The NCAA will kick off the 2006 NCAA Convention and Centennial celebration with a special screening of the not-yet-released film "Glory Road."

Based on the story of the 1965-66 Texas Western College (now University of Texas at El Paso) men's basketball team, the film will be released nationwide January 13 but will be specially screened in Indianapolis January 6 as part of the 2006 NCAA Convention.

The special screening will be made in conjunction with the heartland Film Festival, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary. "Glory Road" -- a Disney film -- follows Texas Western's run to the 1966 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship title, which was culminated with a victory over the University of Kentucky. Texas Western was the first to field a starting lineup of all African-American players.

Screening the movie at the Centennial Convention was a natural fit, according to John Johnson, NCAA director of promotions and events, because that championship game also was chosen to be one of the top 25 Defining Moments of the NCAA. Each of the 25 moments will be showcased in 30-second vignettes to air on ESPNU and ESPN Classic at various times throughout the NCAA's Centennial year.

Johnson said the NCAA staff is inviting players from both teams to attend the screening as guests of the Association.

"This film is an example of the role sports, and in this case college sports, plays in American society. This moment in time opened the doors for a social issue," Johnson said. "It is an excellent example of how the NCAA is about more than just sports."

The screening also gave the Association the opportunity to partner with a rapidly growing nonprofit organization such as the Heartland Film Festival, an emerging awards entity within the film industry.

Heartland was established in 1991 to recognize and honor film-makers whose work explores the human journey. Each October, the organization holds a film festival showcasing "truly moving pictures from around the world" and awards $100,000 in cash prizes. Heartland also provides educational opportunities on film-making and related topics and endeavors to distribute films that otherwise might not be seen into the DVD/video market.

Johnson said the partnership began when representatives of both organizations met at a luncheon for an Indianapolis civic group and discovered that 2006 would be important years for both Heartland and the NCAA. The relationship grew from there, and when Heartland President Jeff Sparks called with the idea of the screening for "Glory Road," Johnson agreed that it was a perfect project for the new collaboration.

"What we really liked about (Heartland) was that they go after truly moving pictures -- not necessarily things that are commercial successes, but things that have had an impact on people," Johnson said.

According to Sparks, the event is a great way to kick off Heartland's 15th anniversary celebration as well.

"To be able to have a wonderful event like this and partner with the NCAA is an exciting way to draw attention to what we're trying to do," Sparks said. "It's an opportunity to get our message out."

Heartland already has established relationships with Kiwanis International, based in Indianapolis, and the National Collaboration for Youth, a Washington, D.C., umbrella organization for 43 national youth and family-services groups.

Peggy Monson, Heartland's vice president for advancement, said the "Glory Road" screening and NCAA partnership helps to further her organization's reach into the sports world. The group has screened sports films in the past, but not with a partner like the NCAA.

"This helps us to diversify our constituency to reach members of the NCAA," Monson said. "It's more than just a sports movie. It's deeper than that."

The film addresses the racism that was so prevalent at that time in American history. However, University of Kentucky Assistant Athletics Director for Media Relations Scott Stricklin said that many people have misconceptions about then-Kentucky men's basketball coach Adolph Rupp and the climate at the school during that time.

"There are a lot of assumptions that are made about him and our program at that time that I don't think are fair," he said. "If there is any validity (to the assumptions), I think for the most part it was a symptom of the times. We have a history of being progressive, but when you're talking about those times, a lot of things have changed that needed to change."

The film has been screened only once -- at a late November screening for the stars and former Texas Western players. Most people will be seeing it for the first time at the NCAA Convention. Stricklin said he hopes the film will be a balanced version of the events.

"I think any fair portrayal would recognize that Kentucky was one of the premier college basketball programs then and still is," he said. "The best way to establish legitimacy at that time was to beat Kentucky."

The movie stars Jon Voight as Rupp. Josh Lucas and Derek Luke also have major roles. It was directed by James Gartner and written by Christopher Cleveland.

The film will be screened at The Murat Theatre. Information about attending the screening was sent to registered delegates earlier this month.