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Synopsis
Estaifan Shilaita risked everything to leave his home country of lraq and pursue his boxing dream. Although he dealt with tremendous hardships on his journey to the United States, his unique personality and perspective, along with the connection he shares with his family, reveal why he is "The Champion."
Film title: The Champion
Length: 17:40 mins
Genre: Documentary
Directors: Brett Garamella, Patrick McGowan
How the film began
The story was quite unexpected. Brett Garamella randomly met Estaifan Shilaita one day in 2009 in his taxi in downtown Chicago. A few months later, he moved to New York City and began collaborating with Patrick McGowan on some film projects. Before long, the two filmmakers decided to take the leap to travel to Chicago and film "The Champion."
Why this film?
Garamella: “The fact that Estaifan Shilaita was a former Iraqi boxing champion who left his home to pursue a dream was fascinating to us. When they met his wife and family they were incredibly charmed by how kind and close they were. Estaifan seemed in many ways to have it all figured out. He had some success in sports, but his life, his family, and his job seemed to bring him so much joy. This was a joy that I think we all search for in our lives.”
Peronal cinematic approach
Garamella: “We always found Estaifan to be an entertaining individual, but we also felt that if we were able to make it short, make the pacing feel quick and make it really visual, we could hopefully offer something to an audience. The film took us a few years to complete, but over that time we really began to feel like part of the Shilaita family. Sharing their story became sharing the life of people close to us; it really became a personal story.”
Making of the film
Garamella: “The most important factor in making the film was Estaifan's eagerness to have people hear his story and his family's acceptance and kindness to us. We started with interviews with Estaifan and his family in 2010 and 2011. I think we were really excited about it, but as we began editing we really hit a wall feeling the pressure of telling a man's life story, a story that was incredibly important to him, his family, and to us. We raised money through a Kickstarter campaign, and were able to work with a talented group of people in order to finish the film despite challenges with our budget and time.”
Festivals, awards and press
The Champion has been in more than 20 festivals and won 7 awards, and qualified for an Oscar after winning Best Short Documentary at the Aspen Shortsfest. It also has been an selected to appear on Shortoftheweek.com and been in many major media publications, including Indiewire and The Huffington Post.
Connect with ‘The Champion’
Website: www.thechampionfilm.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thechosenchampion
