August, 2009
BOXERS : CONTINUES GREAT REVIEWS

Everywhere the web reaches
"'A KNOCK OUT'" -OK Reviews. "Let them box!" -Boxing Connections. "a truer side of women's boxing "-Women's Post. "take a risk for something you believe in." - Amigofish.

Fans are chatting BOXERS up in forums and the nationally recognized Video Libraian Magazine nominates BOXERS for Best of the Year Review.

BUY DVD NOW →

February, 2009
BOXERS : NOW ON DVD

Everywhere the web reaches
This powerful story about a team of seven women forging their own story about the love of boxing is available for the first time on DVD. Included inside this eco wallet package is the 82-minute feature documentary, behind the scenes interviews, boxer interviews, "Let Them Box" PSA and trailer. Watch the story that has been entertaining festival audiences across North America in the comfort of your living room. DVDs are available for campuses and institutions who want to bring a unique story about women in a male dominated sport to their students or clients.

BUY NOW →

February, 2009
BOXERS : At St. Cloud State University
FEBRUARY 3 5pm & Discussion 4th 12pm
free

St. Cloud , MN
To commemorate National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the Women’s Center is offering a unique evening session of Women on Wednesday featuring the film, Boxers, along with a discussion by documentary filmmaker, Joanna Kohler.

ST. CLOUD STATE WOMEN'S CENTER →

January, 2009
BOXERS : At The Parkway Theater
JANUARY 16-22, 7pm
$6/ticket

Minneapolis, MN
After almost two years since the premiere with the Walker Art Center in 2007, BOXERS will be screening in Minneapolis again. The Parkway Theater will be running the film nightly January 16th - January 22nd. It is great to have the film back in it's home town again after screening outside of Minnesota for the last year and a half. BOXERS will come home to the community that helped to support it and to a theater with an owner helping to support the Minnesota Film Community, Joe Senkyr Minjares. Thank you Minneapolis! Thank you IFP, Visionaries Filmworks, Splice Here, HDMG and the Jerome Foundation. Let's Celebrate!

THE PARKWAY THEATER →

JANUARY 19 BENEFIT FOR INTERMEDIA ARTS
INTERMEDIA ARTS →

March 29, 2008
BOXERS : Canadian Premiere

Toronto, ON Canada
The Female Eye Film Festival screened BOXERS in their sixth annual festival focusing on films made by women directors. Boxers was nominated for Best Documentary. Pictured at left, is boxer Rebecca Gilgen, Festival director Leslie Ann Coles and filmmaker Joanna Kohler at the opening night Gala.

MORE ABOUT THE FESTIVAL →

photo by Laura Fayola Wallace

January, 2008
BOXERS Teams Up with LetThemBox.org for Olympic Boxing 2012

Minneapolis, Minnesota
LetThemBox.org is a nonprofit campaign working for Women's Olympic Boxing in 2012. Olympic Boxing has been around since 688 B.C., never has Women's Boxing been allowed as a competitive sport. Kohler Productions and the BOXERS film project have created a video for the effort to end a 2700 year wait for women boxers.

WATCH VIDEO HERE →

September, 2007
BOXERS is in the Sound Studio

Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sound Engineer, Kent Militzer, at Splice Here Production House in Minneapolis, wired up Taiko drummer Holly Hee Won Coughlin in a sound both to record the original music for the BOXERS soundtrack. Holly is an artist with the Minnesota Taiko Drum performance group Mu Daiko.

Wired up and ready to go, the action got started and the final music track was recorded. Now that the Taiko drumming has been recorded, BOXERS gets closer to completing the final sound edit. A big thank you to Holly and Kent for making the magic happen in the sound studio and pushing the story of BOXERS one step further!

VISIT MU DAIKO HERE →

July 11, 2007
BOXERS, SEVEN WOMEN. ONE CONVERSATION
GUERRILLA Tour "Images of Women Athletes"

Minneapolis, Minnesota
Filmmaker, Joanna Kohler, teamed up with Foundation IX, The Loft Literary Center and the Jerome Foundation to screen BOXERS for seven women athletes. A conversation followed about women in sports. The result is a 17 minute video that looks at the complex realities women bring to sports.

COMMENT HERE →
MORE ABOUT GUERRILLA TOUR HERE →

MARCH, 2007
MNARTIST.ORG REVIEWS BOXERS
by Suzanne Szucs

Minneapolis, Minnesota
"Our society encourages a culture of fear in women; girls are taught that it is unladylike to fight. In an era where “feminism” has become a dirty word and Title IX is being challenged, these women are transcending cultural bias."

