A movie starring two Academy Award winners will make its world premiere in Des Moines this week. Promoters of the film, called “The Genesis Code,” say they chose Iowa for the debut because of the state’s important political role as the first-in-the-nation Presidential Caucus state. Glenn Clark says the five-million dollar movie focuses on several hot-button topics.

“It looks at the modern-day conflict of science versus faith,” Clark says. “On one hand, a Biblical account of creation. On the other hand, a scientific account of the beginnings of the universe and the world.” Clark says the movie also raises the possibility both the Bible and science could be right. He says the film is designed to get people thinking — and talking.

“It also covers the area of religious discrimination on a college campus with a young college student who’s discriminated against by her academic advisor,” Clark says. “She’s told that she has to leave her faith to pursue her career path in paleontology. It also covers the end of life issue related to a woman who’s in a coma who’s the main character’s mother.”

The cast includes former presidential candidate Fred Thompson, also known for his role on “Law and Order,” and Oscar-winners Louise Fletcher, who stared in “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and Ernest Borgnine, who won the Academy Award for his role in “Marty.” After the special one-night screening in Iowa, Clark says the movie will also be shown in New Hampshire before seeing a wider national release.

“Our perspective is that Iowa is a trend-setting state for these important issues which we’re hoping to bring to people’s kitchen tables,” Clark says. “We want family members to talk about them, discuss them, and come to their own conclusions about what their opinions are about these particular areas.”

The premiere is Wednesday at 7:30 in Des Moines. To get a free ticket, send an email to: [email protected]. The movie will open in three theatres in Des Moines on February 4th. To learn more, visit “www.thegenesiscodemovie.com“.