A new documentary, Fightville, focusing on mixed martial arts will appear at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas on March 12th.
Via Press Release:
For those looking for a sign that MMA is crossing over to the mainstream, the New York Times recently reported that of the 1,792 feature films submitted to the 2011 edition of the prestigious SXSW Film Festival in Austin, the largest single category of films represented were about combat sports. One of those films, FIGHTVILLE directed by Pepper & Bones, will premiere in the documentary competition at the fest on March 12, 2011.
The popularity of the subject matter doesn’t surprise the film’s co-director Michael Tucker, “When we first started filming FIGHTVILLE we knew very little about MMA, but after 18 months of filming we really came to love the culture of the fight world. Fighting is the stuff that movie legends are made of–who hasn’t wanted to be Rocky or Bruce Lee? MMA is the evolution of that legacy.”
However, as fast as the sport is growing, there is still a gap to mainstream acceptance and the filmmakers hope that FIGHTVILLE will open the door to MMA for a new audience. “Popular culture has long embraced boxing and there is storied history of literary greats championing the sport. Hemingway, London and Mailer were all fighters. That’s just now beginning to happen with MMA and we hope that Fightville will be able to introduce a wider audience to the beauty and passion of the sport while elevating the perception of MMA,“ says Tucker.
SXSW is the fastest growing media festival in the country, with film, interactive and music components. Last year, nearly 40,000 industry attendees swarmed into Austin looking for the next big thing. “SXSW is where decision makers come to take the pulse of popular culture and we are excited to premiere FIGHTVILLE in a place that embraces the future,” says Tucker.
The film focuses on the world of an up-and-coming feeder promotion called USA-MMA run by Gil Guillory in Lafayette, Louisiana–a place where fighting, for many, is as much ritual as it is sport. In FIGHTVILLE, life is a contest and the area around Lafayette, which includes a neighborhood that is the namesake of the film, has no shortage of fighters. Many of them train with veteran UFC fighter Tim Credeur at his Gladiators Academy, where more than just making champions, he seeks to “build better men”. One of those fighters, Dustin Poirier, quickly became the focus of the film, after a series of dramatic victories. “The first time I saw Dustin fight, I was immediately taken with him. You could just tell that the kid was going places,” says Tucker.
And go places he did, Poirier, defying all odds, recently defeated Josh Grispi at his UFC debut. “Dustin defines dedication for me. More than just fighting, FIGHTVILLE is about what it takes to be the best at anything,” says Tucker.
FIGHTVILLE will world premiere on Saturday March 12th at 4:30pm in the Vimeo Theater at the Austin Convention Center.
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FIGHTVILLE from Pepper and Bones on Vimeo.
Payout Perspective:
It will be interesting to see how this does at the film festival. Sports documentaries, if done right, are a great way to bring in non-fans due to the compelling stories and captivating characters. From the preview, the documentary takes a gritty look at the less glamorous life of fighting.
Nice bit of luck for the filmmakers.
What are the odds of going to a small, out-of-way gym and getting to see a kid go from his local club fighter to knocking off a #1 contender on national TV within 18 months? I’m sure when they started, the were just planning on doing a film about grass roots MMA and the ‘fighter lifestyle’. Having one of the fighters ascend to the national stage and shock the world must have been an incredible surprise for them.
Steve, actually quite true. We stumbled into the world of MMA via a soldier turned fighter whose unit I had previously filmed in Iraq. He introduced us to promoter Gil Guillory who was willing to give us exceptional access over the course of 18 months and Dustin Poirier was one of the first fighters we met.
Lucky for us that we met him, but Dustin exemplifies the hard work and dedication that is needed to excel at anything. His work ethic is exceptional, he’s humble and he’s hungry to learn.
His story–one that thousands of kids aspire to in hole-in-the-wall gyms around the country–is the stuff of classic fight films and we hope that FIghtville can help elevate the perception of MMA to the next level.
Mike,
For those of us who don’t live in Austin, how can we see the film?
Very nice looking doc. I didn’t realise it was about the guy who beat Grispi (otherwise known as Dustin Poirier) until I read the comments.
If you’re selling this via DVD or internet download I’ll buy it for sure.
Can’t wait to see this.