“Out In The Ring” is set to make its TV debut on November 15th on Fuse and Fuse+.
“Out In The Ring” is a documentary that focuses on LGBTQA+ wrestlers both past and present. The director Ry Levey does this through interviews and footage of out performers. Some of the wrestlers that are featured in the film include Cassandro, Billy Dixon, Effy, Sonny Kiss, Parrow, Dark Sheik and many more.
After many years of work and some delays due to the pandemic, the film premiered June 22nd at the Inside Out Film and Video Festival, which is a Canadian LGBTQ film festival, where it won the award for Best Canadian Film. It then went on to win awards and praise at multiple other film festivals.
I had the chance to ask the director of Out in the Ring, Ry Levey, some questions about making the film and showing it at film festivals.
You have shown the film at multiple film festivals. What kind of reaction did it get at these festivals, that I would assume were not filled with wrestling fans?
At this point, I’ve had the chance to screen the film for so many audiences, each unique. Everyone responds to different things at every screening. But universally, the response has been generally warm and favorable. It’s the least you can hope for because you’ve spent years of your life working on it, and you want everyone to love the people in your film the way you love them.
Was there anything that you were surprised to learn while making the film?
I mean, everybody has their story, so when you interview someone you are privy to so much, and if you make someone comfortable, the more they are willing to share with you, and in those moments is magic, vulnerability, passion, emotion, etc. This film unveils many revelations about the history of the LGBTQIA+ community in pro wrestling and the individuals fighting to maintain their place in it. I hope fans also find it revelatory too.
How long did it take you to make the film, and what were some of the obstacles other than the COVID pandemic?
I began researching in 2015, and principal photography began in August 2017. We locked the picture in March 2022, and World premiered in June 2022 at the Toronto Inside Out 2SLGBTQ Film Festival, where we won the jury award for best Canadian feature. In terms of delays, certainly, COVID and the Speaking Out movement impacted things, delayed editing, and required a lot of creative reshoots, which ultimately led to us making a better film. We were able to cover the explosion of queer representation in pro wrestling, and we would have had a different film if we had stopped as planned in 2020. From something terrible came something extraordinary.
What has been the reaction of the wrestlers who have seen the film?
I’ve had so many of the wrestlers see the film and the responses have been so wonderful from those who have seen it with an audience, like Parrow, Susan Tex Green, Effy, Dani Jordyn, Sonny Kiss, Pollo Del Mar, and Reiza Clarke, have been just so supportive of the project, and have been genuinely loving to me and our filmmaking team. It’s certainly a relief to know they are proud to have been involved.
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