David Farnor | On 12, Mar 2018

Netflix may have taken its time to snap up titles from this year’s Sundance, but it is firmly ahead of the game for SXSW this month. Hot on the heels of acquiring Daryl Hannah’s Paradox, the streaming giant has unleashed the trailer for First Match, its hard-hitting wrestling drama that’s set to debut at the festival.

The movie, which marks the feature directorial debut of Olivia Newman, first began back in 2011 as a short at the New York Film Festival, before it was nurtured by Sundance’s filmmaker labs and grew to become a full-length film. It stars newcomer Elvire Emanuelle, writer-director Olivia Newman as a teenage girl from Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighbourhood. Hardened by years in foster care, she decides to join the boys wrestling team to get back to her estranged father.

The cast also includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Colman Domingo, Jharrel Jerome and Jared Kemp. It’s produced by Chanelle Elaine, Veronica Nickel and Bryan Unkeless.

First Match premieres at SXSW today, before punching its way onto Netflix on Friday 30th March. Here’s the trailer – or, for more on what’s coming soon to Netflix UK this March, click here.

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