Thursday, November 21, 2013

Coming Home...

This is IT!

Feeling a strange combination of fright and excitement to screen "Fight Like a Girl" at the Shadow Box Film Festival in New York Dec. 6th and 7th!

Seven years of blood, sweat, tears, and a lot of my own money went into the making of the film.  I was fortunate to work with extremely talented people, some of the best in the business.  Also, I managed to get the patience of my husband, and the trust of three other women who really took me inside their lives, while helping me become a better boxer and a better person.  Will be forever grateful to Maureen Shea, Susan Reno and Kimberly Tomes for allowing me in, in such an intimate way.

New York will always be my home.  I literally transitioned from fresh faced kid from Jersey to East Village badass "nineties girl."  I had every "unskilled labor" type of job under the sun there.  From perfume sprayer at Lord and Taylor's to driving a pedicab, to decorating a gay S&M nightclub called PORK in the meat market district, I've experienced far more there than I'm sure I could any other place in the world.

Whenever I see that skyline come into view from my plane window, I instantly feel giddy, proprietary and like I'm home.  Living in LA for five years does not change that feeling at all.  In fact, I think it makes it stronger.

To be screening "Fight Like a Girl" in it's home town after playing several festivals around the country is daunting.  Even though we have gotten great reviews and won some awards, none of that will mean anything to me when we screen it to the New York boxing community.  I want them to feel like I represented them well, told an authentic tale.

It will be the first time the people in the film will be at the screening.  They will be seeing footage of themselves from 7 years ago up until the present: temper tantrums, hilarious bonding experiences, desperation, determination, triumphs, Golden Gloves fights, pro fights and various New York gyms, Gleasons, The Wat, etc.

They will learn intimate details about each other that they may not have known during the time of filming.  They will learn things about me that I never told them: things I don't particularly want them to know, but serve the story and the message of the film.  So, I let those things become a part of the story.

Most importantly, I hope the film inspires those who see it to get past anything that haunts them.  It's not just boxers who fight.  Anyone who struggles with anything should hopefully relate to this film.  If that successfully happens, then I 've done my job.

Shadow Box Film Festival Screenings
Friday, Dec 6th 8pm, or Saturday, Dec 7th at 12pm
333 W 23rd St
NYC
For tickets:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/501385

or call 800-838-3006
www.FightLikeAGirlTheMovie.com