Jayhawkers (film)
Jayhawkers is an American sports drama/biographical film directed by Kevin Willmott, following the life of Wilt Chamberlain, Phog Allen, and the 1956 Kansas Jayhawks basketball team.
Jayhawkers | |
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Film poster | |
Directed by | Kevin Willmott |
Produced by | Chris Blunk Scott Richardson |
Written by | Scott Richardson Kevin Willmott |
Starring | Kip Niven Justin Wesley Blake Robbins Trai Byers Jay Karnes Scot Pollard |
Cinematography | Matt Jacobson, Jeremy Osbern |
Edited by | Stephen Deaver |
Production company | Audax Films Through A Glass Productions |
Release date |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2 million |
Synopsis
The film follows Phog Allen, head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team from 1919 to 1956, recruiting 7 foot 1 inch Wilt Chamberlain, and the trials and tribulations that Chamberlain faces during his time with the Jayhawks, as well as Lawrence, Kansas being a parallel to the Civil Rights Movement.[2]
Cast
- Kip Niven – Forrest "Phog" Allen
- Justin Wesley – Wilt Chamberlain
- Blake Robbins – Dick Harp
- Jay Karnes – Chancellor Franklin Murphy
- Trai Byers – Nathan Davis
- Scot Pollard – B. H. Born
- Joseph Lee Anderson – Maurice King
- Walter Coppage – Langston Hughes
Production
A portion of the budget was raised through the crowd-funding site Kickstarter, with over $54,000 raised.[3] Shot in Lawrence, Kansas, Topeka, Kansas, and Leavenworth, Kansas, the film stars then-current Kansas Basketball player Justin Wesley as Chamberlain.[4]
A teaser trailer was shown at Late Night in the Phog 2012,[5] and as of February 2014, two more trailers were released online. The film premiered in Lawrence, Kansas on February 14, 2014, and made its public debut on February 28, 2014 at Liberty Hall near the University of Kansas campus.[6]
References
- "'Jayhawkers' Depicts Wilt Chamberlain's Lasting Effect On KU And Lawrence, KS". www.kmuw.org. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- "Synopsis - Jayhawkers - Movie (2014)". jayhawkersmovie.com. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
- ""Jayhawkers" - Feature Film by Kevin Willmott — Kickstarter". kickstarter.com. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
- Bush, Ann Marie (August 29, 2012). "Crew films portion of 'Jayhawkers' in Topeka". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- "YouTube - Late Night in the Phog 2012 - Jayhawkers Movie Trailer". youtube.com. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
- "JAYHAWKERS — Liberty Hall". libertyhall.net. Retrieved 2014-04-19.