Girl Fight: A Muay Thai Story
We regret not having posted this article sooner because time is of the essence! We’d like to tell you about “Girl Fight: A Muay Thai Story”. Before we get into the details of what this article is about we’ll explain why it’s time sensitive. It’s an interesting Indiegogo campaign with just 10 days left. It’s an idea from New Yorker Matthew Kaplowitz, who is also editor of MMA news site thefightnerd.com and writer for bloodyelbow.com, and we’d really like to see this campaign become successful. We hope that after reading this you too will feel compelled to get involved!
In a nutshell, long time practitioner and fan of martial arts Mathew Kaplowitz has shot a documentary called “Girl Fight: A Muay Thai Story”, the trailer can be seen at the bottom of this article! It’s shot in a ‘fly on the wall style’ with the occasional pieces to camera from fighters and coaches. The documentary is centered around female fighter Prairie Rugilo, who in 2009 opened her own all female gym in Toms River, New Jersey called “The Girl Fight Gym”. The camera follows Prairie and a few of her students for 18 months and we see all sides of their lives, from fighter to business woman, partner to coach. Amongst the training, coaching and fighting, Prairie deals with the aftermath of the devastation of Hurricane Sandy on The Jersey Shore.
With just 10 days to go on the campaign, they are 37% funded and they need to raise just $3135 more. This totally achievable, and we think this is a project that deserves it!
We are treated to follow the paths of the ladies at Girl Fight and we are privy to all of the ups and downs of fighting and preparing for a fight. We are shown tears, anger, amateur debuts, hardships, title fights, wins and losses. We see the mental and emotional strain of fight preparation and results, and in the case of Prairie, the personal involvement of Jaime, her girlfriend and coach at Girl Fight, during their teammate’s hardships is compelling viewing.
The documentary has already been shot and edited, and we were privileged to have been sent a copy of the in-progress screener. We’re told that the only thing left for them to do now is make some polishing adjustments. Having watched the documentary we would love to see this get funded.
The Girl Fight gym, and the work that Prairie does serves as a great inspiration for the local ladies that have realized Muay Thai is for them too! The world needs more honest documentaries like this being made about the female fight scene. It’s a great platform to help the community grow. This is why we are behind it and urging you to take a look at the indiegogo campaign… and hopefully pledge a few dollars. If you aren’t in a position to get behind the cause financially, then you can still help by sharing the campaign on your facebook or twitter.
Because the filmmakers are using Indiegogo, the fundraiser uses “flex funding,” meaning even if they do not meet their 100% goal, all backers will still receive their rewards for donating.
Get involved, female fight fans! Documentaries like this can really help the community’s growth.
Useful Links:
Girl Fight: A Muay Thai Story indiegogo campaign
Girl Fight: A Muay Thai Story Facebook Page
Girl Fight: A Muay Thai Story Twitter Account