One woman defies Fidel Castro’s ban on female boxing to follow her dream of Olympic glory. Boxeadora tells the story of her harrowing journey against insurmountable odds to become Cuba’s first female boxer.
Doc Farm Films Presents
Boxeadora
About Film
Since Castro’s Revolution, Cuba has won more Olympic gold medals in boxing than any other country in the world. Although this boxing powerhouse has more than 19,000 male boxers, female boxing is nonexistent on the island – the result of a ban on female boxing put into place after the revolution. Boxeadora follows Namibia, a Cuban woman who has been training in secret as a boxer for five years, hoping the government would lift its ban. Now 38, she only has two years left of boxing eligibility. Journey with Namibia as she tries to leave the island to follow her only dream: to compete as a boxer.
A Film By Meg Smaker
Origin story
Meg Smaker, a documentary filmmaker, is also a competitive boxer. In late 2013, she traveled to Cuba to train as a boxer for an upcoming fight. Shortly after arriving in Havana, she discovered women were banned from the sport. This was a surprise, as Cuba has a rich sports culture and is a Communist country that preaches equality. Eventually Meg found a fight gym that would train her; there she met Namibia, the only female boxer in Cuba. Inspired by Namibia’s story, Meg made the documentary Boxeadora for her thesis film after returning to the U.S. to finish her graduate degree in documentary film at Stanford University.
This 1 min video was made for the Student Academy Awards as an intro video for the film Boxeadora.
Screenings
for 2015
- South By Southwest(SXSW)- Jury Award, Best Short Doc Austin, TX March 13-21
- Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival Napa Valley, CA March 26-29
- American Documentary Film Festival Palm Springs, CA March 26-30
- Ashland Independent Film Festival Ashland, OR April 9-13
- Sarasota Film Festival-Jury Award, Best Short Doc Sarasota, FL April 10-19
- Bare Bones Film Festival Muskogee, OK April 10-19
- Independent Film Festival Boston Boston, MA April 22-29
- USA Film Festival - Jury Award, Best Non-Fiction Dallas, TX April 22-26
- Newport Beach Film Festival Newport Beach, CA April 23-30
- Little Rock Film Festival Little Rock, AR May 11-17
- SF Documentary Festival San Francisco, CA June 4-18
- Los Angeles Film Festival Los Angeles, CA June 10-18
- deadCENTER Film Festival Oklahoma, OK June 10-14
- Nantucket Film Festival Nantucket, MA June 24-29
- Outfest Los Angeles, CA July 9-19
- Guanajuato International Film Festival San Miguel de Allende, Mexico July 17-26
- Rhode Island International Film Festival Newport, RI Aug 4-9
- HollyShorts Film Festival Los Angeles, CA Aug 13-22
- Sidewalk Film Festival Birmingham, AL Aug 28-29
- Portland Film Festival Portland, OR Sept 1-7
- Nevada City Film Festival Nevada, CA Sept 10-13
- DC Shorts Film Festival Washington D.C. Sept 10-20
- Student Academy Awards- Winner Documentary Los Angeles, CA Sept 14-18
- Milwaukee Film Festival Milwaukee, WI Sep24- Oct 8
- LUNAfest San Francisco, CA Oct 8
- Iris Prize Competition Cardiff, Wales Oct 7-11
- Tacoma Film Festival Tacoma, WA Oct 8-15
- Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Seattle, WA Oct 8-18
- Mill Valley Film Festival Mill Valley, CA Oct 8-18
- Hot Springs Film Festival Hot Springs, AR Oct 9-18
- New Orleans Film Festival- Winner Audience Award New Orleans, LA Oct 14-22
- Savannah Film Festival Savannah, GA Oct 24-31
- St. Louis Film Festival St. Louise, MO Nov 5-15
- DOC NYC New York, NY Nov 12-19
- IDFA-International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands Nov 18-29
Deleted Scenes from Boxeadora
of
Cuban Embargo Innovation
Watch more behind the SCENES videos
News & Updates
BOXEADORA documentary director Meg Smaker shares her film with trailer and clips highlighting the story of Cuban woman boxer, Namibia, and her struggle to get recognition in the ring, in a country that has somehow banned the sport for women.
