“GIRL FIGHT: A MUAY THAI STORY”

A Documentary by Matthew Kaplowitz

Winner of “Best Editing in a Feature Film” at the Rahway International Film Festival

Official Selection of Film Fest 52, Woman Up Independent Film Festival, New Haven International Film Festival and Yonkers Film Festival

*** Press is permitted to use any photos and quotes from this EPK for articles related to the movie ***

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Visit our official website at TheGirlFightStory.com

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E-mail the director at Matt@TheFightNerd.com for press requests, additional images, interviews, and screening information

LOGLINE

Two female kickboxers learn what it takes to be a fighter, inside the ring and out.

SHORT SYNOPSIS

GIRL FIGHT: A MUAY THAI STORY is a feature-length documentary about an all-female kickboxing gym located on the Jersey Shore. The film follows the head coach, Prairie Rugilo, and one of her students, DeAna Mendez, as the pair prepare for several fights, and cope with the setbacks and opposition that comes with training to get into the ring. The two women battle through different journeys of self-discovery to cope with both success and failure.

LONG SYNOPSIS

When you are a fighter, winning and losing is everything. For the women of “The Girl Fight Gym” in Toms River, New Jersey, winning means more than having your arm raised after a match.

Prairie Rugilo opened her all-female Muay Thai kickboxing gym in 2009, and since then has been inspiring and empowering women through the martial arts to help them learn what fighting is truly about. Along with her training partner and girlfriend Jaime, Prairie coaches a team of ladies who would have never stepped into the ring unless they were at this gym. One of those students, DeAna, plans on making her amateur debut, while Prairie prepares for a second chance at a championship belt that she lost in a controversial fight.

Prairie and DeAna must overcome their personal struggles to become the champions they want to be, embarking on a journey that takes them down roads they did not expect to go through over the course of 18 months. In the backdrop of The Jersey Shore as it continues to try to rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, these two fighters battle in and out of the ring against their greatest opponent – themselves.

*** You can view the full trailer for GIRLFIGHT: A MUAY THAI STORY by clicking this link here ***

REVIEWS

"Girl Fight" creates a very natural connection between the life of the average person on the street and the person willing to put themselves through a fight camp and step in the ring. It's something often missing from projects focused on athletes working at the professional level as the sense of drive and self confidence possessed by most pros can make them somewhat alienating figures. This film is a look at what drives the average person into the gym and from the gym into the ring. It's not why the future stars fight, but why the rest of us do it.” – Bloodyelbow.com

"These are real, every day people who are right out there in our backyards... That’s what makes the daily life aspects of the film—the ones like the Sandy aftermath—that might not be directly related to kickboxing so relevant: People only know that participating in a fight gym like this is an option for the every day person if someone tells them so.... I’d absolutely recommend the film to anyone who has even a passing interest in competitive martial arts as a sport or hobby, or if you’ve got a little one at home—but not too little, this is a combat sport, after all—who could use some positive role models.” -  Dan Van Winkle, TheMarySue.com

“Sometimes the best part of a fight is the story behind it, and [Matthew Kaplowitz] tells a good story.” – Jim Genia, The MMA Journalist

“This film is a great look into a gym that is empowering young women and building their self esteem, confidence and strength through the martial art of Muay Thai. Girl Fight reminds you that while there are superstars like the UFC's Ronda Rousey who are paving the way for young women in martial arts, there are gyms like Girl Fight and instructors like Rugilo, who are putting them on that road and preparing them for the ride.” – MMAMania.com

“Girl Fight” reminds us that Muay Thai has long been in the avant-garde for female fighters… “Girl Fight” takes the measure of our contemporary pulse… What comes across to me is not so much how Prairie is breaking new ground but rather how she’s so woven into the fabric of a typical community that’s a pretty good proxy for Main Street USA.” – Muay Thaimes Magazine

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

In a weird twist of fate, GIRL FIGHT: A MUAY THAI STORY is as much my story as it was for the women I filmed for 18 months.

The concept for this documentary came to me while reading an issue of an MMA (mixed martial arts) magazine that had a monthly feature on gyms across America. Within this two-page spread was my first glimpse into the world that an entrepreneurial Prairie Rugilo was trying to build with her “Girl Fight Gym”.

It took little convincing from me for Prairie to allow me to start filming at their gym, and at the time I had no idea what my story would be about. Since she was a resident of the Jersey Shore, I figured I could make a sizzle reel for a spicy reality show, but I was grateful that the gym environment was the polar opposite of a certain TV show that shared the same name as Prairie’s location.