"[BOXERS] is a story of transformation, and Kohler, very smartly, gets out of the way of her subjects. Deftly, she lets them tell the story and then, like the sport itself, renders it with precision, passion and art. "

READ ARTICLE HERE →

APRIL, 2007
BUTTER CITY TALK SHOW FEATURES BOXERS FILMMAKER JOANNA KOHLER

SAINT PAUL, Minnesota
Host, Dan Orozco, sat down with filmmaker Joanna Kohler to discuss the recent premiere of BOXERS and the history of Kohler's filmmaking. This new Minnesota talk show covers filmmakers and the film community for Twin Cities Public Television, Minneapolis Television Network and Saint Paul Neighborhood Network.

Producer and camera man, Myron Berdahl, captured the BOXERS premiere on March 10th, 2007.

WATCH CLIP HERE →

March 9th, 2007
MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO 91.1 FEATURES BOXERS

SAINT PAUL, Minnesota
Gearing up for the BOXERS World Premiere, interviewer Chris Roberts talks with filmmaker Joanna Kohler, boxer Rachel Schley and Uppercut Gym Owner, Lisa Bauch.

"To say my fear isn't there and to ignore it would be insane," says boxer Becca Gilgen in one scene from the film. "To train so that that fear is negotiated and a part of what goes into the ring with me.... It has to be, 'cause it's going to be there whether I want it to be or not."

LISTEN TO STORY HERE →



photo by Chris Roberts, MPR

March 23 & 24, 2007
BOXERS selected for Cleveland International Film Festival

In Cleveland, Ohio
Fresh off the BOXERS premiere in Minneapolis, the film screens in Ohio on March 23rd and 24th followed by a film forum and a conversation with the sports commission. The Cleveland International Film Festival runs from March 15th - 25th, 2007.

MORE DETAILS HERE →

March 10th, 2007
BOXERS Premiere with Women with Vision Film Festival

At Uppercut Gym NE Minneapolis
After 2 years of production BOXERS premieres with the Walker Art Center's Women with Vision Film Festival on March 10th at 9:30pm off site at Uppercut Boxing Gym in NE Minneapolis. Be a part of the magic when the story of seven women, one team unfolds inside the ring and inside the gym where it all happened.

Experience the grandeur of this industrial warehouse gym, saturated in ten years of boxing training, tournaments and discovery. Among the ropes,speed bags and memorabilia Lisa Bauch will be awarded for her ten years asa gym owner from WomenVenture and BOXERS will tell the story of a teamof seven women. Come and be apart of storytelling and possibility.

MORE DETAILS HERE →

November 8th, 2006
BOXERS featured in City Pages Newspaper

Excerpt from the article:
" The world is still getting used to the idea of women boxers, even after the huge success of Million Dollar Baby, and there are many false perceptions and stereotypes left to break. But Boxers, an inspiring documentary feature about some of Uppercut's sparring stars, goes a long way toward giving these hardworking fighters their due. ”

" But boxing isn't just about landing punches; the 'sweet science' relies just as much on mental as on physical prowess, and the boxers featured in Kohler's film gamely open up about their personal journeys both inside and outside the ring."

READ MORE OF THE STORY HERE →

Photo: BOXERS" film still, Amy Laboe.

October, 27th 2006
BOXERS featured in Lavender Magazine

Excerpt from the article:
In her new documentary BOXERS, filmmaker Joanna Kohler gets beyond stereotypes, making us privy to such numinous revelations. She gets up close and very personal with a group of serious, highly skilled amateur women boxers who train at the Uppercut Gym in Northeast Minneapolis for the lauded Ringside International Tournament. Early on in the film, athlete Sarah Mickelson says, “It’s not about hitting. It’s not about knocking someone out. It goes deeper than that.”

Most certainly, Kohler plumbs those depths.

READ MORE OF THE STORY HERE →

photo E.B. Boatner, Source Lavender

November, 9th 2006
BOXERS fundraiser/advance screening at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.

Attend the BOXERS fundraiser on November 9th and be apart of this exciting Minnesota based film project. Come see a special advance screening of this grassroots documentary challenging traditional images of women athletes in the media. BOXERS has been in productions for two years and is preparing to make it's debut with public audiences. You can see this film before everyone else and meet the boxers that formed a team of seven women.

Ticket/donations go towards the BOXERS film project. A special thanks to the Loft Literary Center for providing their beautiful downtown lofted space for this event.

July 2006
BOXERS Featured on WCCO-4 News Broadcast


READ STORY→

VIEW NEWS FOOTAGE→

March 2006
Rachel Schley, one of the women in BOXERS, is on her way to USA Boxing Nationals in Colorado at the Olympic training facilities. Rachel has won state and regional's. The boxers at Nationals are competing for a spot on the USA Olympic Boxing Team... except the women boxers. There is no women's Olympic team. If she wins and is ranked number one in the nation... she gets a sweat suit. USA Nationals will be held March 5th-11th.

USA Boxing is helping to lodge and give travel stipends to the men competing. They will not financially aid any of the women competing in the National's Tournament.


WATCH AN UPDATE INTERVIEW FROM RACHEL→

VIEW OFFICIAL USA BOXING LETTER→