011films & Ventureland To Enter Ring With Doc On Heavyweight Boxing Champ Oleksandr Usyk: “His Story Is Dramatic, Emotional, And Extremely Thrilling”

EXCLUSIVE: 011films and Ventureland are partnering on what guarantees to be the definitive documentary on undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk.

We’re informed post-production is underway in Rome on the movie directed and produced by Pablo Benedetti, who gained entry to the Ukrainian powerhouse throughout a span of 5 years, following the star athlete inside and outdoors the ring. Usyk, gold medalist on the 2012 London Olympics, turned the primary boxer to concurrently maintain titles from boxing’s 4 prime sanctioning our bodies — the World Boxing Affiliation, World Boxing Council, Worldwide Boxing Federation, and World Boxing Group.

Benedetti’s documentary, anticipated to be launched in 2025, will reveal the champion “at residence, together with his household and teammates in Ukraine – together with through the conflict – in addition to in lots of nations around the globe,” based on a launch. “The movie will characteristic pivotal moments in Usyk’s life and storied profession in addition to documenting all the highs and lows within the locker room earlier than and in spite of everything his most essential fights of the final 5 years, together with these for the world title in opposition to Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury.”

In a press release, Benedetti commented, “As a director, telling tales is a good duty, and I’m proud to have this privilege. With Usyk, there was an instantaneous, magical spark; it doesn’t occur typically—in actual fact, it’s uncommon—however when it does, you instantly sense that, in some way, that story was ready for you as a lot as you had been looking for it. For me, it has develop into extra of a mission on daily basis, one to which I’m dedicating all of my vitality and life with sacrifice. Usyk’s story is not only an ideal screenplay; it’s an everlasting parable of humanity and sport for everybody.”

Standing 6’3”, with a attain of 78”, Usyk has compiled knowledgeable document of 22-0, with 14 of his victories coming by knockout. The southpaw from Shypyntsi, Ukraine coincidentally shares a birthday – January 17 – with the late Muhammad Ali.

“I used to be in Kyiv, and when my brother Serhii known as me, he stated, ‘Pay attention, there’s an individual dwelling in Italy, he’s a director, and he might make a tremendous documentary about you—not nearly boxing, however about your complete life,’” Usyk recalled. “After we related by way of video name, I used to be at a restaurant with associates. I stepped exterior to affix the dialog… I don’t know why, however I believed in Pablo, in the concept he would create one thing unbelievable. He turned like a brother to me, a part of my household.”

011films is an award-winning Italian manufacturing firm that has debuted characteristic movies and documentaries on the world’s most prestigious movie festivals — Berlin, Venice and Cannes — and distributed internationally since 2006. 011films’ Davide Sordella and Ventureland’s John Battsek are producing the Usyk documentary alongside Benedetti.

“It was a singular alternative for us to productively help this human and sporting journey from Kyiv to Ryad, passing via the UK, Spain, Turkey, Greece, UAE,” stated Sordella. “A protracted journey that allowed us and the spectator to develop into a part of a giant household, Usyk’s household,”

Ventureland, the corporate based by Kerstin Emhoff, Battsek, and Ali Brown, specializes within the improvement of authentic leisure throughout all media platforms, together with theatrical, streaming, podcasts, and extra. Battsek, a a number of Emmy winner, earned a 2024 Academy Award nomination for producing Nationwide Geographic’s Bobi Wine: The Folks’s President.

“Oleksandr Usyk hearkens again to the golden period of heavyweight Champions,” Battsek famous. “No fuss, no BS, simply rock-solid prime stage unparalleled boxing expertise. His story is dramatic, emotional and extremely thrilling and I’m honored to be a part of the staff entrusted by Oleksandr to make this movie.”

011films, primarily based in Florence and Turin, was based by Sordella and Benedetti, who each studied on the London Movie College. Fratelli di Sangue, the corporate’s first characteristic movie, was introduced on the Venice Movie Pageant in 2006. Their second manufacturing, Corazones de Mujer, premiered on the 2008 Berlin Movie Pageant. Extra credit embrace the 2019 sports activities documentary El Numero Nueve, about Argentinean footballer Gabriel Batistuta. In 2021, they produced Florence in a Glass Ball, a movie exploring the historic metropolis through the Covid lockdown in 2020 (the title is on the market on Prime Video worldwide).

Amongst Ventureland’s current credit are Wham!, The Rescue, and The Deepest Breath. “Ventureland has a number of large initiatives on the horizon,” the corporate notes, “together with the David Oyelowo led scripted collection Authorities Cheese on Apple TV in addition to a number of to-be-announced characteristic documentaries presently in post-production.”

Earlier credit embrace the Emmy Award-winning Rising Phoenix (Netflix); Critics Selection nominee The Actual Charlie Chaplin (Showtime); TIFF-selected Werner Herzog documentary Theater of Thought; Mary McCartney’s documentary on Abbey Street Studios, If These Partitions May Sing (Disney+); and Increase! Increase! The World vs Boris Becker (Apple TV+), Alex Gibney’s portrait of the previous tennis legend which premiered on the 2023 Berlin Movie Pageant.