'The Boxer' for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games soundly took the title for best film across the awards we tracked. This live action piece captured the relentless dedication and often countless unseen hours that go into pursuing a passion, whatever the goal.
Flashes of British amateur boxing champion Delicios Orie's gruelling training regime, overlaid with his motivational monologues, introduce us to the often obscure world of frantic urgency that all elite athletes exist in. This is a world in which we, for the time being, can only sit back and appreciate until maybe we ourselves feel compelled enough to jump into action. Of course, sport isn't just reserved for the best of the best, but it does have the uncanny ability to invigorate us. Seeing the best in action struggling to reach those daily micro-summits, failing often as they go, is something we can identify with in our own lives. Their successes eventually therefore become our successes, which is a notion all intelligent brand film recognises.
It isn't too difficult to see how this piece could be so heavily lauded for its ability to galvanise and inspire future generations of athletes. It seems also fated that both DRPG's 'The Boxer' and Orie would go on to win gold for their efforts.
