A new family-friendly film shot in Iowa and featuring a pair of longtime Hollywood mainstays will premiere at the Plaza 9 Theater in Marshalltown on Friday, and one of the producers behind the project has local connections through a previous movie in which she starred.

Annette Duffy may be familiar to Marshalltown residents through her starring role as Ambrose ‘Bambi’ Meeker, the mother of the main character Johnny (Jeffrey Eaton), in Jude Rawlins’ 2022 film “Little Johnny Jewel,” which was shot in and around the community. Although audiences won’t see Duffy’s face in her latest project, “When Jack Came Back,” she’s happy to be involved as a producer through her company Fearless Cinema. Another familiar face from “Little Johnny Jewel,” Cheyenne Goode, also makes an appearance as Claire.

Thor Moreno, who co-owns Fearless with Duffy, is the writer-director of the film, which stars Lindsay Wagner, best known for her leading role in “The Bionic Woman” back in the 1970s, Mike Markoff and Lance Henriksen, who has appeared in such Hollywood classics as “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Network,” “The Terminator” and “Aliens.” It tells the story of a struggling actor named Jack (Markoff) who grew up in Iowa — Iowa Falls, to be exact — and receives a phone call from his estranged mother informing him that his father has passed away. Upon returning for the funeral, he realizes his mom (Wagner) is battling Alzheimer’s disease.

“So now he’s gotta figure out ‘What is he gonna do?’ They don’t get along, but it’s his mom,” Duffy said. “So that’s the journey he goes through is trying to figure out what to do.”

As someone who lost both of her parents to the disease, Duffy told stories about the experience to Moreno, and he used them to formulate the script. The finished product, she said, is “a dedication” to the caregivers of those who have Alzheimer’s, and she hoped to capture it in an authentic way while still leaving filmgoers with a positive message.

“It’s got some funny things in it,” she said. “You’re not gonna go home depressed.”

The film’s run at Plaza 9 will begin Friday and end next Thursday, and Duffy, an Iowa Falls native who lives in the Des Moines area and has relatives here, plans to make at least one appearance to greet the audience and thank them for attending. “When Jack Came Back” will also be playing at other theaters around Iowa and across the United States on pay-per-view.

Anyone interested in seeing the film is simply encouraged to show up and buy a ticket. Advance reservations are not required.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.