Directed by Matthew Leutwyler, Fight Like A Girl tells the story of an all-female boxing team in Goma, eastern DRC, founded by Congolese boxing legend Balezi “Kibomango” Bagunda in response to the country’s staggering levels of gender-based violence and poverty. Leutwyler met Kibomango while working with his Non-Profit Organization, We Are Limitless, which supports children and survivors of sexual violence in the DRC and Rwanda. The film, a fictionalized narrative inspired by real events, is deeply rooted in raw truth. Local street kids, militia members, and real boxers were cast in supporting roles to enhance authenticity.

In the starring role is Ama Qamata, best known as the lead from Netflix Africa’s most-watched series Blood & Water. She plays Safi, a young woman who escapes forced labor in an illegal gold mine and finds strength, and eventually purpose, through boxing. Hakeem Kae-Kazim delivers a powerful performance as Kibomango.

However, it is the performances by first-time actors Clarck Ntambwe and Blandine Florence that stole my heart. Ntambwe, who plays Aisha, portrays a role strikingly close to her real life as the no-nonsense lightweight champion of North Kivu. She has been training under Kibomango since age 14 and recently won silver at the African Zone 3 Championship. Florence, meanwhile, appears as a fictionalized version of herself, a fierce protector of Goma’s street girls, while currently experiencing real-life homelessness with her toddler child. (MORE)