THE FIRE INSIDE Special Screenings

US Premiere

Screening to be followed by a conversation with AFI Alumna, director and executive producer Rachel Morrison and actor Ryan Destiny.

Acclaimed cinematographer Rachel Morrison (AFI Class of 2006) makes her directorial debut with this engrossing drama about professional boxer Claressa Shields and her meteoric journey from Flint, Michigan, to London for the 2012 Olympics. As a child, Claressa (Ryan Destiny) was a ferocious fighter who drew the eye of local volunteer coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry). Under his tutelage, Claressa’s skills in the ring were keenly honed while Crutchfield also proved himself a valuable figure in her personal life. With dreams of Olympic gold in her grasp and the pressure from her hometown mounting, Claressa comes face to face with her greatest fight yet. Driven by mighty and tender performances from Destiny and Henry, THE FIRE INSIDE is an assured debut that fuses Morrison’s keen visual aesthetic with a rousing screenplay penned by Barry Jenkins (who also produced) to tell an inspiring story of perseverance and triumph. –Javier Chavez