Fight Like a Girl

"Where women rule, streams run uphill."

2023 1h 58m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 1

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young Congolese woman, forced to work in an illegal mineral mine, escapes her captors. She finds a new life for herself after joining a renowned all-women boxing club in the border city of Goma.

“Where women rule, streams run uphill.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Ama Qamata
Safi
Hakeem Kae-Kazim
Bagunda
Malaika Uwamahoro
Marcella
Bahali Ruth
Leila
Clarck Ntambwe
Aisha
Arthur Nkusi
Cedrique
Mazimpaka Kennedy
Fisherman
Charline Kabuo Chabusiku
Miki Ndaya

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Matthew Leutwyler
Writers: Matthew Leutwyler
Languages: English, Swahili, Lingala, French
Countries: Rwanda, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Swahili, Lingala, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Rwanda, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Matthew Leutwyler, shot by Richard Henkels. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Coby Brown. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ama Qamata and Hakeem Kae-Kazim and Malaika Uwamahoro carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Where women rule, streams run uphill.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt21827210 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Matthew Leutwyler directs. Richard Henkels behind the camera. Coby Brown scores. Produced in Rwanda, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Swahili, Lingala, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 3 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Swahili, Lingala, French.
3International production across 2 countries: Rwanda, United States of America.
4Directed by Matthew Leutwyler, shot by Richard Henkels. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Coby Brown. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Ama Qamata and Hakeem Kae-Kazim and Malaika Uwamahoro carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Where women rule, streams run uphill.".
8IMDB entry: tt21827210 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Richard Henkels
Original score: Coby Brown
Production design: Antoine Nshimiyimana
Costume design: Sisi Ngamije
Makeup / hair: Amandine Nzasangamariya
Sound: Renier van Niekerk
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Fight Like a Girl (2023)

Also by

Matthew Leutwyler

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-10-01
★ 7/10
"Safi" (Ama Qamata) was snatched, brutally, from her happy childhood with her parents in rural Congo and put to work panning the river for some renegade mercenaries whose ultimate sanctions against any rebelliousness from their workforce was death or rape. By a stroke of sheer luck one afternoon, an opportunity presents itself for her to flee and after a very timely and kindly intervention, she finds herself in the city. Now homeless and penniless, she manages to convince a fisherman to let her take his catch to market for him but that won't get her from her makeshift home where the unwanted attentions of random men is very much the order of the day. It's her reaction to one such approach that attracts the attention of local boxing trainer "Kibomango" (Hakeem Kae-Kazim) who seeks to give her an opportunity to channel her pent-up fury in a more productive fashion that might even take her to the African Championships. What follows now is not untypical of so many films that showcase just how sport in general, and boxing in particular, has offered people their only route from poverty and oppression - but by showcasing through the eyes of a woman, we not only appreciate the strenuous efforts required to train and discipline herself, but make a much wider observation of the roles of her sex in an unforgiving Congolese society where opportunities were truly limited. It's not all hard graft for us watching as there is some light-heartedness from the dialogue and there is also quite an affecting romantic relationship between herself and coffin-maker "Cedrick" (Arthur Nkusi) which demonstrates some of her own insecurities and anxieties, and the dynamic between her and her fellow boxer "Aisha" (Bahali Ruth) keeps things competitively and inspirationally in perspective. Qamata skilfully imbues her characterisation with a sense of purpose and determination, but a sense of vulnerability is never far away either and coupled with some fairly authentic looking action from inside the ring, we are left with something of a documentary-style of film that is visceral and quite poignant.

Production companies