The Fighting Spirit

Film

by George Amponsah

Details

Ghana, UK and USA / 2007 / 80mins / Documentary / Ga and English

One town in Ghana takes on the world as three boxers, two men and a woman from Bukom, a poor village, fight their way to the glittering rings of New York and London. Thanks to tenacious coaches who turn rough street fighters into money-churning professional boxers, the village has produced several champions and is looking for its next big winner.

About the Director

George Amponsah

George Amponsah is a critically-acclaimed director who has made numerous documentaries, including features such as The Fighting Spirit (2007), about boxers from Ghana in pursuit of the American dream, and The Importance of Being Elegant (2004), about a bizarre cult of fashion led by the flamboyant Congolese singer Papa Wemba. His work has been featured at numerous international film festivals. Amponsah became an obsessive maker of super 8 movies while at Art College in the early nineties. It was clear to him that he could explore questions about identity through filmmaking. This culminated in a post-graduate film that won him a scholarship to attend the documentary course at Britain's National Film and Television School. Since then, George has won prestigious awards for his film work from the Post Office, the BBC, Kodak and The Royal Television Society, and he has worked with some of Britain's most prolific television production companies. While making short films for the web and developing new feature films, George continued to work as a tutor with young people, using digital video as a tool with which to express views from outside the mainstream. Learn More