Where was the 2023 movie Champions filmed? We discuss the theatrical film release starring Woody Harrelson and its filming locations.
Champions is directed by Bobby Farrelly and stars Woody Harrelson as a former minor-league basketball coach who is ordered by the court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities.
What begins as a pretty fun movie for Harrelson to shine as a temperamental basketball coach turns into an endearing and inspirational film about different perspectives.
What this film teaches audiences is that everyone can learn and adapt in different ways. There is no right way to do things, just the way you like to do things. Everyone needs to know that they can accomplish their goals by simply applying themselves with the strengths that they’ve developed over the years.
Even though Champions mainly takes place in a gym, there are some other locations where they chose to make this movie. The majority of it took place in Manitoba, Canada, instead of the United States.
Where was the 2023 movie Champions filmed – a breakdown of filming locations
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Winnipeg is known as the main city for basketball across Canada. They are more so a basketball city than a hockey city. They have plenty of resources and outdoor courts for everyone to use, young and old. What stems as something recreational can turn into a dream, and that’s why helping young kids develop confidence in their goals is important.
Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada
The reason why they chose locations in Canada was that ended up having the best set for them to work on. Even though Canada has always been more focused on hockey, the general locations where arenas are located feel more sports-related than others, especially when it’s about a minor-league team.
There are many locations for “farm teams” to go and practice and play in Canada.
Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Even though they filmed in Canada, they did need some establishing shots of the city of Des Moines, Iowa, to make it seem that the team came from there. To create that authenticity, this is the only way to afford specific locations to film and find the right spots to make it believable.