The unique thing about making a documentary is that the story you end up telling is different from the one you expected. As I got a few months into filming, the real tale began to blossom. This was not going to be a movie about a bunch of fights, but a movie about overcoming obstacles, gaining confidence, and realizing self-worth.

The two stars of this movie are polar opposites, but go on the same journey in Muay Thai with the hope of gaining the same results – understanding themselves through the martial arts. Even thought they may not have realized it, what they did in the ring mirrored what they did outside of the ring.

Documenting them and making this movie was my five-round title fight. Despite all of the trouble I had during production (crashed hard drives, faulty equipment, and bad weather to name a few), I wanted to go the distance and beat the odds. At first, it was about proving to myself that I could make a large scale movie. As time went on, I realized what really pushed me was I wanted to show others who were struggling in life that we are not alone. We all have our fights in life, and after we get through the fire & flames, it's these hard times that make us better people.

The slogan of the “Girl Fight Gym” is “Empowering women through martial arts,” and they truly accomplish that, inside and out. These days, confidence and self-esteem are something that all genders have issues with. My goal with this documentary is to empower viewers through the trials and

tribulations of this gym, and remind them that no one goes through their journey alone. As long as you never give up, you can accomplish things you never thought you could, even if things do not turn out the way you expect.

Thanks for watching, and I hope you enjoy the journey.

-Matthew Kaplowitz

CAST BIOS

Prairie Rugilo is the head coach and owner of “The Girl Fight Gym,” an all-female Muay Thai academy on the Jersey Shore that empowers women through the martial arts. She opened the gym in 2009, initially running classes out of the Brick PAL building. In 2011, Prairie opened her own location in Toms River, offering Muay Thai, self-defense, Yoga, and fitness classes to women of all ages in a safe environment.

A former WKA NY State Featherweight Champion, Prairie was one-half of the first Muay Thai fight ever held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, as well as the first Muay Thai fighter to ever be awarded a title belt inside the world famous arena. In 2012, she was inducted into the New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

Jaime Philips is an assistant coach at the gym, as well as 2-0 in amateur kickboxing. Jaime was one of the very first students that Prairie had at the original school, and later became her girlfriend.

Jaime is always in Prairie’s corner during fights, and attributes their strong relationship to complementing each other’s personalities without trying to change each other. Fulltime, she is a detective-sergeant with the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department.

DeAna Mendez began training at “The Girl Fight Gym” in March 2012. A police officer in North Jersey, she balances her fulltime job with being a single mother raising her three-year old son. Over a year after she started coming to the gym, DeAna finds herself preparing for her amateur Muay Thai debut, and must overcome her fears and doubt to step into the ring and make an impact.

Matthew Kaplowitz is the executive producer and director of GIRL FIGHT: A MUAY THAI STORY, as well as lead shooter and editor of the film. A lifelong practitioner and fan of martial arts, he began working for combat sports websites and magazines starting in 2006.

In 2009, he started TheFightNerd.com, a news website dedicated to the sport with a focus on video production, which has become a reliable source for information & entertainment.

In 2012, Matthew became a Production Assistant with Original Media, where he worked on the weekly live sports talk show, “MMA Uncensored Live”, for Spike TV. After the show ended a year later, he became an Associate Producer at Matador Content, and worked on over a dozen shows for Spike TV, including the “Frank Shamrock: Bound by Blood” documentary, several documentaries in the “Unrivaled” series, pay-per-view specials, and the “Rampage 4 Real” reality series.

FAQ

Q: What is Muay Thai?

A: Muay Thai is a style of kickboxing that dates back hundreds of years, and is practiced throughout the world. Created in Thailand, the names translates literally to “Thai Boxing” and uses punches, kicks, knees, and elbows to strike their opponents.

A big difference between Muay Thai and Western boxing is that when two fighters clinch in Muay Thai, they are allowed to continue fighting. Typically, it is during the clinch that competitors will utilizes elbow and knee strikes, as well as sweeping or throwing their opponent to the ground.

Q: Why is a man making a film about women fighting, instead of a female director?

A: One could argue that the viewpoint of this movie would be different in the hands of a female director, and they would be correct. However, one could also argue that it would be different in the hands of any filmmaker, be they male, female, gay, straight, transgender, conservative, liberal, or whatever. This documentary is what I took out of my year and a half of time spent with the ladies of “The Girl Fight” gym, and I feel I put together a film that can be universally appreciated for its positive message.

