HOLLYSHORTS 2020 FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW! “If you don’t fight for your life, you won’t have a life to fight for,” Blackfeet Boxing coach Frank Kipp instills in his young fighters. Growing up on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, many young girls in the Nation have become subject to sexual violence, murder, or abduction. Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible tells the story of the young women who are ready to fight back and to eagerly bring attention to all the women who could not.
“…the story of the young women who are ready to fight back and to eagerly bring attention to all the women who could not.”
Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible follows an interwoven narrative of Kimberly Loring-Heavyrunner searching for her long-missing sister and the story of the young girls who have found confidence through one of the planet’s oldest sports: boxing. The film tells a story of community as the people of the reservation speak out about the horrific fact that indigenous women are ten-times more likely to go missing. Directors Kristen Lappas and Tom Rinaldi make their mission to show the inspirational stories of young boxers Donna Kipp and Mamie Kennedy in their aspirations of Junior Olympic glory. The documentary also follows Frank’s vision of giving every girl in his gym the tools to survive.
Watching Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible, you cannot help but be emotionally moved. It’s a story about teens gaining confidence through boxing, but even more, it’s a call for action. The movie calls for women in these communities to be #NotInvisible and displays how a crisis like this affects an entire nation. The boxing sequences are the quality you would expect from ESPN Films; when paired with the emotional weight of what these girls are fighting for, Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible becomes a must-watch.
Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible screened at the 2020 Hollyshorts Film Festival.
"…...with the emotional weight of what these girls are fighting for, Blackfeet Boxing becomes a must-watch."
