Northwest Iowa basketball film premieres

Iowa basketball film, Winning Favor, is set to premiere in Holland Plaza's new Digital Theater this weekend in Orange City, and will run through March 4. The film will then play at Sioux City's Promenade Theater March 12 through March 19 before general release.

Winning Favor is a family film based on the true story of neighborhood friends growing up playing basketball at rival high schools in Orange City. In 2005, the two high schools, the MOC-FV Dutch and the Unity Christian Knights, simultaneously produced two state boys' basketball championship teams in class 3A and 2A. The film also features basketball teams throughout Northwest Iowa, including Bishop Heelan, Boyden Hull and Sioux Center.

The professional cast includes Matthew Ashford, originally from Davenport, who played Jack Devereaux in Days of Our Lives; Candice Rose of JAG, ER and Law & Order; Bonnie Johnson, who appeared in the film Sleeping With the Enemy and many others, who plays a grandmother in this movie, and Iowan Billy Rogers, of Barstool Cowboy. The movie crew came to Iowa from Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina and Oregon. Numerous area residents and athletes played supporting roles.

Winning Favor was directed by Jamey Durham, director of the award winning film, The Prairie Pirates. The film's premiere coincides with Holland Plaza Theater's installation of a state of the art digital projection system.

The film was produced by Orange City, Iowa residents Anita Bomgaars and Donna Durham. Bomgaars is a parent of a player on one of the teams, and the story was based on her memoirs of the 2005 winning season.

"I had never witnessed a group of young men who had such a positive impact on so many lives. This is a story that tugged at my heart, compelling me to share it with others," Bomgaars said .

The film's trailer can be viewed at www.winningfavor.com, and show times can be seen at www.mainstreettheatres.com.