Wrestle

WRESTLE is an intimate and nuanced documentary that follows the wrestling team at JO Johnson High School in Huntsville, which has been on Alabama's failing schools list for decades. The film received two Emmy nominations, has sustained 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the New York Times giving it a Critic's Pick, Variety calling it "engrossing," Reely Dope praising it as "a feat that few filmmakers can achieve," and the National Board of Review naming it a top doc of 2019. WRESTLE is now airing on PBS's Independent Lens and is available for download/streaming on all major outlets.

As they fight their way towards the State Championship and the doors they hope it will open, wrestlers Jailen, Jamario, Teague, and Jaquan each face injustices and challenges on and off the mat. Together they grapple with obstacles that jeopardize their success, and their coach – coming to terms with his own past conflicts – pushes them forward while unwittingly wading into the complexities of class and race in the South. Through it all, the young heroes of WRESTLE, with humor and grit, strive towards their goals, making WRESTLE an inspiring coming of age journey and an impassioned depiction of growing up disadvantaged in America today.

FIREFLY THEATER & FILMS and EXHIBIT A present "WRESTLE" // JAILEN YOUNG JAMARIO ROWE JAQUAN RHODES TEAGUE BERRES with CHRIS SCRIBNER // Music by DAVID WINGO and GRAHAM LEBRON // Associate Editor BLAIR MCCLENDON // Edited by PABLO PROENZA // Director of Photography SINISA KUKIC // Consulting Producer SAM POLLARD // Executive Producers MICHELINE LEVINE STEVEN STREIT WALKER DEIBEL CHAD TROUTWINE // Produced by LAUREN BELFER STEVEN KLEIN SETH GORDON MARY ROHLICH SUZANNAH HERBERT // Written by LAUREN BELFER SUZANNAH HERBERT // Co-Directed by LAUREN BELFER // Directed By SUZANNAH HERBERT