As part of HERStory Month, Women of Color Golf (WOCG) and Edward Waters Women’s Golf Team will hold a premier screening, with the screen writer and co-producer, Curtis Jordan of the movie “Playing Through” – The Story of Ann Gregory, the first woman of color to enter a USGA tournament.
Playing Through, a fictionalized story honors the real-life sports and civil rights heroine Ann Gregory, who in her storied career won nearly 300 tournaments.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for people to watch this story about humanity, courage and bravery during a very segregated era, where Ann Gregory was already opening up doors for the next generation of young, Black female golfers,” says Women of Color Golf President, Clemmie Perry.
The screening will take place on March 29, 2023 at 6:00 p.m in Mine Auditorium, 1658 Kings Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32209.
The story centers on the women’s head-to-head competition in a single match with flashbacks that add rich context to the personal struggles that have shaped each of them. For both Ann and Babs, the game is as much about finding inner strength as it is about overcoming obstacles on the course.
Playing Through was filmed in Sarasota, Florida, in 2021. The story was written by Curtis Jordan, inspired by his mother’s actual encounters with Ann Gregory during her golf career in the 1950s. Lead actress Andia Winslow, who portrays Gregory in the film, had heard about Gregory as a child but wondered, with Jordan and others, why her story had yet to be told. Winslow and others involved in the production were instrumental in helping to shape the dialogue to ensure that it honored the voice of Ann Gregory and resonated with people, particularly Black women, who lived through the same era.
Along with well-known talent, including actresses Winslow and Julia Rae and actors Sam Daly, Ronnie Gene Blevins, and Tim Murphy, Playing Through engaged local artists and industry experts in its production. Members of the noted Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe and associates of the Ringling College of Art + Design lent their talents along with many other professionals from Sarasota.
Mr. Curtis Jordan, the producers, actors and the entire production team has done an incredible job on the film and have won several film festival awards including:
1) Best Feature Film Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival
2) Official Selection Vienna Independent Film Festival
3) Audience Choice Award, Naples International Film Festival
For more information about a movie screening and to help with distribution, please email the Screen Writer and Co-Producer: Curtis Jordan: Rcjordan3@gmail.com
