Official selection
Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival 2022
Honors
Best Canadian Feature, Inside Out 2S LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2022
Director
Ry Levey
Executive Producer
Cassandra Levey, Kris Levey, Scooter McCrae
Producer
Darren Dean, Ry Levey, Brad Webb
Cast
Reiza Clarke, Kaitlin Diemond, Effy, Susan Green, Bertrand Hebert, Sonny Kiss, Pat Laprade, AC Mack, Mike Parrow, Paul Pratt, Dark Sheik
Cinematographer
Michael Galinsky, Justin McConnell, Adam Sekuler, Greg Sommers, Tom Swindell
Sound Designer
Shawn Duffy
Composer
Scooter McCrae
Editor
Brad Webb
contact
RBL Films
Flashy, melodramatic, and over the top—these words easily describe the professional wrestling world. Extravagant costumes, makeup, and plenty of exposed skin are just a part of the scenery in the ring, and with that comes sexuality. Half-naked performers grappling on the mats for a sparkling belt is top-tier theatre where drag, ballroom culture, and homoeroticism are front and centre. For many fans, it’s what wrestling historian Vandal Drummond calls “just wrestling,” but there are deeper connections to queer culture. You’ll find them in the documentary OUT IN THE RING. From Pat Patterson, Mexico’s Los Exóticos, to The Hells Angels and beyond, the players in professional wrestling used their craft to express themselves, taunt and titillate fans while displaying their sexuality in plain sight without admitting their sexual identity publicly. Over the decades, stereotypes ran rampant, hatred for those who were different was encouraged, and wrestling became a prime arena as a messy stew of ambiguity, accusations and tragedy. With fascinating histories and exceptional perseverance, these pioneers paved the way for modern-day wrestlers to step up and declare their identities with less fear and stigma.
For this feature documentary debut, director Ry Levey covers Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. to speak to wrestlers from the queer community past and present, historians, and journalists about the world of pro wrestling and their experiences. Co-produced with Darren Dean (THE FLORIDA PROJECT, TANGERINE) and Brad Webb, Levey covers the appropriation and objectification of queer culture, the legacy of late pro-wrestler Chyna, and role models for queer fans and future wrestlers. It’s all there, OUT IN THE RING. – Carolyn Mauricette
Showings
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