A short film showcasing female boxing at a leading sports venue in Sheffield has been created by a group of local film makers.
The film, called I.AM.BOXING, stars an all-female cast of boxers from the English Institute of Sport (EIS) Sheffield.
Created by local production company, Troika+, who teamed up with city boxer Herol ‘Bomber' Graham, the film was created in an attempt to overcome the opposition many have to female boxing as a sport.
Ricardo Lacombe, founder of Troika+, said: "We were aware that female boxing was becoming increasingly popular and we saw this as a fantastic opportunity to create a film which showcased what was on offer at the venue.
"Because the film features an all-female cast and a female voice-over, we wanted to achieve a strong message and ensure it came across as a film about boxing as a sport, rather than women's boxing specifically."
The film also stars Kylie Hodgkinson and Allison Donohoe - who coach the weekly club at the Sheffield International Venues managed facility, which was set up after they realised there was an increasing demand for the sport.
Ricardo added: "Numbers at the female boxing classes at EISS are flourishing, so it is clear that the stigma attached to the sport is diminishing. We hope that the film can add to increasing the awareness of boxing as a sport for women and further boost the numbers at the weekly classes.
"Everyone at EIS were incredibly accommodating and were happy to give us full access to the boxing hall, which meant we were able to showcase the fantastic facilities at the venue to their full potential."
Rob Evans for EIS Sheffield said: "This film is a fantastic way of showcasing the facilities on offer at the venue to those women who are interested in taking up the sport. Troika+ have done a great job and we are delighted with the end result."
An official screening of the film will be staged at the venue later this year.
Boxing has gone from strength to strength at the venue with the pledge from British Boxing to run its 2012 Podium and Development squads from the new gym at EISS for the next four years.
