went to Kurt Kuenne's "Validation," a quirky fable about a parking attendant who dispenses compliments along with free parking. The Pioneering Spirit Award went to Bobby Bailey, Jason Russell and Laren Poole for their project "Invisible Children," about Ugandan children forced to fight as soldiers. A total of 16 films won Crystal Heart Awards.

Now in its 16th year, Heartland celebrates filmmakers whose work promotes the best of the human spirit. Regular screenings continue through Thursday, and the festival concludes with a special showing of "The Kite Runner" on Friday.