Saviours

Three young men strive for greatness at St. Saviours Olympic Boxing Academy in Dublin’s north inner-city. Against a fascinating backdrop of Dorset Street and surroundings in 2008, the film interweaves the roller-coaster fortunes of the three boxers over an 18-month period, both inside and outside the ring.

For Abdul, an asylum seeker from Ghana, his toughest fight is his battle to stay in Ireland; Dean, a local lad from the flats fights to overcome injury in order to fulfil his goal of winning an Olympic gold; and Darren, a young man of Irish-Caribbean parentage and the club’s most promising fighter, struggles to choose between boxing and his university studies. Their coaches stand supportively by.

This early verité-style film was the first of many sports documentaries from Ross Whitaker (Katie, Unbreakable, The Mark Pollock Story), exploring the singular determination of sportspeople and capturing the excitement of their endeavours.