Q: Is there a market for films about women in sports & action?

A: Absolutely. Despite studios claiming there is a minimal place in the market for strong female protagonists in sports and action roles in film and television, history has proven otherwise. Television especially has shown tremendous support for females in action-oriented roles, from Lynda Carter as “Wonder Woman” in the ‘70s, to Lucy Lawless as “Xena” and Sarah Michelle Gellar as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” with many more in modern media like Katniss from “The Hunger Games” or The Black Widow in the Marvel Universe movies. Male and female audiences today are more interested in the journey the characters go on and their stories rather than what their gender is.

Q: I don’t like violence or the idea of women fighting each other. Why should I watch this movie?

A: While GIRL FIGHT: A MUAY THAI STORY is a movie about fighting and features several fights, I went out of my way to ensure that viewers feel as comfortable as possible while watching these action sequences.

Visually, this is a blood-free film to make sure viewers who may be triggered by the sight of any gore feel safe. The fight sequences that occur are the result of months of training and self-sacrifice on the part of all competitors and, as viewers will see, become a means to self-discovery both physically and mentally. I kept the in-ring fights short but satisfying, and if the viewers want to see more, they can find the full-length videos of most of the fights online.

Muay Thai fighting, like most martial arts and combat sports, is less about seriously injuring your opponent, and more about utilizing strategy and technique to defeat them. While everyone wants to win, no one wants to do it at the cost of mutilating a person.

Q: I have never been a fan of any kind of fighting - why should I care about this movie?

A: While there are a few fight scenes in the movie, the majority of the film takes place outside of the ring, as well as away from the Girl Fight gym.

The ultimate purpose of the film is to showcase the journey that Prairie and DeAna go through, and what they learn about themselves through the martial arts. The fights are often the physical manifestation of the emotions and thoughts of the fighters, and are presented as such.

Q: Where can I find more info on the “Girl Fight Gym”?

A: You can learn more about the gym on their official website at this link here, or their Facebook page at this link here.

FILMMAKERS & CAST

Director, Executive Producer, Editor, Camera Op……….……………………....….Matthew KaplowitzProducer, Camera Op, Photographer…………………….……...…………………..…..Ken MaldonadoProducer………………………………………………………………………………. Stephen KoepferProducer………………………………………………………………………………. …Andrea LevineProducer……………………………………………………………………………………Kenneth ChanAssociate Producer…………………………………………………………………….... Susumu NagaoAssociate Producer……………………………………...……………………………..Cherrie ShepherdCamera Operator…………………………………………………….……………...…. Alexis DevaneyCamera Operator……………………………………………………………………….….Erick RomanCamera Operator…………………………………………………………………..……John ScandaliosProduction Assistant…………………………………………….………….……….…..Lauren CrockerProduction Assistant……………………………………………………………………..… Missy LevyProduction Assistant……………………………………………….……...Michael “Stets” SteczkowskiSupervising Sound Editor……………………………………………………………….Israel BañuelosOriginal Score…………………………………………...Alejandro Romero & Juan Pablo MiramontesSound Post-Production…………………………………………………………………… KaparasoundTechnical Consultant………………………..………………….………………..….Hiroko YamamuraTechnical Consultant……………..……….………………….………...…...…………Laura RaimondoLegal Consultant…………………….……………………….……………………..……….Justin Klein

STARRINGPrairie Rugilo Jaime PhillipsDeAna Mendez Hazelle Dongui-isMichelle Schneider Danielle Vail-KuhlweinRich Brattole Joan DiMeoEric Colon Darren MaciunskiKate Allen Nichole RichiusaMolly Barg Juliana SilvaYanelisa Reyes Colleen DowningAntje Shoeman Tiffany Cass

SPECIAL THANKS

Friday Night Fights Lions Roar Promotions Warrior’s Cup Dead Serious Weapons 9 Muay Thai Checkmate Boxing Center Nick Catone MMA & Fitness Pop’s Boxing Gym Tong Dragon MMAFight Night Pics NYBBC Ground Swipers Rod & Gun ClubWorld Kickboxing Association Strikezone Promotions New Jersey State Athletic Control BoardPaleo Treats Nik Hawks Lee SelmanProgressive Martial Arts NY Combat Sambo Awakening FightersRew Mitchell Battle Balm Daryl Thuroff

Prairie’s custom mouthguard was provided by Damage Control Mouthguards

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© 2015