Boxeadora

For 38-year-old Namibia, Havana’s oldest boxing club is a paradise where she forgets all her woes. “In another country she’d be the national champion,” says the former trainer of the national team, but in Cuba Namibia has to watch matches from the stands. Nevertheless, she defies the ban on women’s boxing introduced under Fidel Castro to make her dream of winning an Olympic medal come true – the sole woman in a country of 19,000 male boxers. Namibia gleans hope from the rumors that the boxing committee is considering lifting the ban. There’s also an invitation from Chile to box professionally there, though that would require an exit visa. Energetically filmed in bright colors, this portrait follows the resilient Namibia visiting her family in a village outside Havana and praying for a good outcome. Point-of-view helmet cam footage puts viewers in Namibia and her opponents’ shoes during fights. A drug-fuelled night out with friends flies by in a rapid succession of shots. Finally, Namibia addresses the viewer with a powerful message of hope and perseverance.