Exciting biographical drama set in the 1950s about golf legend Ann Gregory starring Andia Winslow and Julia Rae.

Sports drama “Playing Through” tells the fascinating true story of Ann Gregory, a pioneer and trailblazer who was the first black woman to play in a United States Golf Association Tournament.

The film stars Andia Winslow as Ann Gregory and Julia Rae as her competitor Babs Whatling. They give extremely convincing performances and it is difficult to believe that they both have never acted before; Winslow being a professional golfer and Rae a singer and songwriter. Andia Winslow has a strong and dignified presence and gives a powerful portrayal of Ann Gregory. Also noteworthy is actor Ronnie Blevins who gives a solid turn as conniving and weasely Bucky Calhoun who wants to make sure Babs will win, no matter the cost involved.

“Playing Through” was directed by Polish-American director Balbinka Korzeniowska and it was written for the screen by Curtis Jordan. The film features stunning and vibrant cinematography by Paul Cannon.
“Playing Through” chiefly concentrates on the USGA Women’s Amateur match between Ann Gregory and a privileged southern white golfer Babs Whatling.

Ann Gregory born on on July 25, 1912 in Mississippi. She was orphaned at the age of 4 due to a horrific car crash which killed both of her parents. Gregory married at the age of 26 and only started playing golf when she was 31 years old. She was 44 years old when she played the USGA tournament.

Korzeniowska creates a convincing sense of the time and place while the golf sequences are impressively filmed. The athleticism of the lead actors shines through. The film is tense and exciting to watch, and is one of the best sports dramas to be released in recent years. Both of the lead characters are sympathetic and well-written.
The inspirational and important picture shows the inner strength of two very different women and their fight to be taken seriously in their career and by the society, despite the institutionalized racism and misogyny of 1950s America. It shows strong women who do not bow down to society’s expectations and manage to hold on to their individuality. The match ends up also being a journey to self-discovery for the pair who is pitted against each other by the racist public. The film is extremely current and revelatory.

“Playing Through” will be of interest to those serious about golf and also to the casual observer due to its entertainment value and warm heart.
The prototype of the character Babs Whatling is Curtis Jordan’s mother, golfer Josephine “Dadie” Knowlton Jordan, who competed in real life against Ann Gregory.

Writer’s Statement
Playing Through is a feature film about Ann Gregory. Ann was the first black woman to play in a United States Golf Association Tournament. She was a groundbreaker in both sports and civil rights. It is a fictional story that celebrates Ann’s life, a life long deserving of this spotlight.

This is a sports story that tells of the human condition to succeed and be self expressed. It’s a story about two driven and highly competitive women struggling to be the individual they want to be regardless of who the world around them wants them to be. These women come from very different back grounds, the world around them will never allow them to be friends but over the course of this match they learn to respect each other, understand each other and because of that they support each other.

These two characters (Ann and Babs) tell a story about the desire to exist fully, equally and authentically. Both Ann and Babs were willing to risk a life of certainty and conformity in order to chase their dreams. They refused to be spectators in life. Neither were going to comply to the expectations of others. In 2022 breaking the chains of conformity is not easy, in the 50’s it was almost impossible.

Andia Winslow (Ann) and Julia Rae (Babs) were chosen as the two leads. Neither of these women had ever acted before. Andia had been a collegiate golfer at Yale and was now an award winning voiceover actor. Julia was a talented golfer in her youth. Now she was a successful singer/songwriter with some experience on television.
The success of this film is due to the hard work and performance these two women delivered. With the help of director Balbinka Korzeniowska these women not only exceed our expectation of them on camera but they were instrumental in structuring the action and dialogue to make the story better.

Unknown to the producers at the time of choosing Andia, she was friends with Ann Gregory’s family. Through Andia, the Team got to know Ann’s family. This proved to be of great historical benefit as well as a real connection for Team to the story. We have had some very heartwarming and funny conversations over that past several months.
Both Ringling College of Art and Design as well as The Westcoast Black Theatre of Sarasota became the primary partners on the production. Each of these performing arts centers provided cast, crew and facilities for the production.

Director Balbinka Korzeniowska

Balbinka is a writer / director who has worked in the entertainment industry for over 13 years. She’s been in front and behind the camera and in 2016 received her MFA in Directing from UCLA in 2016 where she was nominated for a Student Academy Award for her film, “Awaken”. Balbinka has shot and is now editing a documentary “The Intimacy of War”. It follows Ukrainian refugees as they settle in Poland.