Famous Iowa film “Field of Dreams” is joining the ranks of some of the most well known movie titles in history.
DYERSVILLE, IA – AUGUST 25: Cars parked at the baseball field created for the motion picture ‘Field of Dreams’ on August 25, 1991 in Dyersville, Iowa. Rita and Al Ameskamp who, with Don and Becky Lansing, co-own the site have turned the cornfields and baseball diamond into a summertime tourist attraction, including “ghost player” reenactments. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The Library of Congress announced Thursday that “Field of Dreams” is among the 25 new movie titles added to the National Film Registry, which recognizes films that are culturally and historically significant.
“When you hear the phrase is this heaven? Pretty much everyone knows what the next line is,” said Liz Gilman, executive producer with Produce Iowa out of Iowa’s Office for Media Production. She works as a “concierge” for the state, helping to connect the dots for Hollywood and local producers looking to do production within the state.
She says “Field of Dreams” paved the way for future projects in the state. “The impact on Iowa has been huge,” she said. “From that we saw a lot of great movies after that with Twister and Bridges of Madison County and the list goes on so it really did play a role in putting Iowa in the spotlight.”
Gilman says “Field of Dreams” impact is beyond its lasting imprint on Iowa’s culture—it’s had an economic impact, too, with some 60,000 people visiting the film’s site near Dryersville every year, bringing tourism dollars to the state.
It also has effects on the local levels with restaurants, hotels, construction and rental companies, to name a few, Gilman said.
“It makes a huge economic impact when they’re filming, and then of course with Field of Dreams as an example, it creates a huge impact 30 years later.”
Gilman said that even though it’s been three decades since its release in 1989, it still resonates with Iowans today, especially those lucky locals who go to play a small part in it.
“The very last scene there’s a string of cars lined up miles wide and I still get people coming up to me and talking about how they were a part of that scene,” Gilman said.
Gilman hopes to continue to bring more projects to the state in the future, and says she’s focusing on getting local storytellers to produce within the state.
