mTuckman Media is releasing Appian Way Production’s The Featherweight about legendary 2x World Featherweight boxing champion Willie Pep and has set a September theatrical release date.
The pic from filmmaker Robert Kolodny made its world premiere at last year’s Venice Film Festival where it received a six-minute standing ovation and 100% critical review score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film will have a theatrical release in New York as well opening in theaters across Pep’s hometown state of Connecticut on Sept. 20th and will open in Los Angeles on Sept. 27.
Set in the mid-1960s in Hartford, Connecticut, The Featherweight presents a gripping chapter in the true-life story of Italian-American boxer Willie Pep (James Madio)—the winningest fighter of all time—who, down and out in his mid-40s and with his personal life in shambles, decides to make a return to the ring, at which point a documentary camera crew enters his life.
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The Featherweight also stars Ruby Wolf in her feature debut, Keir Gilchrist (Love & Death, Atypical), Stephen Lang (Avatar Franchise), Ron Livingston (The Flash, Loudermilk) Lawrence Gilliard Jr (The Walking Dead, One Night in Miami…), Shari Albert (The Brothers McMullen) and undefeated professional featherweight boxer Bruce Carrington.
Golden Ratio Films also produced the picture.
“It is a thrill to present The Featherweight to audiences, a film that our brilliant cast and exceptional crew so diligently put their entire hearts into. The story of Willie Pep is such an American tale, one of great highs and terrible lows. He is not only a world class prizefighter on the verge of coming undone, he is also the quintessential mid-century man, with all his faults and fissures laid bare before the camera,” said Kolodny.
“Producers have been trying to bring Willie Pep’s story to the big screen for decades and we are thrilled and honored to finally get it done. Pep has the most wins in boxing history and most have never heard of him. We’re hoping The Featherweight will change that while also solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest to ever lace them up,” added writer and producer Steve Loff.
Kolodny makes his feature directorial debut here. He won a New York Emmy in the Information/Instructional category for Frankie Cooks. He’s also a News and Documentary Emmy Award nominee for the 2022 title The Procession.
Loff (Desert Rain) wrote the script and produced in addition to Madio, Bennett Elliott, Robert Greene (who also edited the film), Asger Hussain and Abhayanand Singh. EPs include two-time Oscar nominee Steve James, Jennifer Davisson, Michael Hampton, Brian Liebman, Mark Hantoot, Donna Collins, Angelo DeFazio, Abhay Deol and Jay Giannone.