Celebrated Lebanese Filmmaker Teams with former British Boxing Champion for Prizefighting Documentary

Celebrated Lebanese Filmmaker Teams with former British Boxing Champion for Prizefighting Documentary


LOS ANGELES, Nov. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Eli Sokhn, known for his acclaimed
2012 Cannes Festival short film "Green is Red," has attached to edit
and post-produce an upcoming boxing documentary "The Safest Place on
Earth" with Gary Stretch, a former British middleweight champ turned
actor.



"I'm very excited to be a part of this movie because not only are we
doing a piece about such an old sport," Sokhn said, "we're also
shedding light on the backstories of some of the biggest boxing
champions who you think are savage and fierce, but on the inside might
be vulnerable or even breakable."



Sokhn is reuniting with Stretch, known for acting in Oliver Stone's
"Alexander," "World Trade Center" and "Savages." The two originally
worked together on "Green is Red," an animated and live action short
film with a powerful anti-war message that Sokhn directed, wrote and
edited.



Stretch, who finished 23-2 in his boxing career, is directing and
producing the documentary, which is eyeing a 2013 or 2014 release.



"Having worked with many of Hollywood's A-list filmmakers, from Oliver
Stone to Sean Penn to Nicholas Cage and Sir Anthony Hopkins," Stretch
says, "never have I come across such passion and drive in a new
filmmaker. I look forward to Eli's extraordinary work and input into my
project."



Through unfiltered interviews from renowned icons of professional
fighting, the documentary uncovers complex psychological challenges
faced by fighters who rose to the top of the sport and continue to bear
its external and internal scars. Joe Calzaghe, Carlos Palomino, Ronda
Rousey, Ricky Hatton, Ray Mancini and Vinnie Curto offer uninhibited
insight.



The narrative also includes never-before-seen footage from Jackie
Kallen, the First Lady of boxing famously portrayed by Meg Ryan in
"Against the Ropes," Lucia Rijker, former undefeated world champ and
co-star of Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" and Frank Stallone,
boxing historian, actor and Grammy-nominated songwriter.



Sokhn edited sports broadcasts, dramas, sitcoms, documentaries, and
entertainment shows as Chief Editor for New Look Productions in Beirut,
Lebanon. In 2009, he edited a nationally broadcast memorial concert on
Future TV for Prime Minister Rafik El Hariri, who was paid tribute with
a hologram of his likeness.



SOURCE Eli El Sokhn

Eli El Sokhn


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