“Outlaw Dreams,” a football movie coming to Eastsound on Aug. 17, all began on the Vikings football field one day in 2005.

When Orcas Island resident Mike Parnell showed up at the Orcas High School’s practice field three years ago, he excitedly shared with fellow assistant and filmmaker Howie Klausner that he’d taken on partial ownership of an Arena Football team in Montana. Klausner offered to shoot his new team’s tryouts.

Two years later, “Outlaw Dreams” was in the can – the inspirational, true story of the 2006 Billings Montana Outlaws, and their incredible team makeover as documented by Klausner’s cameras. More than a “football movie,” this is an engaging story, not of superstars, but the “regular guys” and their dreams. It is also a sweet, funny, and occasionally uncomfortable look at race relations in this country, as a predominantly white town embraces a brand new urban culture living and working among them.

Klausner, a screenwriter and author by trade, makes his debut as director in “Outlaw Dreams.” He co-wrote the 2000 blockbuster, “Space Cowboys,” with Clint Eastwood and “Rocketman,” the bestselling biography of Astronaut Pete Conrad in 2005. He lived on Orcas from 2000-2006, coaching with the Vikings four of those years. He now lives and works in Franklin, Tennessee where he is producing a film about country music legend Hank Williams.

Mike Parnell is a longtime Island resident, football coach and community servant. In 1998, he chartered the Orcas Christian School.

The Orcas premiere of “Outlaw Dreams” is a benefit screening for the Orcas Christian School and the Orcas High School Vikings football program. Many of the Christian School grads have played on the Vikings squad.

The film is not yet rated, Mr. Klausner labels it as “family-friendly with a couple of cuss words bleeped.”

“Outlaw Dreams” will screen at the Eastsound Theater Aug. 17 at 2 p.m. Tickets are eight dollars each, and may be purchased in advance from any Viking team member or OCS student athlete, Vikings Coach Dennis Dahl or Drew at OCS, 376-6683. Tickets will also be available at the box office the day of the event if there are tickets left over.

DVDs will be for sale at Darvills and the theater. Those interested in further information can go to www.outlawdreams.com.