Hardened by years in foster care, fifteen-year-old Mo fights her way onto the boys’ wrestling team, hoping to earn the love of the father who abandoned her. But as she wrestles with physical and emotional battles, she discovers the family she’s chasing may not be the one she truly needs. First Match Written & Directed by Olivia Newman
Poster for First Match film

ABOUT THE FILM

In our mission to elevate emerging female filmmakers, Durga Entertainment is proud to support Olivia Newman’s debut feature. Rooted in a world rarely represented on screen, First Match brings forward a dynamic young heroine and a filmmaker with a singular, compassionate eye for character and community.

TV-MA | 102 minutes | Drama | USA

Poster for First Match film

ABOUT THE FILM

In our mission to elevate emerging female filmmakers, Durga Entertainment is proud to support Olivia Newman’s debut feature. Rooted in a world rarely represented on screen, First Match brings forward a dynamic young heroine and a filmmaker with a singular, compassionate eye for character and community.

TV-MA | 102 minutes | Drama | USA

TRAILER

Play Video

CAST

  • Elvire Emanuelle

    as Mo

  • Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

    as Darrel

  • Colman Domingo

    as Coach Castile

  • Jharrel Jerome

    as Omari

  • Kim Ramirez

    as Lucila

  • Jared Kemp

    as Malik

  • Allen Maldonado

    as Juan

SXSW 2018 Film Festival Logo with Laurels

REVIEWS

“

This is a movie about where strength comes from, who takes it from us, and how we get it back.

IndieWireDavid Ehrlich
“

...the strong script deserves credit for giving a voice to an experience that is rarely seen on screen, and Emanuelle… is a tightly wound bundle of raw nerves.

Los Angeles TimesKimber Myers
“

A teenager in still‑ungentrified Brooklyn finds an unlikely way of connecting to her ex‑con father … she muscles her way onto her school’s all‑male team and proves she’s made of the same stuff.

The Hollywood Reporter
“

First Match is a film of close‑ups of faces … ‘First Match’ is a tough film with a tender streak for its protagonist and her struggles.

RogerEbert.comJessica Ritchey